Founder of Great Point Wealth Advisors LLC, Peter Disch is a registered fiduciary with over 22 years of industry experience. Legally bound to the interests of the individuals, families, and entities he serves, Disch has helped countless people reach their long-term and short-term financial goals. His approach? Simplicity.
“Simplicity is on the other side of complexity,” he begins, adding that a lot of financial advisors will choose to complicate things because it makes them “feel more valuable,” and sends a message to clients that they have no other choice but to rely on them for their expertise.
But this approach may actually be more detrimental than you think, as he shares it can “create more questions and doubts for clients.” To combat this, Disch’s goal at Great Point Wealth Advisors has always been to give his clients confidence by simplifying their financial processes.
“We don’t want them to have a lot of questions or be doubting different things. We want them to feel totally comfortable with our process and what we’re doing,” he says. “When it comes to building trust, that’s critical.”
At Great Point Wealth Advisors, Disch’s team builds trust with clients in two very fundamental, but simple ways. The first is by not just being their advisor but being their financial advocate, and the second is through a commitment to educating clients throughout the entire consultation process.
“We’ve removed 90% of the complicating factors to just focus on that very small percentage of things that actually matter in personal finance,” Disch explains.
A big part of that is compensation agreements between clients and advisors.“A lot of financial advisors will say they are self-employed, but I always say I have over 160 different bosses,” he laughs. “They know that we are advocates for them, and if I recommend something, it’s only because it’s in their best interest, not because I’m getting some kind of commission.”
A finance major in college, Disch takes “a little bit of a classroom approach,” sharing that his team ensures their clients understand why they are doing what they’re doing each step of the way.
“Our clients could probably just go and do a very similar thing on their own. But, they don’t do that because they enjoy all the ancillary services that we provide to them,” he says.
An important aspect of education is proactive communication, especially during market downturns. Market volatility can be daunting, and it’s important for financial advisors to help their clients understand the risks and stay the course. By maintaining open lines of communication, you reassure them and help them navigate through the challenges.
Disch believes that simplifying the financial process and empowering clients with knowledge is essential because when clients understand their financial plans, they feel more secure and less overwhelmed.
“And again, you can make this stuff as complicated as you’d like to. And I do think there’s some degree of that out there in the industry for self-serving purposes. But we just take the exact opposite approach,” he says.
Disch also emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development and staying updated with the latest in financial planning to ensure that he is always providing the best advice to his clients.
His approach to building trust through simplicity involves being an advocate, eliminating unnecessary fluff, and educating the client. This straightforward and honest method has not only earned the trust of his clients but also helped Great Point Wealth Advisors reach high levels of success since their founding in 2008.
Great Point Wealth Advisors provides clients with a better investment experience by focusing on actions that add value. They create an investment plan that fits their client’s needs and risk tolerance, structure a portfolio among the dimensions of expected returns, diversify globally, manage expenses, turnover, and taxes, and remain disciplined through market dips and swings.
Simplicity, advocacy, and education are the pillars that have helped the company build trust and secure long-term client relationships.
“I’m happy that we’re in the position we’re in right now and are growing to be able to take on more clients and give them the same experience that the clients that we’ve worked with over the years have had,” he concludes.
To learn more about Peter Disch’s advisory firm, Great Point Wealth Advisors LLC, visit his website or contact Peter Disch directly today.
