Financial Advisor Success

Amy Castoro is the President and CEO of the Williams Group, a coaching and consulting firm based out of California that helps financial advisors engage with more than 800 high-net-worth families to help them develop solid foundations in heir preparedness. Amy’s coaching style is unique in that she approaches families from the perspective of encouraging effective communication as wealth is inherited, rather than focusing on the tax distribution of family assets to preserve wealth. Listen in as Amy shares how she helps ultra-high-net-worth families keep their wealth past the typical three-generation cycle by encouraging communication and trust-building among family members, which is especially important given that 85% of multi-generational wealth loss is due to trust breakdown or lack of preparedness. We also talk about the 10 questions that Amy and her firm use to help not only raise awareness about the strength of a family’s relationships, but also to gauge family readiness for passing on wealth from one gene

Dan Callahan is the Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Capasso Planning Partners, an independent RIA based out of South Carolina that oversees $250 million of assets under management for 300 households. Dan and his firm began with zero clients but were able to grow substantially in only 3 years through client acquisitions by outsourcing lead generation to online third-party platforms. Listen in as Dan shares how he grew his firm virtually, the challenges and triumphs he experienced starting from zero, and how he has been able to keep pace with larger firms in terms of client outreach efforts. We also dive into how Dan uses third-party platforms to maximize his reach beyond South Carolina and how he justifies the revenue-sharing and substantial marketing costs it takes to buy leads. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/264

Joyce Franklin is the founder of JL Franklin Wealth Planning, an independent RIA based out of San Francisco that oversees $200 million of assets for 40 families. Joyce built a true boutique financial advisory firm by serving as a personal CFO for high-profile tech executives and positioning herself as a steward of their wealth. Listen in as we dive into how Joyce started out preparing tax returns during the tech bubble of the 1990s, as well as how she turned her tax prep side business into a boutique independent advisory firm. Joyce also shares how she has intentionally maintained a smaller client base that averages around 71 hours of work per client every year, how she became the go-to expert for entrepreneurs and executives building wealth in startups, and why she is now turning her sights to building her staff to create a future succession plan. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/263

Melanie Milam is an advisor with Gateway Financial Partners, a super-OSJ affiliated with LPL Financial located in Texas, where she oversees $150M of assets under management for her 110 client households. Melanie has a truly unique approach to connecting with clients by using a tried-and-true list of 34 questions that creates a deeper, longer-lasting relationship with clients.  Listen in as Melanie shares how she leveraged her knowledge as a CPA, as well as her husband’s managerial experience and personal connections, to launch her firm - all while homeschooling her six children. We also dive into how Melanie weaves her faith into her financial work, how she builds deep and long-lasting relationships with clients, and why she believes that women can have it all (just not all at the same time). For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/262

Andrew Miller is the founder of OLIO, a financial planning firm based out of Virginia that manages $275 million for over 275 households. Andrew has been able to build a scalable business model that is based on the unique complexity fees of his clients, capturing the time and effort it takes to handle their planning needs.  In this episode, we talk about how Andrew developed his time-based system to price his services, how he created a financial planning proposal process to translate the value of his time into dollar amounts, and how this system has actually led the firm to do less investment work for clients. Listen in to learn why his time as a civil engineer gave him a unique understanding of how time and productivity are intertwined, as well as why his willingness to create his own definition of success has allowed his business model to thrive—despite being told it never would. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/261

David Ortiz is the founder of Financial Chef, a unique independent RIA that operates as a lifestyle practice in Southern California. David has combined his experience as a classically trained chef to create an experience unlike any other for his clients: literally breaking bread with them as he provides financial advice.  Listen in as we dive into David’s journey through the advice business, from being a chef to working for a software company, and then from life insurance to ultimately opening his own independent RIA. We also discuss how he got started with his business model, why he decided to take it mobile, and how this unique services package has helped David deepen his relationship with his clients. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/260

Patricia Houlihan is the Founder of Houlihan Financial Resource Group, an independent RIA based out of Washington, DC, that oversees $345 million in AUM for 150 households. She joins the show today to share how she has successfully implemented an internal succession plan with her son and a second advisor that ensures continuity of services for clients over maximizing the value of the sale, as well as why having her name as part of the firm’s name is not a hindrance in her plan. Listen in as she opens up about how she has built her succession plan to put clients first, including how she has ensured relationships between all of the firm’s advisors and their clients so there is trust with more than just Patricia herself. You'll learn what it was like being a female financial advisor in the 1980s—when the industry was very much a “boy’s club”—and what Patricia sees as the key to success for any financial advisor. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/259

