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Founded in 1901, Baystate Financial has experienced a growth rate of more than 500% in the last 25 years. Leading them since 1996, Managing Partner and Owner Dave Porter has witnessed his team grow from 49 to 300 advisors dispersed across 17 offices in the northeast and Florida. It now serves over 300,000 clients as the largest privately owned Financial services firm in Massachusetts. This development was helmed by Porter, who reorganized the firm to create something new for his clients, including individuals, families, business owners, health care professionals, and executives. “Few advisors were talking about comprehensive financial planning at the time,” he says. “Some had sales quotas to make and were incentivized to push certain products. We transformed this firm to become true partners. We help clients align areas of their financial world to help them achieve financial independence.”An integral part of Porter’s solution was surrounding advisors with relevant information and resources. Whether a young family just starting out or highly affluent business owners and health care professionals with complex financial lives, Baystate clients have access to professionals in financial planning, estate and business planning, life insurance and annuities, investments, and more. “As a result, our advisors’ careers often flourish,” says Porter, an international speaker and author. “Ultimately, it is our clients who often benefit when their advisor and a specialist work together to help them achieve their goals.”

Doing Well by Doing Good

Passionate about his philosophy, “doing well by doing good,” he launched the Baystate Financial Charitable Foundation—which supports organizations that are dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged children—just three years after assuming leadership. In 2004, he was one of the founding members of Friends of the Children – Boston, a nonprofit that hires mentors to work with the city’s most at-risk youth. Currently Board Chair of Elon University, he has also held several board positions in the past including chairman of the board at Zoo New England, board member at Citi Performing Arts Center, and board member of Boston Police Activities League. Baystate’s associates share Porter’s enthusiasm. Last year they logged thousands of volunteer hours with more than 40 local 501(c)(3) agencies. Each year, the team works with the Wonderfund on a holiday gift drive, which benef its children in the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. In 2023, the Boston Business Journal honored Baystate Financial as a Corporate Citizenship Award Recipient, a recognition of the region’s top corporate charitable contributors. “That acknowledgement reflects not only our success as a company but also the care and commitment we have shown toward supporting those in need,” says Porter.“We pledge to continue making a positive change in the lives of those around us.”