New Orleans-based Regatta Research & Money Management, LLC is a boutique, fee-only wealth management firm focused on the needs of wealthy individuals, corporations, and trusts.
Now with three offices in Louisiana and Florida, the firm started with humble beginnings. After graduating from LSU Law School and working as an institutional research analyst on Wall Street, Eric Greschner missed home. In 1998, he started Regatta Research in the back of a River Ridge garage with only two clients: his mom and dad.
Eric was an early proponent of financial education and teaching at Tulane University College when he met Rudy Blanchard, an equally passionate financial educator.
Together, the two reimagined financial planning.
“Banks and brokerage firms often focus on selling their own high-commission products rife with conflicts of interest and hidden fees,” says Eric. “Duties of loyalty and protecting clients’ best interests are not required by law, and we think that’s wrong.”
Considering what they would want as clients, Eric and Rudy designed a firm where the relationship between investor and wealth manager is that of a trustee-trustor relationship, also known as an RIA. Standards of care embraced by Regatta Research—one of the first RIAs in Louisiana—include duties of loyalty, utmost good faith, honesty, transparency, objectivity, and avoiding self-dealing.
Growth at Regatta is driven by three Cs: certainty out of confusion, clarity out of complexity, and confidence out of fear. Regatta focuses on long-term, win-win relationships.
“We are our clients’ financial quarterback and their accountability partner,” says Rudy. “What motivates us is not just the desire to grow and protect their portfolios but to also grow their investment mindset. We collaborate and educate, helping them exercise better modes of investment thinking no matter what life brings. Whether the market goes up or down, whether someone gets married or divorced—our clients feel in control.”
The Italian phrase su misura means “custom tailored,” indicating a suit of the highest quality and workmanship. At Regatta, clients get a bespoke plan crafted only for them. According to Eric, the difference is in the details.
The experience of the Regatta team also adds to client confidence. Each wealth manager has a graduate degree and more than 20 years’ experience. Certified Financial Planners and Certified Financial Education Instructors, they’ve navigated the tech crash, the 2008 financial crisis, hurricanes and a pandemic.
“Today, investors face a hostile environment where stocks are expensive, bond yields are low, and inflation is a threat,” says Eric. “A larger toolkit is required—world class hedge funds, private equity, private credit, and private real estate.”
Another area of expertise at Regatta is tail risk management, protecting against large but infrequent loss-making events while maintaining participation in profit-making events.
Additionally, tax-efficient strategies are a specialty. Strategies to defer or significantly reduce taxes include direct indexing, 1031 exchanges and Opportunity Zone funds.
“We do the heavy lifting so our clients can spend time doing what they enjoy,” says Rudy. “We keep clients for decades—and their extended families—because our process works.”
Regatta Research offers free, introductory 30-minute consultations. Register online for free market updates and social events, and follow Regatta on Facebook, LinkedIn, and the Eric Greschner and Rudy Blanchard YouTube Channels to learn more about investing.
FAST FACTS:
ERIC
Eric is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) having taught, spoken, and chaired investment conferences at venues ranging from LSU Law School and University College London to Stockholm, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Warsaw Stock Exchange. For his commitment to ethics and teaching, he was named—along with Vanguard founder John Bogle—one of the “The Wall Street 50” in Kim Ann Curtin’s Transforming Wall Street. When not working, you can find him, his wife Mai, sons Aiden and Eric, and their German Shepherd sailing or overlanding.
RUDY
With over two decades of experience as an instructor and portfolio manager, Rudy operates with the motto “Financial education is your best investment.” He has taught financial planning courses at various universities across the state and is also an Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor (APMA). Rudy’s favorite hobby is spending time with his wife Bernie and their three children, Hanna, Lance and Emma. He also enjoys working out, learning bass lines to classic rocks songs, and traveling with his family.
regattaresearch.com / 504-831-4636 / 6620 Riverside Dr STE 207, Metairie
