Our first blog post should be about who I am and why I'm here, right? Right. Well, here goes!
I started Envoy in 2017, but our story starts much earlier than that.
When I came into the financial advice industry, it was obvious that there were two focuses. Number one was to go after only the biggest and richest prospects out there. Number two was to bash them like pinatas for as much profit as the firm could get out of them. The advisors were miserable, the staff was miserable, and guess what, the clients were miserable, too. Obviously, I disagree with that whole platform. So I left that firm quickly.
I bounced around for a few years after that. 4 years here. 2 years there. Each time thinking that I had found a place that I could call home. Each time I turned out to be wrong. Over my journey, I've met a great deal of phenomenal financial advisors, and I learned as much as I could from them. I also came across a few phenomenally bad financial advisors, but I learned a lot from them, too.
Here's what I believe now:
1.) Everybody should have access to quality financial advice. Everybody. Regardless of your age, or how big your account is.
2.) You should expect that advice to be given to you in a fiduciary manner. (That means, the advisor has only your best interests in mind.)
3.) There is no such thing as "one size fits all" in investments, either. If you have an advisor, and the total solution for you is given in only one type of product or from only one company, there's a good chance you're not getting an optimized solution. You're getting a cookie cutter, and that can be dangerous.
4.) Finally, (and I'll put this in all caps so my point gets across) I AM NOT A SALESMAN. Yeah, you read that right. I'm not a salesman. I view myself as an educator. It's my job to sit down with folks, listen to what they want and need, present solutions that can work for them, educate them on said solutions, and help them make the informed decision. There's a reason that we're called financial advisors and not financial commanders. We're here to advise. To educate. Not sell.
Now, on that last point, critics (including some in my own occupation) will argue "Well, that's still sales! You're selling a process! You're selling yourself! You're selling knowledge and confidence and..." blah blah blah. Maybe? I still don't view it as sales. And the funny thing is, when you're not focused on how much you've sold this week/month/year, you're focused on positive client outcomes and truly helping people instead. And trust me, it shows in the results. That's my journey to here. That's why I get out of bed in the morning. And that's why Envoy Wealth Management exists.
Chris Janota
President & Financial Advisor
Envoy Wealth Management LLC