Welcome to The Diligent Advisor!

Welcome to my blog!  I am definitely not a writer like Thoreau or Twain, perhaps Stephen King if you are horrified by my grammar or spelling.  I have been a financial advisor for 19 years.  Over those years, financial advisors have been asked to be psychologists, economists, speakers, marketers, and now…writers.  So you can see why I was really hesitant to add writing a blog to the list of qualifications for being a good financial advisor.  It took a lot of convincing for me to start blogging and using social media.  You could say I went kicking and screaming!

One of the experts in the field of social media recently told me that I would have to add that to my list of what it means to be a great financial advisor.  Not so much the writing part, but putting myself out there, being a leader, guiding and sharing my expertise with the public.  She also told me that social media isn’t some overnight fad, it’s a cultural shift and is more revolutionary that the printing press.  I really spent a lot of time thinking it over, but I kept coming back to that one comment.  That comment was so incredible, that I knew I needed to join this new wave of communication.

The hardest part was deciding on a name for my blog.  I was really stumped for weeks. Then one Saturday morning over coffee, I asked my wife what one word described me as an advisor.  I gave her a couple of words to think about, and after the typical one-word jabs, The Diligent Advisor was born!

Why diligent?  The definition of diligent is: constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything.  I think anyone that knows me, or knows me as an advisor, will agree that the definition is a pretty good description of me.

I specialize in working with business owners, professionals and business retirement plans.  As a business owner myself, I bring a unique perspective and experience to the table.  I have encountered the same stresses and opportunities that come with owning your own business.   I can show a small business owner how to extract wealth from the business, utilize retirement plans, and eventually how to coordinate a successful exit strategy.  I also work with professionals that are changing jobs or retiring, showing them all the advantages of a IRA rollover for their savings, and much more.

If you visit my website, you may notice that I am celebrating the 10 year anniversary of my business Lexington Wealth Management.   It is also my 20th year as a financial advisor in 2012.  I cannot believe it has gone by so fast.  Two big milestones in one year, along with starting a blog.

Over the years I have taken the time to develop a deep partnership with my clients, not making them feel like just another number.  During all those years, my promise to my clients is to treat them with respect, work with them as a financial coach putting their interests first, and educating them about investing.

So I will share my expertise and knowledge about markets and investing through writing this blog.  I’ll be adding writing to my list of accomplishments along with behavioral finance, economist, concierge services, public speaking, social media marketer, and oh yeah, wealth advisor too.  Along the way I hope to share a little bit of my sense of humor.