Management
George H. Walper, Jr.
President
George H. Walper Jr. is President of Spectrem Group, a research and consulting firm that specializes in the affluent and retirement markets. Spectrem is publisher of the monthly Spectrem Affluent Investor Index™ (SAII) and Spectrem Millionaire Investor Index™ (SMII) as well as the newsletters "High Net Worth Advisor Insights," "Affluent Market Insights" and "Retirement Market Insights."
At Spectrem, Walper brings to clients more than 30 years of experience serving the high net worth and retirement services markets. His specific emphasis is product development, marketing, sales and client service. Prior to joining Spectrem, Walper was Senior Vice President at Harris Trust and Savings Bank, where he oversaw the bank's Institutional Trust business, and earlier was a Trust Officer at The Northern Trust, where he was instrumental in expanding the bank's Master Trust business.
Walper has a bachelor's degree in business from the State University of New York College at Buffalo and a master's degree in business administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Within the financial services industry, Walper is a well-known figure and frequent speaker at industry events. He has presented at the American Bankers' Association Wealth Management and Trust Conference, the American Bankers' Association Retirement Services Conference, the SourceMedia Annual Wealth Management Forum, seminars by the Wealth Advisors' Institute and a host of client events. He has been quoted widely by the financial media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Money, InvestmentNews, Reuters, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg News and Worth, and has appeared as a guest on CNBC On the Money, CNBC Morning Call, CNNfn Market Call, CBS Radio, ABC Radio and FOX Business News.
Walper is also co-author with Spectrem Managing Director Catherine S. McBreen of the book "Get Rich, Stay Rich, Pass It On: The Wealth-Accumulation Secrets of America's Richest Families" (Portfolio, January 2008).
Catherine S. McBreen
Managing Director
Catherine S. McBreen is Managing Director of Spectrem Group, a research and consulting firm that specializes in the affluent and retirement markets. Spectrem is publisher of the monthly Spectrem Affluent Investor Index™ (SAII) and Spectrem Millionaire Investor Index™ (SMII) as well as the newsletters "High Net Worth Advisor Insights," "Affluent Market Insights" and "Retirement Market Insights."
During her tenure at Spectrem, McBreen has helped clients enter new markets, assisted them in forming strategic alliances and partnerships, implemented Internet strategies and designed various distribution strategies. An attorney by training, McBreen has used her industry and legal knowledge to analyze mutual fund complexes, design distribution practices and develop products and strategies for the high net worth and personal trust markets. Prior to joining Spectrem, McBreen was a senior attorney and Vice President and Product Manager for Harris Trust and Savings Bank.
McBreen has a B.S. in speech communications from Northwestern University and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association.
Well-known for her expertise in the affluent and retirement arenas, McBreen is a frequent speaker at client events as well as industry conferences including the Private Asset Management (Institutional Investor Wealth Management Forum), Financial Advisor Magazine's Annual Financial Advisor Symposium and the International Business Forum (Pension & Investments 401(k) Conference). She has been quoted widely by the financial media, including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Research, Private Asset Management, On Wall Street, Reuters, Bloomberg News, the Dow Jones Newswires and Worth, and has appeared as a guest on CNBC Closing Bell, First Business Morning News, KGO Radio San Francisco, ABC and CBS Radio.
McBreen is also co-author with Spectrem President George H. Walper, Jr. of the book "Get Rich, Stay Rich, Pass It On: The Wealth-Accumulation Secrets of America's Richest Families" (Portfolio, January 2008).Gerald M. O'Connor
Director
As the head of Spectrem's research practice, Gerry brings 35 years of management experience in developing research tools that support practical business decision making for firms operating in both individual and institutional financial services markets.
For the past eleven years, Gerry has developed and marketed a wide variety of both custom and syndicated research products for Spectrem and Access Research (acquired in 1997). Gerry's prior experience includes 15 years at CIGNA as Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning in the individual financial services division, ownership of a retail business and service as an officer in the U.S. Army.
O'Connor's research experience includes the design and implementation of studies using a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. He has conducted research for most of the leading firms offering retirement plans, investment products and wealth management services.
Gerry O'Connor has a BS from Lowell Technological Institute and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Tom Wynn
Director
Tom Wynn works as a Director with Spectrem Group and manages their syndicated program dealing with the Ultra High Net Worth and Affluent studies.
Prior to joining Spectrem, Tom served as a sales specialist for a major bank service company. Here he worked with financial institutions to facilitate cost-effective management through the use of market research and database marketing techniques and products. Previously, he was Market Research Manager for a large multi-state bank holding company. In this role he conducted over 100 research studies utilizing mail surveys, phone surveys, focus groups and panel research. He was responsible for the development and analysis of programs targeted towards the bank’s most profitable customers.
Tom’s area of expertise includes market research and customer analysis, data mining, sales forecasting, demographic analysis and database administration. He is equally adept at product planning, development, customer support and promotion.
Tom has an MBA from the University of Utah. He has BS degrees from Utah State University in Business Administration and Geography.
