Our Collaborative System
Jay serves as the Manager and lead Financial Planner for the firm.
Manager
Provide vision for the firm’s goals and objectives. Oversee the 4 pillars of the operating system; Sales, Operations, Marketing and Finance. Ensure adequate support to team members to carry out the vision. Conduct regularly scheduled meetings to ensure proper communication and traction regarding what needs to be accomplished. Brainstorm with each team member on best way to overcome obstacles and adjust where necessary. Address issues when brought up by a team member in an authentic and professional manner.
Financial Planner
Meet with clients and orientate them to the WMFP Lifetime Financial Process. Help them identify which path they would like to take, transactional or financial plan. Conduct through fact finder and assist prospects with onboarding documents and the EMoney software system. Provide education for the prospect regarding any recommendations and run scenarios when appropriate to help prospect understand the rational for the recommendations. Coordinate with para planner the EMoney build and specifics of each case. Coordinate with the financial advisor case design goals and objectives. Follow up with operations team regarding product recommendations to clarify plan design and implementation. Run life insurance illustrations for the team when recommended. When charging a financial planning fee, finalize model for the observations and action steps of each case. Prepare the report used for the financial plan deliverable in the decision center in EMoney and email that report to operations.
Business Development
Work closely with the marketing coordinator regarding concepts and strategies that will be implemented to help achieve the firm’s revenue objectives. Maintain the integrity of the brand while aggressively pursuing new ideas and methods to promote WMFP. Research and be informed about the latest trends in marketing that may impact the firm and follow up with the marketing coordinator. Be involved and active in the community to be visible and top of mind in the marketplace. Conduct the virtual webinars as scheduled by the marketing coordinator and follow up with the marketing coordinator regarding follow up from webinars. Be aware of compliance issues and impact on the firm’s business development. Conduct any other business development activity that the team endorses to help achieve the firm’s objectives. Write content for firm blogs, articles and whatever else may make sense to promote the firm. Be available for filming of videos.
Other Responsibilities
Prepare and conduct annual reviews when scheduled. Address questions and be available to assist team members and clients when necessary. Keep informed about the market and economy and any other business trends that may impact our business and clients.
Scott serves as our Financial Advisor.
Financial Advisor specializing in Investments
Research and be informed regarding the various sectors of the market; Global equity and bond market each day, equity sectors weekly, fixed income sectors weekly, read Bloomberg, Morningstar, market watch and any other material to be kept up to date. Collaborate with the team members regarding product suitability for case design and implementation. Collaborate with product vendors and compliance regarding suitability for case design and implementation. Follow up with the operations team regarding work orders for the recommended strategies and any hypothetical illustrations that are required. Meet with wholesalers as part of the research process and be up to date regarding product offerings in the marketplace. Be the eyes and ears of the firm for trends in the market, economy, legislative proceedings that the firm needs to be aware of. Manage the firm’s brokerage accounts for any action items that need to be addressed, maturing bonds, cash value holdings, asset allocation changes, etc. Research recommendations and provide the direction to clients for new investment because of cash positions that the client wants to invest. Continually evaluate and provide recommendations to the firm regarding managed account platforms to the firm and to clients.
Business Development
Be actively involved in bringing new clients into the firm. Manage the Smart Asset program and follow up with team members when necessary. Be active in the community with the goal of being recognized as a team player and someone that people would like to work with.
Other responsibilities
Meet with clients for annual reviews. Be available to answer questions from clients and teammates. Be aware of planning situations that may require solutions other than investments and consult with team members regarding potential solutions. Be actively involved in meeting with strategic partners and understand how we can use their services to improve our holistic planning process.
Carrie is our operations manager.
Director of Operations
From the time the Application Work Order form is given to the operations team, work side by side with assistants to ensure a smooth process from start to finish. This includes all follow up with appropriate contacts including advisors. Continually monitor all stages of writing new business from start to finish including follow-up contact with advisors. Prepare for and meet with life insurance application clients; act as Jay’s proxy agent for all I-Go applications and some paper applications.
Manage part-time partners to have them feel appreciated and valued as we work as a cohesive team with new business processes, creation of annual reviews, client onboarding, Excel and Google Drive database, and tracking system maintenance and upkeep, filing, and current client service work. Prepare annual employee reviews and set expectations and goals for each one.
