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One of San Diego's leading fiduciaries, Thomas Thale founded ProFiduciary in 2005, drawing on more than two decades of experience in trust and estate administration. During his career, Thom has managed sizable trust departments at several major banking institutions, overseeing the administration of hundreds of millions of dollars for some of the wealthiest Americans, but in 2005, he created a boutique firm that could offer a suite of services for an exclusive clientele who sought a personal touch.

"The banking world just recycles people in positions," Thom says. "What I'm doing now is creating long-term relationships with the clients and their family members in a way that a corporate fiduciary cannot guarantee."

Thom, the son of two educators, has lived nearly his entire life in San Diego. He got his start in financial services while still going to San Diego State University, eventually acquiring a business degree while working at Home Federal Savings to put himself through school.

HomeFed put Thom to work in a series of positions in administration and trust operations. He was that institution's manager of personal trust administrations -- supervising 85 accounts with $100 million in assets -- when he was recruited in 1992 as a vice-president and senior trust officer by the Bank of America.

Between 1992 and 2005, Thom supervised departments with as many as 15 employees, overseeing and administering trusts, custody and investment accounts totaling as much as $350 million. He was also expanding his skill set with a focus on business development and, for a time, was the regional director of wealth management for BOA in San Diego.

Clients who had followed Thom for decades as he changed institutions urged him to launch his own business as a private fiduciary. These days, he's still practicing what he perfected for 25 years, but instead of clients hiring a corporation, they hire Thom and his experienced colleagues as personal advisors.

"The client relationships -- they rely on you to help them to help their families through situations," Thom says. "I can offer them continuity that I never could have in a corporate role. Even though you're the manager at a corporation, you're not in charge. Now, I am."

The business has grown exponentially year-to-year; now, ProFiduciary has 85 clients with a total of $70 million in assets. With the addition of five other experts, ProFiduciary now boasts a larger staff than many of the trust departments in local banks and financial institutions.

These days, Thom and his wife, Mary, who wed in 1998, live in the Mission Hills community of San Diego with their 8-year-old twins, Michael and Diana, with frequent visits from Thom's student son Dan, 22. When Thom does take a break from the office, you may spot him out on a sail or a bike, but, most often, he's at home or spending time with his family.

Send Thomas an e-mail: thomas@profiduciary.com