Having a background in the financial services business both as a financial advisor and sales trainer for over 34 years, I always felt there was something missing. I had been very successful as a financial advisor working for the biggest Wall Street firms, Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, UBS, etc… but found myself contemplating – how could I do a better job for my clients?  How could I make the client happier? Likewise, how could I make myself happier? I knew something was absent.

I have always dreamt of what my business should look like, but change like that was, and is, a scary proposition. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But it felt broke. I wondered what would be the best delivery system for clients when it came to all things financial. Throughout the years, I obtained clients via seminars, referrals and social settings. Potential clients listened to my financial advice and invested in the traditional investments I recommended.

While managing my clients assets was gratifying to me and mostly satisfying to them (depending on the market), it didn’t feel complete. I continued to ponder – Was I doing the best holistic job for my clients? What was our overall plan? What was the best direction to go? How could I reduce their risk? How could I incorporate managing my clients’ money and making sure they were achieving all of their life goals? I wanted it to be about more than just an annual rate of return on their money. I wanted it to be about helping them to become as comfortable as they could be, and have a life without financial worries and strains regarding the unknown future. It is indeed a tall task to be all things financial to all people. What did I want out of it? Money?  Sure, but I became consumed with the idea that there’s more to it – a more holistic approach that would include solving problems for clients as a whole and complete system rather than merely assisting clients with one or two pieces of the puzzle.

I began visualizing a business that was different. I lacked the knowledge, training and education of a proactive tax professional, nor did I have the knowledge or education of an estate planning attorney. I had the basic concepts for a knowledgable conversation on these subjects, but I needed help. After analyzing my clients’ situations, I recognized that I needed to bring in other professionals to fill these gaps. In the past, I would wait for a CPA to help my clients with their taxes, only to find that they were mainly historians. “Bring me your receipts and prior tax years forms and I’ll tell you what you owe.” This was the common theme regardless of which CPA was used.  The estate planning side was very generic with often the same outcome for the client.  Cookie cutter with nothing customized and tailored to the specific needs of my clients. This led to even more frustration and my will to become a more holistic advisor.

I began searching for the right answer and I found it. Team up with like-minded tax planners and like-minded legal experience. Who had the experience? I had the investment side covered, but was missing the rest of the big picture. This business model has been 12 years in the making with tremendous thought and planning. Now at Metroplex Wealth, we share office space with a team of estate planning attorneys. In addition, we have partnered with a Dallas/ Fort Worth-based tax planning firm that specializes in “proactive tax planning.” Proactive tax planning is using what the IRS has created in the tax code and applying it to your individual situation with the potential of saving thousands to hundreds of thousands in tax savings. Most people think the tax code exists to find thousands of ways to get you to pay more tax, but it really depends on how you look at it. With the proper skill, the tax code can be a tool utilized to legally, morally and ethically save you money (possibly a lot of money) on your current taxes.

We have built what we believe is the perfect delivery machine for all things financial: a proactive tax plan constructed using the tax code, an integrated estate plan that provides security for your current and future assets with the most tax effective strategies to pass remaining assets to future generations, and a retirement strategy focused on the most tax effective way to have an income stream during retirement. This, done exactly as you wished, with as little paid in taxes as possible.