Blair DuQuesnay is a financial advisor with Ritholtz Wealth Management, an independent RIA based in New York City that oversees nearly $1.3 billion of assets under management for more than 1,000 affluent clients. Blair had a unique journey to her current role, where she has built a strong client base managing $90 million of assets in under 2.5 years by focusing on client relationships and the investment committee work instead of prospecting.

Listen in as we talk about Blair’s journey through the industry, from a major wirehouse where she broke away after the financial crisis, to various operational and investment support roles, to launching her own independent RIA as a reluctant entrepreneur, and eventually landing in her current role with Ritholtz. She’ll also be sharing why she believes that it’s important to start at the bottom and take early entry-level roles that build a strong foundation for a long-term career as a financial advisor, and shares the moment she knew she had to make a major change while at a financial advisor conference.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/204

Maribeth Kuzmeski is the founder of Red Zone Marketing, a marketing consulting firm that helps independent financial advisors implement actionable marketing strategies to grow their advisory. Maribeth believes that marketing success does not have to involve reinventing the wheel, and that looking at what is already working in the world of financial advisors and adapting it to your unique business can bring greater marketing success.

Listen in as she shares how she successfully niched down to focus on marketing consultancy for financial advisors, as well as how her very first client grew his business from $10 million to $200 million in assets under management in just five years. You will learn why finding your niche doesn’t have to be intentional, how the pandemic has changed the way in which financial advisors are approaching client and prospect interactions, and why now is the time to embrace video calls if you’ve previously been on the fence.

 For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/203

Pam Capalad is the founder of Brunch & Budget, a financial planning and coaching firm based in New York City that focuses on first-generation immigrants and communities of color. Brunch & Budget uses a unique approach to clientele-building through brunch sessions with prospective clients, where they discuss budgeting and cash flow planning issues. These sessions often turn into ongoing financial coaching, and have allowed Pam to build a client base of nearly 200 clients paying as much as $300 to $900 per month for her services.

In this episode, Pam shares how she has grown her monthly fee significantly from the early days, as well as how she now justifies fees that can sometimes be 3-4% of a client’s household income. We also dive into Pam’s business model and workflow with clients, discuss why she niched down to focus on people who typically don’t talk about money, and learn how working with first-generation immigrants is different than the typical financial planning client.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/202

John Wernz is the former Chief Marketing Officer for Wealth Enhancement Group, an independent RIA based in Minneapolis that has nearly $20 billion in assets under management for nearly 20,000 affluent clients. Under John’s leadership, Wealth Enhancement Group went from nearly $1 billion AUM to $20 billion—and attracted more than $1.5 billion of net new client assets in the past year alone.

John joins me today to discuss in depth how he built the organic marketing engine at his firm, why direct mail became a foundation in their growth strategy, and how they leverage third-party data sources to better target marketing initiatives. He’ll also share why the firm uses a centralized sales team for inquiries, how he has structured a thirty-person marketing team to manage all of the different marketing channels, and why bird watchers make for their best client base.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/201