Max Haspel, CEPA®

Managing Director, Senior Wealth Advisor & President of Colony Business Owner Services

Babylon, NY | New York, NY
Max Haspel
Focus Areas

Pre- and Post-Liquidity Planning
Business Transition Planning
Multi-Generational Planning
Philanthropic Planning
Private Strategies
Coaching
Author

Client Specialty

Business Owner
Family Enterprise

Recognitions

Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, NY, (2020-2024)

Community

Fiver Children’s Foundation Board Member
Colgate University Alumni Council Member
Colgate Alumni Club of Long Island Past President
Community Sailing Program Commodore
Endowment Investment Committee Member
Volunteer Firefighter

Max is the President of Colony Business Owner Services, a Senior Wealth Advisor and Managing Director. With over 25 years of experience, Max leads Colony’s national Business Owner Services practice and its Long Island-based team in serving the needs of successful entrepreneurs and their families. He and his team specialize in advising business owners on exit planning by helping prepare owners, their businesses, and their families for success during and after the transition. Max founded, grew and ultimately exited a business, and has experience in business exits both as an advisor and entrepreneur.

Through Colony Family Office, Max and his team deliver a vast array of relevant services including investment management, tax planning, multi-generational gifting and wealth transfers, family wealth education, family governance, philanthropic advice and business management. Max is also actively engaged in investment- and wealth-planning research and is a member of Colony’s Investment and Executive Committees.

Max is a co-author of the book Personal Financial Planning for Executives and Entrepreneurs: The Path to Financial Peace of Mind (Second Edition). He has been named one of Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors for New York. Long Island Business News awarded him a Business & Finance Award, which recognizes financial professionals for their outstanding performance as financial stewards of Long Island’s corporations, governments, and nonprofit organizations.

He helped develop and refine Colony’s time-tested wealth management client process, one that provides structure and transparency starting at the initial meeting and lasting inter-generationally.

Max founded Blue Water Advisors in 2000 and merged it with The Colony Group in early 2018. Previously, he was an equity research analyst at firms including Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, where he learned the inner workings of Wall Street, investment research, capital raising, and mergers and acquisitions.

Max graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He remains active in the Colgate community and is an Emeritus Member of the Alumni Council and a past President of the Colgate Alumni Club of Long Island. A lifelong learner, Max attended the Advest Institute at Harvard and obtained a Wharton Certificate in Retirement Planning.

Max’s personal passions include traveling with his wife and teenage children, fishing, sailboat racing and skiing.

Disclosures:

Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors criteria (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024): Based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data, including years of experience, revenue trends, AUM, compliance records, client retention, best practices, and approach to working with clients. Colony paid no compensation to Forbes’ to participate or for inclusion in its list.

Published Insights

13 Colony Group Advisors Named Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2024 by Forbes

Congratulations to the following Colony Group team members for being named to Forbes’ 2024 Best-in-State Wealth Advisors List:  Debra Brede, Principal and Senior Wealth Advisor, D.K. Brede Investment Management...

The Exit Plan: Avoid These Mistakes to Maximize Success

As seen in Worth  Exit planning is crucial. Here are the top myths about this misunderstood arena—and how to avoid falling into their traps. For some entrepreneurs, thinking about...

Long Island Business News Recognizes The Colony Group as a Best Place to Work on Long Island 2023

The Colony Group has been named a “Best Place to Work on Long Island” by Long Island Business News for 2023. Honorees for this recognition are chosen based on...

Six Newly-Certified Exit Planning Advisors Enhance The Colony Group’s Services for Business Owners

The Colony Group congratulates the following Colony Group colleagues on obtaining the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) credential. The Colony Group’s new CEPAs are: 1. Max Haspel, CEPA®, Managing...

Colony Group Wealth Advisors Selected for Forbes’ 2023 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors List

We are excited to announce that four of our wealth advisors are recognized on the 2023 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list, developed by SHOOK Research. The advisors acknowledged from...

Forbes and SHOOK Research Again Recognize Multiple Colony Group Wealth Advisors as 2022 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors

The Colony Group is pleased to announce that four of its wealth advisors are recognized on the 2022 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list, developed by SHOOK Research. The advisors...

LONG ISLAND CASE STUDY PART 5: DEFINING SUCCESS- WHAT IS IT YOU REALLY WANT FROM AN EXIT?

Watch this webinar to learn how to transform HiTech's operations from a successful small business to a scalable, sustainable, and more profitable company.

Forbes 2021 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors Includes 5 Colony Group Wealth Advisors

Forbes has recognized five of The Colony Group’s Wealth Advisors in their 2021 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list. Colorado – Craig Jones, JD, MBA, CPWA®, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Director,...

Forbes 2020 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors Includes 5 Colony Group Wealth Advisors

Forbes has recognized five of The Colony Group’s Wealth Advisors in their 2020 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list. Colorado – Craig Jones, JD, MBA, CPWA®, Managing Director, Rocky Mountain Region...

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What They’re Not Telling You About Qualified Opportunity Funds

One of today’s hottest tax topics is the relatively new concept of “qualified opportunity zones,” created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) at the end of 2017....

Can I expect more than financial advice from my financial advisor?

Thirty years ago, the term financial advice commonly referred to a limited subset of services, with an emphasis on investment management. Over the interim years, more advisors expanded to...