Ep 392: Crafting Your Specialization When There Is No Standard Playbook To Learn It with Kristopher Heck
Jul 2, 2024
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Kristopher Heck, Founding Partner of Tanager Wealth Management, shares insights on specializing in cross-border US-UK financial planning. He discusses navigating dual taxation for US citizens living abroad, firm growth strategies, and the importance of building a robust referral network. The podcast covers evaluating planners, evolving as a financial advisor, specializing in a narrow target market, and building a billion-dollar advisory firm while defining success and creating a lasting legacy in the business.
Specializing in cross-border US-UK financial planning sets Tanager Wealth apart in the market.
Strategic partnerships with professionals in the cross-border financial space enhance client acquisition.
Internal knowledge sharing and professional development are prioritized for talent growth within the firm.
Deep dives
Building a Unique Cross-Border Specialization
Christopher Heck discusses how his firm, Tanager Wealth Management, has successfully developed a unique specialization in serving clients with US and UK financial ties. The firm's expertise in navigating the complexities of both countries' tax and financial systems has set them apart, attracting clients from diverse sectors like technology, finance, and law.
Client Acquisition Through Strategic Partnerships
Heck outlines the firm's approach to client acquisition, emphasizing strategic partnerships with accountants, lawyers, and other professionals in the cross-border financial space. By networking with like-minded professionals and offering referrals, the firm has built a robust client base over the years.
Internal Knowledge Sharing and Professional Development
Tanager Wealth Management prioritizes internal knowledge sharing and professional development. Through an internal wiki, videos, blogs, and regular lunch and learn sessions, team members are constantly learning and growing, ensuring a deep pool of talent and expertise within the firm.
Balancing Client Relationships and Business Development
While client relationships are central to the firm's operations, business development is distributed across the team. Advisors are expected to engage in networking, attend events, and actively seek opportunities for growth, while maintaining a reasonable client load of approximately 75 households per advisor.
Developing Business Goals Based on Client Base
For advisors, the focus shifts from business development to client retention and nurturing successors based on the number of clients they have. Having a substantial client base indicates a move towards client retention and potential handoff of clients to new advisors. On the other hand, advisors with little to no clients require active business development strategies such as attending seminars and webinars to generate leads and establish a client base.
Evolution of Tanager Advisory Firm and Success Factors
The Tanager advisory firm was established with a focus on meeting the unique financial planning needs of transatlantic expatriates. Over time, the firm has expanded its niche by catering to various subsets within the same client base, such as finance professionals and entrepreneurs abroad, adapting to their specific financial challenges. Success, for the founder, is defined by constant growth, embracing change, building a lasting enterprise, and deriving fulfillment from the journey and impact on clients and team members.
Kristopher Heck is a Founding Partner of Tanager Wealth Management, an RIA based out of London that oversees approximately $1.1 billion in assets under management for 630 households. Kristopher's firm stands out by scaling to over a billion dollars in AUM, specializing in serving clients with financial and personal ties to both the United States and the United Kingdom, a niche lacking a standard playbook. This unique focus on complex transatlantic tax, estate, and planning issues has allowed them to develop a highly differentiated expertise in the marketplace over the past decade.
Listen in as Kristopher shares his journey of founding Tanager Wealth, drawing on his personal experiences as a US expatriate to specialize in cross-border US-UK financial planning. He explains how his firm fosters a learning environment through internal blogs, videos, and lunch-and-learns, as well as how establishing early partnerships with other expatriate-focused professionals has cultivated a robust referral network. We also discuss the structure of separate advisory and planning teams that enhance career development and knowledge sharing within the firm, highlighting the importance of combining the right people and technology to effectively scale and succeed in the financial advisory landscape.