Handle all current and future client communications and service work. This involves taking care of paperwork, forms, scheduling meetings and maintaining the calendars. Trouble shoot to keep all processes moving at an acceptable pace, “getting paid” being a priority. Submit non-marketing advertising to compliance. Write annual Christmas/New Year recap letters and coordinate client gifts if any.
Prepare Operations report and run bi-weekly meetings with Jay, including follow up post-meeting recaps for clients and team. Prepare Partner Finance Meeting Report and Profit & Loss report and run that section for monthly meetings with Jay and Scott. Be a partner with Jay and Candy for marketing support, mostly for compliance related things. Maintain all licensing for JW, SM, and CW.
Maintain the office cleanliness (delegate as needed), purchase supplies as needed, anything else. Equipment maintenance. Set up all advisory board and client events, working with marketing for anything related for advertising.
Chief Financial Officer
Maintain the corporate books, pay all office expenses, handle payroll, calculate and pay income and payroll taxes and file all tax documents. Determine and coordinate charitable contributions. Monitor and maintain financial and other tasks specific to WMFP, Inc.
Prepare monthly Partner Financial Agenda and materials, run meetings, and provide follow-up in post-meeting recaps.
Work with our firm’s accountant to get business projections, tax and wage related assistance.
Helping Carrie in operations are Maggie and Kasey.
Operations Team
The Operations team works to provide a seamless experience for all clients. Assist in scheduling and confirming appointments with new and current clients. Schedule client annual reviews and follow up meetings. Gather information for annual reviews, inputting all documentation into the client’s Redtail file for ease of retrieval and review. Create welcome signs for in-office appointments.
Prepare forms and other materials necessary to have new business written and issued. Assist with making sure all written business is issued correctly and timely. Perform service work follow up with vendors after forms have been submitted. Provide clients with copies of completed forms and applications. Client account maintenance for new and existing business.
Work directly with other team members on projects. Complete any one-off projects as assigned. Utilize training videos and workshops to further understand software and products. Use software for tracking and accountability. Maintain Redtail workflow; creating action items for all team members in order for our process to continue in an efficient and timely manner. EMoney maintenance for new and existing clients. Maintain RedTail; updating client and prospect data, client meeting notes captured, and all appointments captured.
Maintain compensation spreadsheets for business tracking. Provide weekly recap summarizing a positive focus including outstanding issues that require follow up. Fill in for DOO when on vacation. Generate welcome letters to new Chamber of Commerce members. Create luggage tags and letters, inputting that data into RedTail. Client birthday cards addressed. Keep the office space clean, decluttered, and ready for client appointments in the office.
Candy is the firm’s marketing coordinator.
Marketing Coordinator
Support and maintain the firm’s current business development, marketing, and branding strategies. Develop and execute the firm’s new marketing plans and projects. Collaborate on ideas for marketing campaigns, promotional materials, and other creative programs.
Maintain the firm’s website and YouTube channel. Maintain all social media platforms utilizing Hearsay Social: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Maintain the firm’s social media activities in-line with compliance requirements. Possess a thorough knowledge of the compliance requirements and action steps to ensure compliance approves all marketing materials.
Coordinate the calendar of marketing events to ensure timely exposure of campaigns and events. Create flyers, invitations, blogs, video blogs, and other marketing materials in-line with compliance requirements.
Jennifer is the firm's case design manager.
Case Design Manager
Provides planning assistance and development of plans and strategies with the advisors. This includes extracting data from statements, plan documents, and other data points and inputting that data into the EMoney software system. From there, she collaborates with Jay and Scott to develop a unique plan for each client based on the client's circumstances and goals.
Jen works with advisors all over the country and has over a decade of experience with the EMoney software system. Her insights are valued and important.
Matt McCormick recently joined our team and his role will be developed over time.
Matt will be focused on transitioning his clients to Equity Services and we will be assisting him where necessary to help provide as smooth and successful a transition as possible. Eventually, Matt's role will be further defined, and his skills and strengths incorporated into the WMFP operating system.
Our team of financial professionals, financial advisors, and support staff work together to help create a unique financial vision for our clients. What this means to our clients is that we share with them a process and system that will help them gain insight and clarity regarding their current circumstances and what their future will look like. The real benefit to them is that they can have confidence and clarity.