Joe Pitzl is the founder of Pitzl Financial, an independent RIA based out of Minneapolis that oversees nearly $270 million in assets for 270 households. Joe had a unique next-generation career path into the financial advice business, and with only 10 years of experience under his belt, launched his own firm. Listen in as he shares how he navigated into the financial planning field despite his struggles in the traditional classroom setting, how he built a network of support to the point where he never struggled to land his next career opportunity, and how he scaled his firm to $250 million of AUM in just seven years with a team of five people. We also discuss how forming a study group with other advisors at a similar age and stage was foundational to Joe’s career success, as well as how he navigated the challenge of finding himself out of a job at the same time that he was starting a family and buying a house. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/258

Beth Jones is the co-founder of Third Eye Associates, an independent RIA based out of the Hudson Valley of New York that oversees $125 million of assets under advisement for 200 households. Beth’s firm is unique in that they go deep with clients into creating a personal vision statement that truly aligns their money with their values. Listen in as we dive into Beth’s financial planning process, fee structure, and client deliverables that have been a cornerstone for building her expertise as an in-depth financial planner and have led to a waitlist of new clients. We also discuss some of the challenges that she faced as she was scaling up, why she made the decision to let go of 85 of her earliest clients that were actually costing her money, and how she navigated the transition of having her co-founder retire while she continued to run the firm and serve clients. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/257

Vincent Barbera is the founder of Newbridge Wealth Management, an independent RIA based out of Philadelphia that oversees nearly $120-million of assets under management for 75 households. Vince stays on the cutting edge of advisor technology by continuously experimenting with new tech tools and by setting a new strategic focus every year to identify and try out a new category of solutions. Listen in as Vince gives a rundown of the technology tools that he has tried this year to improve his client experience, where he finds the latest and greatest in tech to try out, and how he compares the cost of new tools against those he already uses. We also discuss how Vince uses technology in his independent firm to stay competitive without an asset manager’s size and scale, and why he has decided not to scale up to the billion-dollar mark but rather slow down and enjoy the ride. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/256

Cody Garrett is the founder of Measure Twice Financial, an independent RIA based out of Houston which has managed to grow to nearly $150,000 per year in annualized financial planning fees in just over six months. Cody uses an “advice-only” financial planning model that has quickly attracted a waiting list of clients who want to do it themselves, but not necessarily learn it themselves. In this episode, Cody shares why he launched with the advice-only model, where clients don’t have the option to have their investments managed by the firm, but do get personalized education that they can use to manage their own finances. Listen in to learn how this model has allowed Cody to build a practice that supports his own personal lifestyle and work no more than ten hours per week, as well as how he has generated a steady stream of clients and kept the business lean so he can take home more than 90% of his gross revenue after business expenses. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/255

Eliza De Pardo is the founder of her eponymous advisor consulting firm, which works with mid-to-large-sized independent advisory firms. Eliza takes a unique focus on the human capital issues that arise as advisory firms scale and believes that attracting, retaining, and developing the firm’s people is the biggest key to long-term success. Listen in as we discuss why the ability to attract and serve clients is crucial for firms to scale to the first $1 million of revenue, but is less important as the firm reaches and exceeds the $3 million mark. Eliza also shares why the advisors who are most effective at moving away from client-facing work have the most success scaling up, some of the key business metrics that firm owners should be monitoring as they grow, and why most advisory firms need to learn to hire sooner—but not necessarily faster. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/254

Robyn Crane is the founder of her own eponymous consulting firm, which offers sales and marketing coaching services with a focus on female financial advisors. Robyn has a well-defined approach for how financial advisors can not only identify their ideal client, but also implement a sustainable leads system to reach out and book appointments with qualified leads. Listen in as we discuss the issue of gender disparity in the financial planning industry, including what Robyn sees as the true reason for the disparity and what the solution is to better gender representation. She also shares the specifics behind her system for generating cold leads, how to encourage engagement from those leads, and how she teaches advisors to identify and market to their ideal client. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/253

