Ann Garcia is a partner of Independent Progressive Advisors, an RIA based out of Portland that oversees approximately $115 million in assets under management for 120 clients. Ann has distinguished herself by developing a nationally recognized expertise in college financial planning, a specialty that has grown alongside her advisory business, now focusing on mid-career professionals who balance saving for their children's college education with their own retirement planning. This dual focus reflects the evolving needs of her clientele as they navigate significant financial milestones.
Listen in as Ann shares how she developed her reputation as a college planning expert by transforming client queries into a specialized blog that gained national attention, eventually leading to the publication of a book on college planning and the creation of an online course. She also discusses how her expertise has attracted mid-career professionals, to the point where her firm is nearing capacity in its current form, how purchasing a retiring advisor’s practice laid the groundwork for the firm she desired, and how she refined her sales skills early on by taking meetings with all prospects who approached her, even if they were not a good fit for her firm. Ann also emphasizes the importance of initiating early discussions on college affordability within families and describes her decision to leave a prominent firm to create one that aligns with her values, allowing her to serve clients she truly understands and appreciates.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/404
Eric Stein is a Partner at East Bay Investment Solutions, a firm that offers fractional Chief Investment Officer services, supporting over $6 billion in assets under advisement across 26 advisory firm clients. In this episode, we discuss how Eric leverages his extensive investment expertise not by managing portfolios for individual clients as a traditional financial advisor, but rather by embracing his role as an 'investment nerd' serving as a fractional Chief Investment Officer, supporting multiple advisory firms and their clients.
Listen in as Eric shares how his fractional Chief Investment Officer service operates, providing investment research, portfolio design, and market commentary while leaving portfolio implementation up to the advisor themselves. He also discusses his winding career path, from commercial banking to Goldman Sachs Asset Management and as a CIO for a national RIA, to his current role, which he found after a careful 'dating' process with his business partner to ensure their visions aligned. Eric also reflects on his experiences across large national businesses and smaller firms, emphasizing the importance of role exploration, effective management practices, and learning from both successes and failures to navigate challenges that arise.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/403
John Mason is the President of Mason & Associates, an RIA based out of Virginia that oversees $370 million in assets under management for approximately 390 client households. What's unique about John, though, is how joining a firm that served the niche of Federal government employees allowed him to quickly accelerate his own learning curve and demonstrate his expertise early in his career as a 20-something—ultimately enabling him to more quickly begin bringing in his own clients.
Listen in as John shares how his firm’s specialization in serving Federal employees allows it to operate efficiently and develop deep relationships with clients, and how his firm generates client leads through a podcast focusing on the issues facing its ideal target client. He also discusses his firm's transition from a broker-dealer to the RIA model, which boosted its per-client revenue while bringing down all-in costs for clients, how he managed the delicate process of transitioning unprofitable clients to more suitable advisors, why he thinks fee-only advisors sometimes underrate the importance of insurance planning, and more.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/402
Zack Hubbard is the Director of Financial Planning and Participant Engagement of Greenspring Advisors, an RIA based out of Maryland that manages $2 billion of private wealth assets under management for 1,300 client households and advises on an additional $5 billion in retirement plan assets. Zack and his firm have developed a financial wellness offering that profitably delivers both self-serve technology and direct one-on-one financial advice to employees of businesses using their fiduciary 401(k) services. This approach not only supports plan participants, but also generates a steady stream of referrals for his firm’s private wealth services.
Listen in as Zack shares how his firm uses a three-tiered approach to fiduciary financial wellness for 401(k) plan participants, comprising of education, one-on-one advice, and implementation support, how his firm develops new advisors by allowing them to have many 'at bats' with retirement plan participants, and how he made the decision to shift from client-facing roles to his current position as a manager.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/401