My History
After I graduated from Baylor University with a business degree, I moved to Dallas where I took a job in the homebuilding business. A few years later, I started a master’s program in finance at Dallas Baptist University.
After completing my MBA in 1995, I left the homebuilding industry and worked with a couple of investment firms. In 2005, I started my own firm, Wilson Wealth Management. After The Great Recession of 2008-2009, the philosophy and focus of my business gradually evolved, and, in 2014, I established Wilson Investment Services, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisory firm. I chose Trade PMR to act as my custodial firm.
My Philosophy
My financial planning philosophy is based on creating a plan for my clients that is unique to their goals and their needs. I take the time to get to know each person I work with—to adequately and accurately assess their current situation and their future goals and objectives. Then, I tailor a plan specific to the individual’s or family’s needs and wants.
Financial planning includes developing an asset allocation investment strategy in line with each client’s goals. The investment strategy is the key to executing the financial plan. I work to identify long-term trends in the markets that allow me to invest for my clients without being overly active and incurring excessive fees and taxes. But my philosophy allows for me to not let my clients’ portfolios follow declining markets all the way to the bottom. Since the end of WWII, equity markets typically spend 75% to 80% of their time declining and then getting back to even. That means new market highs are made only 20% of the time. Instead of staying with static portfolios, I believe there are times to be defensive. Capturing profits is important to continuing to grow a portfolio and not just recover from market corrections. By identifying long-term trends and when those trends come to an end, I allow clients to participate in the uptrends and minimize market drawdowns, thus spending more time growing their portfolios.
My Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA)
As an Investment Advisor in an RIA, I am legally required to do what is in the best interest for my clients. Thanks to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, RIAs are held to a higher standard of conduct than registered representatives who work at broker-dealer firms. This standard, called a Fiduciary, mandates that an RIA must always unconditionally put the client’s best interests ahead of his or her own, regardless of all other circumstances. For example, I don’t sell commission products so as not to create a conflict of interest between me and my clients.
When I started in the financial services industry, I was a registered representative, as are most advisors. But when I learned about the RIA business model, it became clear to me that this was the best way to operate within the financial planning and investment business. I began transitioning my business over to that style of practice immediately.
Besides the fiduciary standard, the RIA model created much more transparency for my clients in terms of how their assets were managed and how much they were paying in fees. They no longer incurred costs associated with broker/dealer commissions—12b-1 fees, expense ratios, etc.
My Family
My wife, Leslie, and I were living in Richardson, TX, when we had our first child. We decided we wanted to raise our family in a smaller town environment so we moved to Rockwall, TX, in 1992. When I started my investment business in 2005, Rockwall had already experienced significant growth and was the also the perfect place to grow my business. Despite the growth, Rockwall has managed to maintain a small-town feel and has been a great place to live and raise our three children—Charlie, Molly, and Reese.
Leslie and I have been married for 34 years and those three kids of ours have graduated from Heath High School, graduated from college, completed advanced degrees, married, and given us four grandchildren. We are thankful for and blessed by so many people here in Rockwall who have been wonderful friends to us and who have poured into our children’s lives over the years.
Who Is Trade PMR?
TradePMR is a custodial services and technology provider 100% focused on supporting Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs). TradePMR serves Registered Investment Advisors that work with individual investors. The firm exclusively works with RIAs, no other types of advisors. TradePMR exists to facilitate the work advisors do for their clients, not compete with those RIAs for clients.
Previous Post: Silicon Valley Bank Debacle
Recent Comments