Ryan Inman is the founder of Physician Wealth Services, an independent RIA that serves over 140 physician clients. Completely narrowed in on his unique niche, Ryan changed the name of his firm, created a Financial Residency podcast, and restructured his entire financial planning process to in-patient and outpatient services. Today he joins the show to share the mindset shift he had to go through in order to be comfortable with narrowing the focus of his practice and offers advice for those who’d like to do the same. Listen in as we discuss why having a targeted niche can make it easier when marketing, as well as what Ryan is doing to serve his niche effectively. You’ll learn how he chose to serve physicians in particular, the unique fee structure he uses, and what he is doing to bring in so many new clients every month. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/180     

Elizabeth Nesvold is the Managing Director and Head of Asset & Wealth Management Investment Banking for Raymond James, providing investment banking services for some of the largest independent advisory firms engaging in capital transactions. Today she joins the show to discuss the evolution in wealth management firms over the decades and how an investment banker looks at the evaluation of an advisory firm. Listen in as we talk in depth about how obtaining evaluation of your advisory firm can be a helpful tool in understanding whether your business is getting a good return on investment, as well as what Liz has learned as a founder selling her own firm. You will hear what investment bankers do for wealth management firms, the dynamics of raising capital when starting an advisory firm, and how Liz counsels other advisory firm founders getting ready to sell their businesses. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/179        

Daniel Zajac is a financial advisor and partner with Simone Zajac Wealth Management Group, a hybrid advisory firm on the Lincoln Investments platform that oversees nearly $250 million of AUM for 300 clients. Today Daniel joins the show to discuss how he built and developed a niche in working with those who receive significant equity compensation, including the years it took early on and how he accelerated his positive results. Listen in as we talk in depth about how Daniel’s firm prices and delivers its planning services, as well as how they determine whether a prospect is the right fit for the firm. You will learn why his business offers tax preparation as part of its services, how forming a niche has opened up new opportunities, and more. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/178          

Sara Stanich is the founder of Cultivating Wealth, an independent RIA that oversees nearly $50 million in AUM for 95 ongoing client households. Sara transitioned into financial advisory in the midst of the last financial crisis, forcing her into the independent channel with less support but more flexibility to craft her advisory firm the way she wanted to. Today she joins the show to discuss her journey into the industry and her advice for people starting out during the current bear market. Listen in as we talk in depth about how Sara builds her business, as well as the software she uses to identify which potential clients would be a good fit for the firm. You’ll learn how her business has evolved over recent years as she has started to add more CFP professionals to her team, key advice for career changers or other advisors early in their career, and more. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/177        

Mindy Diamond is the founder of Diamond Consultants, a recruiting firm that has been helping advisors evaluate and change their broker-dealer platforms for more than 20 years. Today Mindy joins the show to discuss the range in choices that advisors have in choosing a brokerage platform and how best to decide which is the right fit for your firm. Listen in as we talk about when advisors should—and should not—look at switching to another broker-dealer platform, as well as the most common reasons advisors choose to make the change. You will learn why it is crucial for an advisor to understand their own priorities before they have any chance of picking the right platform for them, the important questions you should ask yourself as an advisor, and why the decision of which platform to choose is not as simple as it once was. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/176         

Dr. Travis Parry is the founder of Make Time Institute, a company that helps business owners gain control of their time to achieve a more sustainable work/life balance. Having spent nearly a decade working as a financial advisor himself, Travis knows that the demands of working at a firm can take away from important time you should be spending with your loved ones. Today he joins the show to explain his “Make Time” approach to creating better work/life balance and how to overcome what he calls the three myths of time management. Listen in as we talk in depth about the importance of identifying your goals and ensuring your time is prioritized to align with them. You will learn how the combination of a family tragedy and the financial crisis that derailed his advisory firm led Travis to find what is now his life’s work and how to improve your time management system in order to stop overworking and start prioritizing the things that matter most. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/175        

Shanna Tingom is the founder of Heritage Financial Strategies, a dually registered advisory firm that oversees nearly $50 million of assets under management for 250 clients. Today Shanna joins the show to discuss how she has heavily automated key processes throughout her firm to service her large number of clients efficiently—and has done so by not using industry standard systems. Listen in as we talk in depth about Shanna’s journey through the advisory business itself, as well as why she is thankful she started out a large financial advisory firm. You will learn why she decided to branch out on her own, the difficult challenges she faced in doing so, and the unique advisor technology stack she has used to simplify things in her business. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/174         

Andrew Leonard is the founder of Geometric Wealth Advisors, an independent RIA that oversees nearly $250 million in AUM for 110 client households. Andrew has settled into a unique niche, which ultimately propelled his firm to organically add almost $200 million dollars of net new assets in just five years—almost entirely from a single white paper he wrote for that niche. Today he joins the show to discuss what customizing the financial process and experience to a particular type of client really entails and how he managed to do so in such an effective way. Listen in as Andrew shares the unique opportunities and challenges that accompany working with management consultants who are trained to analyze and scrutinize financial models and projections. You will learn about the live presentations he has evolved his practice to focus on, how he is able to connect with clientele that are based all around the country, and the benefits of focusing on a unique niche to accelerate your career. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/173                  

Minoti Rajput is the founder and president of Secure Planning Strategies, a hybrid advisory firm that oversees nearly $300 million of AUM for 350 client households. Minoti has built her advisory firm by creating a specialization in working with families with special needs children, and she joins the show today to discuss her niche and how she gathered the expertise needed to support special needs families. Listen in as we talk in depth about the unique marketing opportunity she has been able to create by working with school systems, where as many as 10% of students have some form of special needs. You will learn how she handles the compliance challenges that come with providing this kind of specialized advice, her unique fee structure, and what it’s like working in such a rewarding and fulfillng niche. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/172     

Tom Kennedy is a wealth advisor at Global Wealth Advisors, where he works with a base of nearly 400 clients. After 10 successful years of being a wholesaler to advisors, Tom decided to make the transition into becoming an advisor himself. Today he joins the show to discuss how he networked his way to a fast-growing number of clients and how he was able to use the people skills he learned in wholesaling to build deeper relationships with his clients. Listen in as Tom shares what it was like transitioning into an advisory firm, knowing he was going to make less money than what was available in the short-term with wholesaling. You will discover how he assessed the varying firms he came into contact with in order to decide which would be the best to work with as an advisor. If you have been wanting to improve your networking skills or you are considering becoming a financial advisor, this is the episode for you. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/171