A family focus on finances

In opening a financial planning office in Bartlett, the advisers are looking to create an atmosphere with a small-town feel.

Ron Kapraun, branch manager for the newest Raymond James & Associates office, said the advisers all worked for A.G. Edwards before Wachovia Corp. bought the firm nearly a year ago. "We didn't want to work for a big bank," Kapraun said.

Instead, the group of about 10 employees launched a Raymond James & Associates branch at 820 W. Bartlett Road in the Westgate Commons shopping center.

Founded in 1962 and a public company since 1983, Raymond James serves as a diversified financial services holding company with subsidiaries engaged primarily in investment and financial planning, in addition to investment banking and asset management. There are 2,200 branches, including in Rockford, Itasca, Winnetka and Lake Forest.

Kapraun, who has lived in Bartlett for the past decade, said they chose Bartlett because of residential growth in the area. "It's an under served community," he said.

Several of the certified financial planners and consultants working at the branch are from the area and have ties to the community.

The branch caters to an array of customers, from people looking to invest significant savings to the person who just retired and isn't sure what to do with their 401(k). Raymond James also handles estate planning, college planning, asset management, retirement planning, profit-sharing plans, mutual funds and more.

Kapraun, 41, and his wife are raising four sons, ages 3 to 10, in town. Another financial adviser with the firm, Rob Martin, also lives in Bartlett with his wife and six children.

The sense of family, along with community, runs through the branch, which opened in November. Rob and his brother, John Martin, of South Elgin, have been working together for 16 years. "Their desks face each other and always have," Kapraun said.

Certified financial planner Dave Strutzel of Bloomingdale and his son, Matt, also work together in Bartlett. The branch has a total of more than 85 years of combined experience, Kapraun said.

With the slump in the economy, Kapraun said it's their goal to help clients feel at ease and reassured with their investments. He said they try to tell people that the recent movement in markets shouldn't change their long-term financial goals. "People get very emotional," Kapraun said.

For more information, call (630) 372-1241 or check out www.raymondjames.com/Bartlett.