Kevin Leahy is the CEO of Connecticut Wealth Management, an RIA based out of Connecticut that oversees approximately $4 billion in assets under management for 1,100 households. Kevin's firm stands out for its systematized training program designed to onboard and develop young talent straight out of college, effectively maintaining a robust advisory talent pipeline. This approach has supported the firm through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, ensuring a smooth transition of clients from retiring advisors to new ones, all while keeping a low client-to-advisor ratio of 35-to-1.
Listen in as Kevin shares how his firm's structured new hire training program starts with comprehensive initial training on systems and financial planning processes, followed by a focus on enhancing client communication skills. He also discusses sourcing new talent from a vetted internship program and how hiring in cohorts optimizes learning and integration. You'll also learn about the interview process Kevin's firm uses with veteran advisors, how his firm is able to maintain its core values as it grows, and more.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/413
Anjali Jariwala is the Founder of FIT Advisors, a California-based RIA that operates virtually nationwide, managing $65 million in assets for 45 client households. Over the past six years, Anjali has tripled her annual revenue from $250,000 to $750,000 while only adding a net of 10 client households by focusing on physicians with complex tax needs and small business owners with revenues of $5M-$20M. She achieved this growth by enhancing her service offerings with advanced financial planning and CFO services, while raising her fees to reflect the increased value.
Listen in as Anjali shares how she transitioned from paid ads to creating niche-specific blog and podcast content that continues to attract high-quality prospects long after she paused active content creation to support her clients and manage personal stress during the early days of the COVID pandemic. She discusses her strategic approach to growing her revenue by raising her minimum annual retainer fee while keeping her client base compact, and how offering tailored services like advanced tax planning and CFO-style business planning justifies these fees for her clients. Anjali also reflects on her decision to limit her client count to enhance service quality, her use of an outsourced Chief Investment Officer to conduct investment research and cue up trades for her to execute, and how she defines success now that she has built a financially thriving practice.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/412
Larry Kriesmer is the Chairman of Measured Risk Portfolios, an RIA based out of San Diego that oversees $350 million in assets under management for a combination of internal retail clients and external financial advisor clients. What's unique about Larry, though, is how he is able to get clients comfortable with taking equity market risk using an approach that actually puts 85% or more of client funds in Treasuries (effectively creating a floor on potential losses) while investing the rest into options on equity indexes to offer potential upside that still can approximate the returns of a conservative, moderate, or even aggressive balanced portfolio that might have otherwise simply allocated directly to the S&P 500.
Listen in as Larry shares how he implements this strategy and introduces its potential benefits and risks to clients, the tax benefits available when using options, the importance of careful management when using options due to potentially rapid pricing changes, and his commitment to reinvesting in his firm to build a lasting business.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/411
Emily Biehler is the co-founder of TrailWise Financial Partners, an RIA based out of Colorado that oversees approximately $80 million in assets under management for 200 client households. What's unique about Emily, though, is how her firm ensures every client can be served profitably through a combination of a complexity-based minimum fee arrangement, coupleed with a strucutred data gathering, plan delivery, and client communication processes that encourage client accountability and follow-through on action items recommended by their advisor severy client really sees the value they receive for the fees they are paying.
Listen in as Emily discusses the custom workbook she uses that asks clients to explore their goals and values, how she uses asynchronous video messages to efficiently communicate with clients between meetings, and why she decided to start her own firm with a focus on accountability and client-centered comprehensive planning following a failed succession at her prevoius firm.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/410