Fuhs: The limited window for earning is the most obvious, but the by-product of that situation is that most athletes don't have much, if any, of the money they earned during their career by the time they retire. Say a football player signs a 5-year $40 million contract, he suddenly thinks he's worth $40 million! The spending can get out of control, but the $40 million is part of a long-term contract that is contingent on a lot of things including his continued good health. We can help athletes get the smart solutions in place to prepare for the next phase of their life.

Grove: Can you describe your client base?

Fuhs: We have more than 200 clients in New York with average liquid assets of about $30 million. The relationships range in scope from simple deposits to fixed income management, all the way to co-investing opportunities.

Grove: How do you and your clients find each other?

Fuhs: Accountants and attorneys are an important source of new business for us. They know who is planning for liquidity events and the types of services that will be needed. They also know when their clients are dissatisfied with specific providers and can step in and provide a recommendation. We get referrals from our strategic partners, like the philanthropic consultants. Also, Howard plays a key role in building the business as well. His professional and personal networks have produced a lot of new relationships, as has Emigrant Direct, the online division of the original banking entity. They've done a good job predicting interest rate movements and have used it to attract more than $8 billion in deposits across roughly 400,000 new accounts.

Grove: How much business do you get from existing clients?

Fuhs: Probably less than other private banks, but it's still early in our life cycle. We know that most wealthy individuals have several banking relationships, and when we find new clients they are usually looking for something specific they can't get from their other banks. We might compete for a loan or offer a unique co-investment opportunity- most relationships will start small and evolve over time.

Maybe more importantly, our clients act as an informal network to one another and that's truly valuable. Getting the experience and perspective of someone that has faced the same issues is very useful to our clients, especially business owners. I can think of one case where two of our clients partnered on a specific venture after we introduced them. Those types of things generate a lot of goodwill for everyone.

Grove: What trends are influencing your business strategy?

Fuhs: "Open architecture" product platforms are ubiquitous these days. Almost anyone can set-up shop on their own and offer their clients the same types of products as their competitors, so there's no currency in pure product anymore. We find that especially wealthy clients want help managing their situation, applying the products to their specific needs. Things like setting-up a trust for a new grandchild, buying a jet without creating excessive personal or business exposure, settling an estate. As a result, we will keep emphasizing personalized services instead of products.