Conserve.
Plan.
Grow.^®

The firm is founded by Lee Butler. Lee had worked for many years in the trust department of a large bank, managing and administering families’ assets across generations. He recognized the need for independence from banks, brokers, and financial products if he was going to serve as fiduciary advisor acting in the clients’ best interests.

Lee’s son, Malcolm, joined the company after graduating from Duke University. Saving and investing was in Malcolm’s DNA, opening his first account when he was 12 years old.

Seeing a need for greater expertise in estate and taxation matters, Malcolm entered the University of Georgia Law School.

Malcolm returns to the firm after graduating with a law degree. By now, the firm’s clients were turning to Lee and Malcolm to do what has come to be known as "wealth management"—everything from investing assets and administering trusts and estates, to paying clients’ bills and overseeing family finances.

Malcolm becomes President and Chief Executive Officer.

Joel Goodman, who holds an MBA from Duke University and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst ^® designation, returns to Savannah with his family and joins the firm as portfolio manager.

Julia Butler, with a law degree from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Wharton, joins the firm, initially as a business innovation consultant and ultimately as Chief Operating & Compliance Officer. Joel Goodman assumes the role of Chief Investment Officer.

Scott McGhie, CFA, CPA, joins the firm as portfolio manager and investment advisor. Lee Butler retires from active management of client accounts. The firm begins serving as a fiduciary investment advisor to 401(k) plans.

Joel Goodman becomes an equity owner in the firm. Scott McGhie becomes an equity partner a year later.

TFG enters into a strategic partnership with Focus Financial Partners LLC, a leading partnership of independent fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus partner firms maintain their entrepreneurial independence and operational control while benefitting from the synergies, scale, economics, and best practices of the market leader to achieve their business objectives. www.focusfinancialpartners.com

Julia earns the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation and becomes Director of 401(k) Advisory & Financial Planning Services.

Starting from $40 million in assets under management and a team of 3 in 1985 when Malcolm Butler returned from law school, as of year-end 2019 the firm has grown to a 14-member team of skilled professionals managing over $1.1 billion in investment assets for over 500 individuals, families, trusts, company retirement plans, and nonprofits.  The Fiduciary Group has truly evolved from a family-owned local business to a world-class wealth management firm serving families and businesses in the Coastal region and beyond.  In 2020, the firm will celebrate its 50^th anniversary.  We are proud not just of what we’ve accomplished the last 50 years, but the fact that the firm we’ve built—the team, the infrastructure, the intellectual capital, the processes—allows us to continue to grow and thrive and serve our clients and future clients for generations to come.  We celebrate 50 years of fiduciary wealth management, with 20/20 vision for the future!