Page 34 - Investment Advisor June 2022

Wealth Management

than a company. So whether that client is an independent which kept it interesting, though it was all unified in a singular
advisor or a global bank, we try to humanize their brand by mission and company.
highlighting the people within the firm. Now I’m working with companies with a [wide range of]
I believe that getting visibility for the company’s offer is best missions and objectives, and one company is different from
done through personal stories of the individuals within the the next. So we’re continuously having to shift gears [serving]
companies. What makes these firms thrive and grow is their slightly different industries, but all within financial services. For
people. So we try to tell the story from a personal standpoint. instance, we’re working with RIAs and ancillary providers who
serve ultra-high-net-worth clients and [focusing on] the phil-
Stories about their careers and their lives? anthropic aspect of what they’re trying to do with their legacy.
Yes. Everybody has an interesting original story, and we can try
to help them tell it to understand what in their life and career What prompted you to leave Schwab?
has led them to the point where they are now. We try to tell It was time for a change. And I had an opportunity to join
a story that’s compelling to help The Rudin Group. I’d known April
the marketplace understand who “Part of the custodian’s role Rudin for a long time. I was really
this person is and why they should interested in the clients she has.
care — and therefore, why they for the last 10 years has been They’re not only independent
should care about their business. educating the wirehouse advisors [RIAs] but global banks

services technology companies.
Is it challenging to get the advisors about both the and broker-dealers, and financial
executives to talk about
themselves? opportunity [afforded by Has your new job broadened the
It can be. Many are very humble. leaving] and the approach scope of your work?
So it’s sometimes difficult for them Yes, it’s opening new horizons. I
to open up and talk about them- to how to [breakaway] thought I would retire from Schwab.
selves. Most people, especially I was comfortable. But this growth
[many] successful leaders, are reti- successfully without having opportunity is the next stage [for
cent to do that. a regulatory backlash or me]. The horizon is much more

of what I see as my personal and pro-
In striving for visibility, what do barriers put up by the expansive and allows me to use a lot
your clients need help with most? fessional strengths in a way I wasn’t
They need a differentiated mes- wirehouses themselves.” really using them [at Schwab].
sage in the crowded marketplace,
something that resonates with who their ideal client is and Speaking of retiring, what do you think of the way retirement
how to talk to them. planning is handled today?
The industry is in need of helping younger people understand
Are publications receptive to the storytelling angle, or do they the [necessity] to start planning sooner. There’s overwhelming
say they prefer not to cover the people themselves, just what compelling evidence that the sooner you start, you’ll have a
they’re doing for the firm? more comfortable retirement.
We can help the publications, or whatever the [business], But that’s not an easy message to deliver to a young person
understand why they should care about [the people aspect]. who has other financial needs and may have a smaller income.
It’s not always easy to do, but it’s important for us to help the It’s hard to help them understand why it’s important to put
spokesperson get their story into the [actual] message that some of that aside when they probably need money for other
they want to deliver. [things] that are more pressing. This [issue] is a big challenge
There’s always a “call to action,” and you want to make sure in the retirement space right now.
that it’s part of the message. That’s best received by doing it in
a nuanced, approachable way. What could be a solution?
[Employers] play a big role. Companies [should] involve the
At Schwab, you were working to benefit one company. employee in a retirement plan [early], help them stay [in it]
What’s the main difference with your job at Rudin? and [have it funded] automatically so the employees don’t even
Schwab is multifaceted, so there were a number of different miss [the money]. More and more companies are stepping up
business lines and different types of initiatives and objectives, and doing that.

32 INVESTMENT ADVISOR JUNE 2022 | ThinkAdvisor.com