Behind the List with Bill Schultz of McQueen, Ball & Associates Inc.

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With a volatile stock market, continual rise in cost of living expenses to keeping the lights on at your office, making sure your money is properly managed can make or break your business.

Fortunately, throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley that are asset management companies and investment advisers equipped with the resources to help manage your wealth.

One of the biggest players in the region is McQueen, Ball & Associates Inc. in Bethlehem.

Here to answer this week’s “Behind the List” questions is Bill Schultz, chief investment officer of the firm that had $1.86 billion in assets under management in its fiscal year ending in 2014.

Lehigh Valley Business: How long has McQueen, Ball & Associates Inc. been operating in the Greater Lehigh Valley and what are its primary services?

Bill Schultz: McQueen, Ball & Associates was founded in 1981 as a Securities and Exchange Commission registered investment advisory company offering fee-only investment management services to corporate executives and directors, owners of private businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans and charitable foundations and endowments. Our company has been located in the Lehigh Valley since its inception.

Over the years, we have witnessed an increasingly complex investment, tax and legal environment. Wealthy families and individuals who relied on an uncoordinated approach in handling their financial affairs often found themselves overwhelmed.

McQueen, Ball & Associates developed an integrated platform of services that combined investment management with tax planning, estate planning and trust administration. Many of our clients today represent wealthy families whose strategies span generations.

LVB: What have been some of the biggest opportunities and hardships that McQueen, Ball & Associates Inc. has encountered throughout its years in business?

Schultz: As one of the earliest participants in the wealth management business, McQueen, Ball faced challenges implementing a financial planning model that relied on fees rather than commissions. Prospective clients needed to be educated about this new objective approach to their financial affairs.