I’ve spent the past 10 years as a financial advisor at an independent broker dealer. I started in the financial services business with the goal to help people, and share my financial knowledge with them. I had a family member who was swindled by a fraudulent broker 20 years ago, and I saw first hand the devastation that caused.
Fast forward 10 years, I was hugely naïve to the industry I was stepping into.
- Insurance Salesperson
- Stockbroker
- Registered Representative
- Financial Advisor
- Financial Planner
- Financial Professional
- Investment Manager
- Wealth Manager
All titles used in the financial services industry and largely blurred together in the minds of the public, many of whom need honest and unbiased financial advice. I graduated with a finance and accounting degree, and have continued my pursuit of education by passing my Certified Financial Planner certification. However, I was shocked when entering the industry, to realize the minimum viable requirement to become a “financial advisor” is a couple of short tests that most people with no financial education could pass with a simple online study crash course.
There have been attempts to challenge and change this, but to this point all have largely failed.
Charting a new path
So, I’ve decided I need to step out of my comfort zone and set down the path of changing this standard one client relationship at a time.
I have always taken the oath to put my client’s best interest first, but I’ve come to realize over the last several years there are things outside of my control in the broker/dealer model I started in that make this difficult or even nearly impossible.
To get to this point has taken a lot of careful planning. My wife has made the sacrifice to stay home with our three young boys, so I needed to make sure there was stability for our family and for my existing clients before deciding to launch. It wouldn’t be a benefit to my family or my clients, if I launched my firm and 6 months later couldn’t afford to keep the lights on.
This planning started as soon as I graduated college, and I’ve always put into practice the financial principles I share with my clients. This has allowed me to know I can confidently move forward with launching Zizzi Investments, and continue the dedication I have to constantly improving the value I bring to my clients.
I look forward to continuing the journey forward with you.
