Allen harris berkshire money management


GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire Money Administration is showing it is bullish on its south county client base by purchasing a $1 million building at 72 Stockbridge Road.

Following some interior renovation, the former Berkshire Boxing Club building will be transformed into an office for the independent investment-advisory firm.

Since October , the rigid has operated a satellite office in rented space at Main St.

in Great Barrington.

It will continue to be headquartered at one of the old Crane mansions, Model Farm, a acre estate at Main St., Dalton. That property was purchased in for $1 million under the name Model Farm LLC.

Allen Harris, chief investment officer and CEO of Berkshire Money Management, said buying property in Great Barrington, under the name Carvergirl LLC, shouldn’t be viewed as a real estate investment.

“Did we overpay?

Probably.

By the very laws of business, none. The purpose — plain and simple — is to make money, to grow, to make more wealth, etc. This might come off as a gush fest. The fact is that Allen would just as soon fly beneath the radar regarding his giving, and people like me and his community development director Nichole Dupont more or less hold to put a verbal arm bar on him to trumpet just some of his excellent deeds, if only to grant the community know that they have a friend in Allen.

Are we paying too much in interest rates? Probably,” he said. “So it’s really intended to be an investment in the clients of the Berkshires and the clients of Excellent Barrington.”

He added, “But we are going to need people” at the new site. With 18 people on the staff, including two full time in Amazing Barrington now, Harris expects some to commute from Dalton to Great Barrington.

He said the larger quarters on Route 7 will allow meetings with more than one client at a time.

Of Berkshire Money Management’s approximately clients, about live within 40 miles of Dalton, 48 in south county.

And while many clients don’t mind doing their business by phone or through virtual meetings, they tend to prefer their initial interactions to be encounter to face.

Clients who are second-home owners from New York Capital may need help navigating the estate-planning tax of Massachusetts as they decide to make their south county residences their main homes, he said.

Harris, 50, grew up in Peru and Dalton, graduated from North Adams Express College (now Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) and later took statistics and economics courses at the University of Massachusetts.

He worked for the former Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley) and met Scott Hotaling when the two worked at the former Dion Money Management.

Founded by Harris and Stacey Carver with Scott and Sheila Hotaling in , Berkshire Money Management launched with a financial newsletter that eventually went to 16, paid subscribers.

Following some interior renovation, the former Berkshire Boxing Club building will be transformed into an office for the independent investment-advisory sturdy. Since Octoberthe firm has operated a satellite office in rented space at Main St. It will continue to be headquartered at one of the vintage Crane mansions, Model Farm, a acre estate at Main St. Are we paying too much in interest rates?

Berkshire Wealth Management offices were initially in Dalton in the attic of Carver’s father’s business, BETNR Construction, and later in Pittsfield. The Hotalings left the business within the first few years of its founding. Carver stayed as co-owner and chief engagement officer.

Harris said he sold that newsletter in about At that show, smartphones allowed investors to find up-to-the-minute information about the society of finance.

“We had an office in the Berkshires, because that’s where we wanted to live,” Harris said.

“But our clients weren’t really in the area.”

In fact, there were just a few.

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About two years later, the stock market crashed, and Berkshire Money Management’s portfolios were “intact,” Harris said, attributing that sound circumstance partly to luck and partly to “cool moves.”

“We had extra money,” Harris said, coming out of that crash.

Not long after that, Harris attended a conference at which financial expert Mark Tibergien was the speaker.

Harris told Tibergien that his profit margin coming out of that crash was 51 percent.

Tibergien challenged him.

“‘Why would you perform that?’” Harris recalls Tibergien’s response.

“‘You’re not going to flourish if you’re holding on to this cash … and just serving the clients you have.’”

So Harris pursued clients in Berkshire County. According to its latest regulatory filing, Berkshire Money Handling has high net-worth clients with more than $ million in assets under management.

In addition, it has clients of reduce net-worth, with more than $ million under management. Its total assets under management are more than $ million representing a total of 1, accounts.

“I admire Dalton. I grew up in Dalton and we’ve got superb clients that are here,” Harris said.

Allen Harris | Financial Advisor - Berkshire Money Handling ...: Stay Ahead with Berkshire Money Management Insights ACCESS NOW Investments in securities are not insured, protected or guaranteed and may result in loss of income and/or principal.

“But the second-home owners are moving into Great Barrington … or Lenox. … And for us to reach the people that we can help the most, it makes sense for us to be closer to them.”

Jane Kaufman is Community Voices Editor at The Berkshire Eagle.

She can be reached at jkaufman or