Thomas E. Connaghan, III
Senior Wealth Advisor

Industry Start Date: 1992

KAR Start Date: 2011

Education: MBA, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
B.A., Classics from the University of Notre Dame

Credentials: Registered Investment Adviser Representative, Series 65, Certificate in Financial Planning (the UK FSA qualification)

Recognition: Tom was named on the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list for 2018-2021 and 2023.

Prior to Joining KAR:
Tom worked as Vice President in the Institutional Group for Fisher Investments, a global wealth manager based in Woodside, California. During his nearly 10 years at Fisher Investments, Tom provided private client as well as institutional investment management services to high-net-worth families, public, corporate and multi-employer relationships in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. His depth of knowledge in global capital markets and portfolio management has helped clients make informed decisions regarding their specific financial plans. Tom also served as a Director in the Financial Services Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and was responsible for providing strategic public finance services to state and local governments.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is to work with successful individuals who have incredible life stories. We partner with them to develop a financial plan to help them with financial freedom so they can live the lifestyle they want.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
I enjoy working at KAR because of the variety of clients I get to work with. We work with individuals who are in the early stages of their careers and are looking to grow their assets, as well as individuals who are at or nearing retirement and are looking for capital preservation and diversified income streams. We also work with individuals and families who are thinking about the most efficient way to pass on their wealth to future generations.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
We do things differently here at Kayne Anderson Rudnick. For over thirty years, we have been solely focused on high-net-worth individuals and investment management. With over a quarter of our employees focused on research, we can offer access to both proprietary strategies not widely available to the general investing public as well as external managers offering best-in-class strategies.

What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
I hope to help my clients achieve financial freedom and security. For example, I recently worked with a client who was anticipating a big windfall from his professional endeavor. We worked together to create a plan for when that event would happen – working on income, potential lifestyle changes and how to invest that money tax-efficiently – so that he and his family could enjoy the lifestyle they had worked so hard to achieve.

When Not in the Office:
I enjoy spending time with my family around San Francisco’s Bay Area. My wife and I have four children and we support the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation, Pathways Home Health and Hospice, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and St. Raymond’s Catholic Church, among other organizations. I spend any free time outdoors, golfing, surfing, biking and coaching my children’s teams. I also enjoy cooking new recipes, recording and playing music and am a loyal fan of Notre Dame Football and Soccer. Additionally, I am involved with ProVisors, a network of top-rated professionals that enables me to provide my clients with very helpful and knowledgeable referrals.