Kyle Moore is the founder of Quarry Hill Advisors, an RIA based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, that oversees $165 million of assets under management for 137 households. Kyle has been able to generate extremely strong growth for his firm in only 5 years while also navigating a plethora of challenges that are common among advisory firms in the early years. Listen in as he shares why he decided to forge his own path and start an advisory firm, the techniques he used to make his firm findable online, and how one of his very first clients was a super-referrer that boosted his business in the early days of the firm. We also dive into why Kyle decided to bring on a partner—despite having a business that was growing well—and the benefits that he has gained (as well as the pitfalls he has avoided) thanks to practice management coaching programs. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/252

Bill Cates is the founder of Referral Coach International, an organization that helps financial advisors attract more ideal clients through referrals. He teaches advisors how to use their communication and messaging to make themselves more “referable” and to ask for an introduction instead of a less meaningful referral. Listen in as Bill shares why he makes a clear distinction between referrals and introductions, why clients are sometimes reluctant to give introductions, and how advisors can overcome those concerns. We also discuss why it's important for advisors to help clients work towards their bucket list goals in addition to their financial goals, how they can hone their messaging so that they can achieve “radical relevance” in the eyes of their clients, and why clear messaging is more important than ever in a post-pandemic world. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/251

Deirdre Van Nest is the founder of Crazy Good Talks, a communication coaching firm that helps financial advisors become better communicators in order to help their clients and prospects take the next desired step. She has developed a very unique process that teaches advisors how to use foundational stories to make deeper connections with those they are trying to connect with. Listen in as we dive into why Deirdre believes that every financial advisor has the potential to be an emotionally compelling and highly effective communicator, even if communication is not one of their strong suits, and how she helps advisors to become the best communicators possible. We also discuss why Deirdre believes that advisors who know that the services they are offering are changing the lives of the people they work with have an obligation to learn how to be as persuasive, inspiring, and compelling as possible. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/250

Drew Waldron is the co-founder of Canvas Wealth Advisors, an RIA based out of Kansas that manages $455-million for 150 families. Drew and his partner have taken the client experience to a whole new level by not only reinvesting into client services and better technology, but also by executing once-in-a-lifetime excursions exclusively for clients of the firm.  Listen in as Drew shares how he and his partner have differentiated their firm by leveraging client excursions and experiences, the different kinds of adventures his firm executes for clients, and the strategy they employ to assemble clients together to foster introductions and networking opportunities. We also dive into how this unique experiences-based marketing strategy has catapulted the firm to north of $450-million in assets in just over two years and why they place so much emphasis on constantly providing added value to clients and prospects. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/249

J.D. Bruce is the Chief of Innovation for Abacus Wealth Partners, an RIA based out of Santa Monica that manages over $4-billion in assets for 1,900 clients. J.D. has been successful in scaling Abacus to its current size by implementing Angie Herbers’ Diamond Team Model to offer a variety of different service models to different types of clients.  Listen in as J.D. shares how Abacus has leveraged the power of Diamond Teams to keep clients connected to the firm while also allowing for flexibility in the advisors that they work with over time, and how this business model has allowed for the firm to segment its client base and offer a variety of different services based on the needs of those segments. We also discuss why J.D. believes that it’s more important to hire team members who will challenge the cultural status quo as opposed to finding the best cultural fit, and why he believes that conflict is actually necessary for growth and change. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/248

Matthew Jarvis is the owner of Jarvis Financial, an RIA based out of Seattle that manages $240-million for 170 households. Matthew is incredibly focused on increasing the efficiency and profitability of his firm by systematizing his business processes, thereby delivering even more value to clients. Listen in as Matthew shares the secret behind more than doubling his AUM over the last four years, including why he made the decision to refer clients who are not a good fit for his firm to other advisors and how he ensures the transition is as smooth as possible. We also discuss how systems have played a big part in the firm’s growth, allowing him to deliver more value to clients while raising his fees accordingly. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/247

Jessica Hovis Smith is the President of Longview Financial Advisors, an RIA based out of Alabama that oversees $194 million for 199 clients. Jessica oversaw a succession plan that brought two lifestyle practices into one employee-owned, multi-generational firm, navigating multiple transitions along the way to eventually arrive at a valuation that was fair for everyone. Listen in as Jessica shares her own personal journey to President of Longview, what it was like overseeing a succession plan that merged two lifestyle practices, and how they structured their purchase to ensure that new owners stood the best chance of staying with the firm throughout their careers. We also discuss the multiple transitions that happened along the way to arriving at a valuation that the founders and internal buyers were happy with, as well as why the actual process of arriving at that valuation was the biggest contributing factor to getting everyone’s buy-in. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/246