Attracting and retaining top talent remains a pressing challenge for modern RIAs. Those that choose to leverage technology to their advantage may find themselves attracting and retaining stronger advisors, having created the right foundations to deliver superior service to clients and support thriving careers through time.

We’re joined by advisors from LM Advisors, Belzberg & Co. and Fairman Financial, who discuss life as an advisor and the appeal of working at firms who invest in best-in-class tech. 

Why do you value working at a firm that makes investments in technology-forward solutions?

Pat Gorgonzola and Nate Fullmer, Fairman Financial
Technology allows advisors to add value and make their clients’ lives easier. It can enhance how you interact with clients and present information — and help you deliver advice in a clear and actionable manner. Additionally, one of the few ways to put time back into your day is to leverage different technology solutions that are available. While it can take some time to get up and running, it is truly one of the few things that can streamline practices across the board.

How have client expectations changed recently and how is technology helping you meet those needs?

Leonardo Simpser, LM Advisors
One of the biggest changes is that clients now expect faster response times and technology is key to helping us achieve this. For example, Addepar allows you to create and customize reports very quickly that can answer questions clients have. This means customization is no longer a trade-off to efficiency, as it was in the past. Addepar also empowers us to be the best stewards of our clients by allowing us to easily consolidate investments that we don’t manage so that clients can have a global view of their assets. 

Alex Katchadurian, Belzberg & Co.
One big change I’ve witnessed is clients have an expectation that they should be able to reach out to their financial advisor or have access to a platform that gives them an on-demand view of their liquid and alternative investments, especially with respect to performance statistics. Technology, and in particular Addepar, has been a key piece of our tech stack as it allows us to deliver on that expectation. 

I can tell you first-hand that several of our clients who like to be more involved in the management of their financial assets have really appreciated Addepar because it’s allowed us to be better at our job — and they can access everything without calling us thanks to the Client Portal functionality.

Why is having best-in-class technology paramount to offering exceptional client service? 

Alex Katchadurian, Belzberg & Co.
In my opinion, it’s simple: best-in-class technology allows a firm to create operating leverage. More operating leverage means a firm can spend more time doing what clients care about most so they can deliver exceptional client service. I truly believe that if you’re not at the frontier of the evolving technology environment, you will fall behind your competitors.

Can you share your biggest accomplishment as an advisor at your firm? How did technology play a role in this? 

Pat Gorgonzola and Nate Fullmer, Fairman Financial
As an advisor, the biggest accomplishment is when clients implement the advice we provide and use it to accomplish their financial goals. While the idea of accomplishing financial goals is not a new development, the implementation of technology solutions allows clients to track their progress toward their goals, providing peace of mind along the way that they are on the right track.

I truly believe that if you’re not at the frontier of the evolving technology environment, you will fall behind your competitors.

Alex Katchadurian, Belzberg & Co.

About the contributors

Leonardo Simpser, LM Advisors
LM Advisors (LMA) was founded in 1984 by Luis Maizel, and acting as a fixed-income shop for international clients, grew to $500M AUM. Leonardo Simpser joined LMA 15 years ago, when the firm started investing heavily in technology — aiming to manage money in multiple financial institutions for existing clients, expand to invest in equity and options, and begin to attract a younger clientele. Leonardo came to the US from Mexico and worked for Deutsche Bank doing equity research. He received an MBA from Stanford.

Alex Katchadurian, Belzberg & Co.
Established in 2021, Belzberg Investments LLC (d.b.a. Belzberg & Co.) is a family-backed investment platform. The firm provides tailored investment and wealth management solutions to the ultra-high-net-worth community, including a number of white glove services. Alex Katchadurian has been an investor on the team since 2021 and is responsible for sourcing and underwriting new investment opportunities, executing transactions, managing portfolio assets — and, business strategy and development.

Pat Gorgonzola and Nate Fullmer, Fairman Financial
Fairman Financial is a fee-only financial planning firm located in Chesterbrook, PA, offering wealth management, investment advisory, tax and personal accounting services to individuals and families. Investment advisory services are provided by The Fairman Group LLC, an independent investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (The Fairman Group LLC is wholly owned by Fairman Group Family Office LLP dba Fairman Financial). Fairman’s investment, tax, estate and insurance experts work together to provide integrated advice tailored to the clients’ individual needs. Pat Gorgonzola is a Senior Wealth Advisor at Fairman Financial and Nate Fullmer is an Investment Operations Specialist at Fairman Financial.

Interested in more advisor insights? Read part 1 and part 3 of the Advisor Q&A blog series.