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PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

AWARDS

Five Star Wealth Manager award winner 2013 – 2025

CERTIFICATIONS

CFP®: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional

Activities

Trustee - The Henry S & Agnes M Truzack Foundation

Board Member - The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers - 2019 - 2024

Volunteer & Former Trustee - Furniture Assist

Elder - Presbyterian Church in Westfield NJ

 

Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Paul attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics in 1982. Paul has devoted over 30 years to meeting financial planning and investment needs of his clients. He began his investment career while still attending Drew, working part time with Merrill Lynch in the futures division. After graduation Paul continued working for Merrill Lynch in the Washington, D.C. office. Realizing that the futures market was not the best investment vehicle for most individual investors, Paul moved to New Jersey in 1985 to join a bank through which he could offer more traditional investment services.

In 1993 Paul joined R. Seelaus & Co., where today he continues to meet the investment management and financial planning needs of high-net-worth individuals, business owners, corporations and foundations. In 2003 Paul earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional designation and now, in addition to providing investment management, consults with clients in regards to a wide array of financial matters they are faced with and need to address.

Paul is also active in charitable and philanthropic pursuits. He volunteers, and is a former Trustee of Furniture Assist, which is an organization that provides furniture and household items free of charge to individuals with a recognized need. He is also the trustee of The Henry S. & Agnes M. Truzack Foundation, a private charitable foundation which makes grants to worthwhile non-profit organizations. Additionally, Paul served on the Board of The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers from 2019 - 2024 and is an Elder at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield NJ.

Paul currently resides in Westfield, NJ with his wife and has three adult children scattered around the US. He has been active in the community as a coach of both lacrosse and soccer, and for a number of years enjoyed playing masters lacrosse.  In his limited spare time, Paul enjoys hiking with his family and cycling.

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This award was issued on 12/01/2024 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 03/13/2024 through 10/07/2024. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 7425 New Jersey-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 431 (6 % of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 6,515, 462, 7%, 12/1/23, 3/13/23 - 9/29/23; 2023: 6,606, 407, 6%, 12/1/22, 3/21/22 - 10/18/22; 2022: 6380, 431, 7%, 12/1/21, 4/12/21 - 10/15/21; 6123, 459, 7%, 12/1/20, 3/30/20 - 10/23/20; 2020: 6210, 480, 8%, 12/1/19, 3/1/19 - 10/16/19; 2019: 6097, 477, 8%, 12/1/18, 3/21/18 - 10/12/18; 2018: 4383, 415, 9%, 12/1/17, 2/21/17 - 10/12/17; 2017: 3868, 664, 17%, 11/1/16, 2/25/16 - 10/7/16; 2016: 4143, 626, 15%, 11/1/15, 4/15/15 - 10/16/15; 2015: 5063, 672, 13%, 12/1/14, 4/15/14 - 10/16/14; 2014: 3315, 646, 19%, 12/1/13, 4/15/13 - 10/16/13; 2013: 4049, 733, 18%, 12/1/12, 4/15/12 - 10/16/12; 2012: 1312, 400, 30%, 11/1/11, 4/15/11 - 10/16/11.
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Paul Stierhoff , CFP®, is an Executive Vice President of Seelaus Asset Management (formally known as Granite Springs Asset Management).  He provides wealth management, investment advisory and comprehensive financial planning solutions to individual, business and foundation clients.  Are you ready to start a conversation about your investment and financial planning needs?  Contact Paul at (908) 273-3011 or email pstierhoff@seelausam.com to find out more.

 

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.

 

Seelaus Asset Management, LLC is a privately held SEC registered investment advisor that specializes in investment strategies for private clients, family offices financial advisers, insurance companies, pension plans, and other institutional investors. The Investment Philosophy at Seelaus is based on two principal beliefs; that asset allocation is the most important investment decision and; that disciplined risk management leads to superior returns over time. 

 

Seelaus Asset Management LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and qualified to do business in various state jurisdictions where required. 

 

Disclaimer

 

Past performance is not indicative of future results. This material is not financial advice or an offer to sell any product. The opinions expressed are those of the Seelaus Asset Management LLC Investment Team. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication and are subject to change due to changes in the market or economic conditions. Material presented has been derived from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation recommendation or an offer to buy, sell or hold any securities, other investments or to adopt any investment strategy or strategies. This material is for educational purposes only. Seelaus Asset Management LLC is an investment adviser registered with the US Securities and Exchange. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about Seelaus Asset Management LLC can be found in its Form ADV which is available upon request.

*Winners appearing on this page do not pay a fee to be considered or to win the Five Star Award. Professionals with a digital profile have paid a promotional fee.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients' assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.