One of the biggest challenges facing the financial services industry today is helping inexperienced advisors get started in the business and leading them to build a sustainable career. Today, we will highlight two young men who have done just that with the help and support of a team at our firm in Raleigh, NC.
Trevor Lawson and Corbin Oliver both graduated from North Carolina State University in 2013 and 2014, respectively. They entered this industry with the same goals: build a successful practice that helps the people they serve secure and enhance their financial future. At the same time, they hoped to realize the benefits of this endeavor which include flexibility, impact, and the financial incentive to grow with their clients. The irony is, they entered the business right in the middle of a seismic shift in the status quo of growing an advisory practice. Many people are becoming familiar with the Department of Labor’s fiduciary standard and the growing desire for people to have a fee-based relationship with their financial advisors. The days of brokering commission-based products to clients has entered the final stretch and both of these young men and their team are preparing for it.
As fate would have it, neither Oliver nor Lawson had an overly affluent natural market to backstop their early days in their career. Both would need to work very diligently to grow their professional proficiencies, see enough potential clients, and learn the business so that they stood a chance. The general public may not know that the five-year retention rate for financial advisors currently stands at 14%, so to come right out of college and find success is rare. Lawson and Oliver both attribute their success to the team approach at Capitol Financial Solutions, and having sustainable markets to call upon to find clients.
“One of the immediate advantages I found in aligning with CFS early in my career was access to a client solutions specialist,” says Trevor Lawson. “This gave me the confidence to begin developing client relationships knowing our specialist would ensure I was prepared to deliver the most appropriate solution. In addition, the ability to initiate my own marketing campaigns, such as the podcast with Will Smith, and have the support of my team to allow the campaign to come to fruition has really been a source of great gratitude and excitement.”
“Having a team of successful advisors to collaborate with gives me tremendous confidence when I sit across from potential clients,” said Corbin Oliver. “The extra mile that this team has gone in mentoring me has been essential to my success early in my career and to this day. On top of that, this team approach has allowed me to access support staff at a fraction of the normal cost that I simply could not have had elsewhere this early in my career,” said Corbin Oliver.
“I am so proud of the way new advisors are developing at Capitol Financial Solutions due in large part to the dedication of team leaders like Will Smith. We have remained committed to developing young advisors in a client first, open architecture model. Considering the current demographic of Financial Advisors and the projected retirements, there is a great opportunity for young advisors. We are very proud of Corbin and Trevor not only for their success but their commitment to their clients,” said Robert Turner, President and CEO of Capitol Financial Solutions.
Both young men have achieved national recognition by finishing Top 5 of their class within the broker-dealer, Signator Investors, Inc, and will be attending the prestigious Achieving Client Excellence (ACE) conference in May. Lawson has three professional designations, including being a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. Oliver will enroll in the Duke University Executive Financial Planning program this fall to work towards his CFP®. He’ll look to add that to being a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®).
While the future of financial services may seem bleak to some, with robo-advice, changes in legislation, and daunting retention percentages, Capitol Financial Solutions stands out as a firm that has a solid track record of helping inexperienced individuals realize their goals of becoming successful financial advisors.
For more information about the firm, our process, or career opportunities, please visit www.capfs.com.