FPA	Is your Financial Advisor a true "Wealth Manager?" Take the free Financial Advisor Assessment

The term "Wealth Management"means different things to different people, and has virtually no meaning in the financial services Industry. In many ways "Wealth Managment" is a distasteful term because it implies that the wealth is what is important, rather than the families that own it. Wealth Managment is simply a marketing term, with no standards or industry recognized definition, developed to appeal to the affluent. Nevertheless, the term is a widely-used one that is worthy of some standards, where none now exist. According to a recent study 79% of financial advisors call themselves “Wealth Managers” yet less than 8% of those meet even the most basic criteria.  So if a financial advisor describes themself as a “Wealth Manager” what does that mean?  Well, simply put, it is a Comprehensive Trusted Advisor who, like a Personal Chief Financial Officer, is orcestrating your wealth for you in all areas. 

This site is dedicated to helping the affluent set a high-bar for those calling themselves "Wealth Managers" by creating some criteria for the term. The assessment above, which takes about 12 mintues to complete, will help you identify the areas of service you desire from your advisor and the results generated will give you a friendly, but specific, agenda for you to take to your next meeting with your finanical advisor.

The rule of 168

There are 168 hours in every week, the way you spend your time directly affects your quality of life. Rather than try to assess if a financial advisor is smarter than anyone else, or has access to better information, there is a simpler and much more effective way to measure their value. The best way to assess your relationship with your Wealth Manager is by how much time they "create" for you. Orchestrating your financial affairs properly is time consuming and to the extent that it frees you up from spending time doing all the "adminis-trivia" and management of all the details, then you have time to devote to those things that matter most to you in your life.

It's not that spending time overseeing your money isn't a good way to spend your time, the question is whether it's the best way to spend the precious time you have. Given the fact that life has an expiration date, time is the stuff life is made of. Gaining more of it by effectively delegating your money matters to a competent Wealth Manager who is worthy of your trust, gives you precious time to focus on experiencing your values. So, evaluate your financial advisor by the only measure that really matters in the end and that's the time it saves you to do other, more important, things..

The Money Alignment Profile (M.A.P.)

Take the free MAP assessment to determine how well aligned your money is with your values and those things that matter most to you in life. An authentic Wealth Manager will help you keep your financial decision well lined-up with your values.