Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandy Wright.
Brandy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started out knowing that I wanted to work with people, and I can’t handle the sight of blood, so anything in the medical field was out. I was always good with numbers, so accounting or finance were my options, and accounting really only put me in touch with a client once a year. Still, personal finance meant an ongoing working relationship with families. I spent three years working for a brokerage firm where financial planning was more of a means to a sale, and that wasn’t for me. Then I went to work for a financial planning focused firm, and I found my groove.
Over the course of my financial planning career, I have been apart of both the large corporate firms and a smaller boutique firm. I was happiest in a smaller firm with a close-knit work family environment. When some changes came about in my last large firm, I was faced with the challenging reality that I was going to have to search out, endure interviews and join a new boutique firm again after nine years.
A daunting endeavor for any professional much less for a 44, single mom to a five year old. I was depressed at the thought of having to start from the beginning again with a new team, a new culture, and the “ladder.” Beginning at a new firm, I would be starting from scratch in an area that is the most crippling to a professional like me – work flexibility and available time off – which meant the anxiety I already had about the amount of presence and participation I had in my daughter’s life was about to be even more restricted.
So I took one of those Come to Jesus walks around my neighborhood and struggled to create a plan for a future that was completely different than what I had been envisioning for at least the last five years. I could not make peace with any of my thoughts and what I can only say was divine intervention I asked myself out loud out of nowhere: “If you could do anything right now for your career what would it be?” I answered out loud without thought or hesitation: “I’d start my firm.” And then, in my head, I replied: “Then do it.”
From that moment I felt focused, I had a purpose, and I never looked back, I never questioned my decision made at that moment. The rest of my walk back to the house was focused on what I needed to do to make it happen. Before 11 pm that night:
I had named my firm – never second guessed it.
I found a website that helped me develop my logo – never second guessed it.
I emailed a contact I had that could connect me with Schwab’s independent RIA support team.
I made decisions on the investment model and servicing tools I would utilize.
I checked the availability of an LLC for my business name and emailed an attorney to start business documents.
I checked the availability of domains for my business name and purchased them.
All in less than five hours. Within a week, fate brought about the beginning of my new work family when a dear friend of mine, Julia, whom I had previously worked with, was excited to join me in building the new Blake Financial Counsel.
I am sometimes in awe of what I put together. Still, I know that what fully and absolutely fueled my focus was knowing that this was the way that I could still thoroughly enjoy working with families fulfilling my purpose, provide for my small family and privilege me with the flexibility to be Blakely’s mom, the one who is in the school drop off/pick up line, the one watching at gymnastics practice and the one flipping through sight word cards with my early reader before bedtime. Blake Financial Counsel, not yet a year old, is thriving, growing every day and apart of my heart. I would like to see Blakely join the “family business” one day!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If it had been a smooth road, I would have been doing something wrong – the climb is meant to be challenging; otherwise, everybody would do it. I often said I don’t know what I don’t know. I had to learn how to build an RIA from scratch, including compliance, technology, and administrative tasks – all of which had been handled for me previously. Advice – pamper your IT people, they are worth every penny!!
I’ve been freakishly fortunate to have had people along the road eager and happy to advise, guide, and lend a helping hand. I’ve been referred to an amazing compliance firm. I get to work with support teams who are generous with their time and patience and have had connections that led to writers, a website creator, and a marketing gem.
Blake Financial Counsel – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Blake Financial Counsel focuses on financial planning for families. These families may be executives, retirees, divorcees, single parents, and I like working with women to become confident and knowledgeable in their finances. As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, I also work with divorce attorneys to run analyses that help the attorney develop asset division recommendations that are appropriate for their clients. I am very client/family-focused and know that financial plans must be tailored to the family, their needs, their sensitivities, and their future. I listen to learn what the families are telling me and not just have calls and meetings for me to tell them what to do.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Putting my daughter’s name on my business. Every time I get to see a client retire in confidence, travel for their bucket list, and see the rewards of their hard work on their financial plan.
Pricing:
- COMPREHENSIVE WEALTH MANAGEMENT FEES First $ 3,000,000 .75% Next $ 3,000,001 or more .50% (subject to a $7,500 fee minimum)
- PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT FEE SCHEDULE Assets Under Management Annual Rate $1,000,000 or more .30% (subject to a $7,500 fee minimum)
- Our annual fees for divorce planning and consultation services are assessed at a fixed rate of $5,000 for clients with a minimum net worth of $10,000,000 or less. There is an incremental fee of $5,000 for each additional $10,000,000 in net worth
Contact Info:
- Address: 7000 Central Parkway, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30328
- Website: www.blakefinancialcounsel.com
- Phone: 404-667-3494
- Email: brandyw@blakefinancialcounsel.com
- Instagram: @blakefinancialcounsel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLAKE-Financial-Counsel-110097710352758/
- Twitter: @CounseBlake
Image Credit:
Brittany Hudson, Dare to Be Different Photography
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