The independent RIA life: Unscripted
What's going independent really like?
Two advisors discuss why they love it.
Eric Rosel
Founding Partner
Morgan Rosel Wealth Management
ERIC ROSEL: So the alarm clock goes off. It's your own business. What do you get excited about or not excited about as you get dressed and head on out to work?
Sarah Keys, J.D.
Founding Partner
Cardan Capital Partners
SARAH KEYS: I feel a lot of pride in the quality of the service that we can deliver now. I feel a lot of excitement about the potential for growth, the various avenues that you could potentially go in because we run our own portfolios. Could we do some sort of asset management in addition to the wealth management? And those options in the world that we're in now in the directions you can go, whether it's bringing an attorney in-house or a CPA in-house or an insurance agent, as you have, to a certain degree, and service clients that way. Having that totally open to you and having that flexibility makes the move and the profession even more exciting to me, and knowing that this is ours, that I just couldn't get before, right, because you kind of felt like you were working for the man and you were meeting somebody else's revenue objectives.
How about you? How do you feel in the morning when you get up?
ERIC: Well, how I feel in the morning when I get up, I live about five minutes from my office.
SARAH: Yeah.
ERIC: So when you live in a city like this, that… to be able to control your… I mean, as basic as that sounds, your office location. I mean, the increase of enjoyment you get and time you get with your family. I'm in the car 10 minutes a day instead of an hour and a half a day.
SARAH: Yeah.
ERIC: I mean, what is that worth?
SARAH: Right.
ERIC: Right? As silly as that may sound, I mean…
SARAH: No, it's truly priceless.
ERIC: It's truly priceless, right? I mean, there's so many books on tape that you can listen to, right?
SARAH: Yeah.
ERIC: I mean, it's when you're home in five minutes and you're playing catch with your kids, or I'm able to make these plays that my kids... my daughter, she's sang in a talent show at, you know, 10:30 in the morning. I never would have been able to do that if… you know, at my previous firm, driving 45 minutes each way. I… you know, I could set my own schedule, and there's not a corporate meeting that I'm… you know, that I didn't call.
SARAH: Yeah.
ERIC: Right? So I… I get to make those important things. So, to me, I mean, from a lifestyle perspective, you know, is one of many components of what makes this so great.