As I wrote in my bio for Marshall Financial Group, I love helping clients understand the financial planning process better. One way in which we all do that is through professional development. In November, I had the chance to attend the Schwab Impact Conference in Denver, Colorado. Charles Schwab is an industry leader, and what is referred to as a custodian. Here are some things that I learned at the conference, and how I hope to use this knowledge to serve our clients better.
We were all eager to learn from industry leaders.
The conference was enormous! Everyone was dressed for the occasion and eager to hear from some of the wiser minds in the industry. On the financial side, we heard from Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, Lizz Ann Sonders, Schwab’s Chief Global Investment Strategist, Jeffrey Kleintop, and Jeffrey Gundlach, CEO of DoubleLine and a renowned fixed income specialist. They discussed important topics such as inflation, unemployment, global conflicts, and political tensions, and how these forces impact the global markets and, therefore, our client portfolios.
The speakers help me reflect on my work as a financial advisor and building trust with my coworkers.
On a lighter note, we also heard from former Disney CEO Bob Iger. He shared his thoughts on leadership, hard work, and his time leading Disney. After listening to Bob Iger, it was clear hard work and being honest with your peers can take you far in life. It can also bring you joy and lasting relationships built of trust and respect. Often people do not like to ask questions because they are embarrassed and believe the question could make them look less intelligent or inferior. However, there can be many others with that same question. I thought about how it is okay to ask people who work for you for help. At Marshall Financial Group, we believe honesty and effectiveness provide our clients the trust they deserve. Being able to always ask questions and seek additional professional development allows people to trust and respect you.
Financial markets are complex, but we have to remember the importance of simplicity.
The speakers also made me think about how humans fall into a complexity trap. I enjoy engaging with the markets, looking at individual behaviors, global news, and the impact all of this has on investments. This is complex. That being said, there is value in simplicity also.
Simplification is at the forefront of innovation. And when we can work with more value and more doing, we can save time and be more efficient. With Covid, many people realized that time is their most valuable non-renewable resource. This should be respected to help promote a healthy work culture, and Marshall Financial Group believes our team and our clients should live meaningful, balanced lives.
The focus on technology and efficiency showed me we are on the right track.
In addition to the speakers providing market and economic updates we were able to connect with different companies who engage with wealth management firms to help increase efficiency through various technologies and integrations. Effective and efficient processes are also part of the philosophy of how Marshall Financial Group strives to provide exceptional services to our clients. Personally I have come away with a few suggestions for our firm to implement in the coming year to improve the experience for our clients and staff, which I believe will lead to better outcomes for everyone.
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