I’m sure the phrase “Net Worth” is one that is spoken multiple times a day in your firm, but have you heard of the term “Net Worthwhile”? Probably not.
The phrase is the guiding principle at SignatureFD, an RIA firm based in Atlanta, GA. They currently serve over 1,400 families and have $5.5 billion in assets under management.
We recently spoke with Laura Hubbell, SignatureFD’s Director of Client Care and Operations, as part of our second installment of our Work Smarter webinar series. With a deep understanding of how people, processes, and technology can work together, Laura has brought innovative approaches to fruition and helped investors achieve results.
The firm defines “Net Worthwhile” as the intersection of the accumulation of more and the achievement of better. It fundamentally shifts the conversations clients are having with SignatureFD. They have reverse engineered the goal process with their clients to get to their “why behind the what.” Money isn’t the destination, but rather the vehicle to get there. Their clients are becoming anchored in a Net Worthwhile mindset, meaning they are unwilling to settle for simply reaching a number in their portfolio, but rather they are pushing to feel fulfilled in all aspects of their life.
An integral part of helping clients achieve this fulfillment is data. Having immediate access to a client’s full financial picture helps to engage them right away, which is important for setting the foundation of a long-term partnership. Powerful data aggregation tools allow advisors to quickly pull together the data they need, improving the client’s experience as well as the firm’s efficiency.
Analytical tools can increase competitive advantage by providing information that improves decision-making and by automating manual processes to give you more time to focus on important tasks like meeting with clients. Through the help of Orion’s tech stack, SignatureFD is able to incorporate data to effectively run their business.
One area in particular where operational efficiency has been a game changer for the firm is helping to streamline their process for managing alternative assets in client portfolios. Most advisors manually enter data on their clients’ alternative assets into Microsoft Excel. SignatureFD approached Orion and worked with the company on the development of the Alternative Investment Platform tool. The tool does the work for advisors and frees up time for them to be doing other client facing activities.
Having the ability to rely on data service capabilities helps SignatureFD provide accurate, clean, and timely data to fuel their operations and meet customer demands, so they can focus on helping clients reach their Net Worthwhile.