Professional Expertise:

Scott is the cofounder and CEO of Civic Financial. Scott serves as the visionary of the firm leading the strategy and culture. He works closely with C-suite executives and high-net-worth clients principally in the private equity, hedge fund, biotech, and legal spaces on comprehensive financial planning. Scott is a sought-after industry speaker for his leadership in Civic’s exceptional growth and his sophisticated planning work.

Education and Background:

Scott attended Noble and Greenough High School and then Amherst College. At Amherst, Scott graduated with honors and studied psychology while pursuing interests in mathematics and economics. He was Captain of the Varsity Squash team at Amherst and President of the Chess Club at Nobles; Scott works with many alumni from both schools and is active in both communities.

Scott became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at age 22. He is an Accredited Estate Planner® professional and has advanced designations in retirement income planning, philanthropic planning, insurance design, long term care, special needs, and portfolio construction.

Awards and Accomplishments:

Forbes recognized Scott as a Best-In-State Wealth Advisor in 2024, as well as a Top Financial Security Professional in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and a Best-In-State Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors in 2023 and 2024.

Community Involvement:

Civic Financial is a sponsor of urban squash foundation SquashBusters, where Scott is a board member. Scott captains the "Racqueteers" squash team in the SquashBusters annual derby, raising money to help bring higher educational opportunities to underprivileged teenagers. Scott also works closely with many current and former teachers within the local community; he believes strongly in education and Civic is proud to provide exceptional service to the educator community.

Personal Life:

Scott lives with his wife Lizzy. Scott is extremely active and enjoys exercise, cooking and traveling with Lizzy and is a proud uncle to three nephews. A nerd at heart, Scott will gladly accept a challenge to chess, backgammon, Scrabble, Settlers of Catan—pick your poison.

Forbes Best-In-State Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors (August 2023) Data as of 3/31/23. No compensation provided for ranking. Licensing fees apply to use Forbes logo.

Forbes Top Financial Security Professionals list (July 2023), Research & ranking provided by SHOOK ® Research, LLC – Data as of 12/31/2022.

Forbes Top Financial Security Professionals list (July 2022), Research & ranking provided by SHOOK ® Research, LLC – Data as of 12/31/2021.

Northwestern Mutual and its advisors do not pay for placement on 3rd party ratings, but may pay marketing fees to these organizations to promote the rating. Rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success.

Professional Expertise:

Grant is the cofounder and COO of Civic Financial. In launching Civic, Grant and CEO Scott DeSantis had a vision to integrate traditionally siloed services (e.g. planning, wealth management, insurance) to drive better financial outcomes and provide superior service to sophisticated clientele.

As COO, Grant leads the portfolio management and financial planning teams. He has helped grow Civic from two people to its scale today. His approach to planning is characteristically thorough and detail oriented.

Education and Background:

Grant attended Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. magna cum laude in economics and English. He is a member of Harvard’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded a John Harvard Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement. He graduated with highest honors from Middlesex High School.

Grant is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) and Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®) designations along with advanced education in retirement income planning, philanthropic planning, insurance design, long-term-care, special needs, and portfolio construction. He is also a member of the Boston Estate Planning Council.

Community Involvement:

Grant met his cofounder and best friend, Scott DeSantis, in 4th grade. Together, they prioritize the civic impact of their work in the very name of their firm. Civic does pro bono work for teachers—and both Grant and Scott believe deeply in the power of education to propel the next generation. Civic sponsors internships and athletic programs for diverse students to expose them to financial concepts and networking opportunities.

Personal Life:

Grant lives in Boston with his wife, Zizi. He loves running and has a voracious appetite for literature and travel (40+ countries and counting). He will always be learning about something new—ask what the latest endeavor is!

Professional Expertise:

Connor is a partner and wealth advisor at Civic Financial. In his advisory practice, he focuses on serving clients through wealth accumulation and wealth distribution. Connor’s clients are primarily in the private equity, commercial real estate, sales, and executive search businesses – spanning across the country. He also works with business owners and families approaching strategies for the distribution of their assets (liquidity events, retirement, and/or legacy planning). As partner at the firm, Connor is internally responsible for building and maintaining our amazing culture. He works with team members individually on fulfilling their career goals and he strives to maintain strong relationships within the Civic family. Connor’s most revered skill is his ability to listen, then implement.

Education and Background:

Connor went to Lincoln-Sudbury high school where he captained the lacrosse team and was a Massachusetts All American. He attended Union College and earned his BA in Economics. He also captained the lacrosse team and earned the All American honors there. It was at Union College where he found his love for financial planning through multiple finance courses, and entered the industry while still in college. Connor works professionally with alumni from both LS and Union and continues to be actively involved in both communities.

Designations and Memberships:

Connor is passionate about continued learning and education. He has advanced his knowledge base consistently throughout his entire career. Connor is an active member of the Boston Estate Planning Council (BEPC), and he currently holds six professional designations. Connor was named a Best-in-State Top Financial Security Professional by Forbes in 2023 and 2024.

Community Involvement:

Giving back to the community is one of Connor’s top priorities. Connor serves on the Boston based “Wild Bunch” board for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp*. In 2021, he ran the Boston Marathon in their support, and he continues to volunteer and fundraise for the foundation. Connor also volunteers in the community by coaching Lacrosse. Most recently, he coached the Lincoln-Sudbury 5th grade youth team and continues to maintain his coaching involvement within the Lincoln-Sudbury high school program.

*https://www.holeinthewallgang.org/the-gang/

Personal Life:

Connor lives with his wife Meg in the South End of Boston, a short walk from our Back Bay office. In his free time, he stays active by mountain biking, CrossFit training, water skiing, snow skiing, struggling to get better at golf, and playing lacrosse. When he is not busy staying active, he loves to spend time with family and friends.

As Chief of Staff at Civic Financial, Lauren brings more than 15 years of experience in the areas of operations, administration, client relations and communications. She heads client experience, business operations, people operations, and marketing for Civic, while acting as a force multiplier for the leadership team. Her expertise and skills center around creative problem solving, operational efficiency, and motivating teams.

Lauren joined Civic from Flare Therapeutics, a Third Rock Ventures-backed biotechnology startup in Cambridge, where she served as the key executive business partner to the leadership team, while building the company from pre-launch to clinical stage, and shaping the company culture. Prior to that, she spent more than a decade in the office of the Head of School at Noble and Greenough serving all school constituents, including the Board of Trustees and donors, coordinating major events, and mentoring students and colleagues alike.

Lauren, a Needham native (go Rockets!), attended Providence College where she earned a B.A. in Humanities and Spanish. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and 1-year-old, summering on Cape Cod with family, and collecting vintage and antique home furnishings.