Norman Boone: Attention to detail sets us apart

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - As a man who has managed to fit several different business ventures into one sweeping career picture, Norman Boone found an apt title for his company name.

Boone is the president and founder of Mosaic Financial Partners, a Bay Area wealth-management firm with offices in Lafayette and San Francisco that handles more than $300 million in personal assets.

The company has grown steadily since it was first established as Boone & Associates in 1984, due in large part to Boone’s work within the investment industry and from strong referrals generated by clients.

“Fundamentally, we’re probably very similar to other investment management firms,” said Boone, who has lived in Oakland since 1979. “What I think sets us apart is our attention to personal details of each of our clients. We take into effect everything — their savings, insurance history, health issues, anything that will make our research more applicable.”

Mosaic’s clients, who need a minimum of $1 million in assets for Mosaic to work with them, are predominantly corporate executives, business professionals and the recently retired.

Boone’s hard work building Mosaic has been recognized in the wealth-management field: He was named one of 2007’s “Movers and Shakers,” by Financial Planning Magazine.

Boone has co-authored a book with his fiancée, Linda Lubitz, titled “Creating an Investment Policy Statement,” and he developed a Web-based software, IPS Advisor Pro, to help personal investors manage their wealth online.

“I spend a lot of time working on the weekends and nights,” said Boone, who also writes a bimonthly column for Wealth Manager magazine. “But we do this because we really want to raise the quality of our profession and provide guidance for the consumer.”

Even with his busy schedule (which includes planning an upcoming wedding with Lubitz) Boone still has plans on expanding Mosaic in the near future.

“We would like to see our revenues increase annually by 25 percent,” Boone said. “It has to be an organic process, however. The bigger the company gets, we have to become more efficient as a staff. We’ll have access to more resources, but we have to remain dedicated to the personal attention we pride ourselves on.”

Norman Boone

BUSINESS

New project: The Client Experience — improved focus on exceeding expectations in every client interaction

Last project: Client Modeling System — analyzing how each staff member spends his or her time and seeking ways to improve productivity

Number of e-mails a day: 100

Number of voice mails a day: 5

Essential Web site: www.carbonite.com — online back-up for computer; www.roboform.com — password retention

Best perk: Having a flexible schedule — allows me to travel

Gadgets: Treo 680

Education: Stanford BA, Harvard MBA

Career objective: To build a company that serves as a model for independent financial advisers

PERSONAL

Details: 59. Getting married in April to Linda Lubitz (my co-author and business partner). We have homes in the Bay Area and in Miami; spend time each month in each.

Hometown: Oakland; grew up in Inglewood

Transportation: Lexus GS 300

Favorite restaurant: Anjou, San Francisco

Computer: IBM laptop X60

Favorite vacation: We had the best possible experience climbing Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro to the summit; loved the safari afterward.

Reading: “The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman; “Blue Ocean Strategy,” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne; and “Top Grading,” by Bradford Smart