Barron's Advisor Doug Messina: Be Yourself and Connect With Clients | Next Gen
Dec 18, 2025
Doug Messina, a seasoned private wealth advisor with over 20 years in investment management, emphasizes the power of authenticity in client relationships. He discusses the transition from transactional brokerage to holistic financial planning, advocating for simplicity in investments. Doug shares invaluable advice for new advisors, highlighting the importance of empathy and personal connections. He also illustrates how well-structured plans can enable significant life changes, like relocating for a job, and underscores that strong relationships can weather market volatility.
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Planning Makes Relationships Stickier
- Financial planning creates stickier client relationships than transaction-only investing because it integrates clients' whole lives.
- Doug Messina says planners focus on what markets mean for clients' goals, not daily market moves.
Three Guiding Rules For New Advisors
- Be honest, be yourself, and put yourself in the client's shoes when advising them.
- Doug Messina advises younger advisors to prioritize empathy and authenticity over market showmanship.
Keep Solutions Simple And Plan-Focused
- Simpler, plan-aligned solutions often outperform complex, trendy products, especially after market shocks.
- Messina uses a buckets approach to tie products into clients' cash, intermediate, and long-term goals.