Natalie Wolfsen is the CEO of AssetMark, a WealthTech platform that empowers independent financial advisors to deliver impactful investor outcomes and grow their practices. As CEO of AssetMark, Natalie is focused on leading the company's strategic vision, which encompasses its platform of curated investment and tech solutions, business consulting and operations support, and strategic acquisitions. Before joining AssetMark, Natalie served in several leadership roles, including Head of Marketing for First Eagle Investment Management and Head of Product Management and Development for Pershing. Natalie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Master of Business Administration from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.

Natalie joins me today to discuss how financial advisors can ensure that service is at the heart of everything they do in their practice. She explains how advisors can maintain deep and meaningful relationships with their clients during unstable market conditions. She outlines the different growth paths financial advisors can follow to take the next step in their careers and offers advice on being a senior leader in an organization. Natalie also describes the financial behaviors of different generations of investors and underscores why communication is essential to a financial advisor's success.

"Service is a choice—you choose to invest in it, you choose to be client-focused, and you have to be investing and improving all the time. A client culture means a service culture" - Natalie Wolfsen

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Natalie's background and her journey to becoming the CEO of AssetMark
• How to thrive in a senior leadership role
• Why knowing a broad range of topics is essential to being a leader
• Finding career opportunities and how to not let fear get in the way
• How to help clients stay the course and reach their goals during a turbulent market environment
• AssetMark's volatility toolkit
• The importance of communicating with clients during a bad market condition
• Specialization and other multiple growth paths for financial advisors
• How AssetMark is helping independent financial advisors thrive in a mass of players around them.
• Model FA's Energy Audit and what a client-focused service model looks like
• The feedback marketing methodology and what it means to have a "client culture"
• Servicing the emerging generation of investors
• Understanding the fears and behaviors of different generations of investors

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
• Book: Who, Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "A lot of the problems advisors face could be solved by just being a good human." - David DeCelle
• "Your business becomes more valuable if you're working with multiple generations—especially with younger investors who are in the accumulation stage." - David DeCelle
• "It feels great to be an expert in one thing; but it's hard to take that to the next level, because you need to lead people and teams that do more than that, and your perspective needs to be a lot broader." - Natalie Wolfsen

Connect with Natalia Wolfsen:

• AssetMark
• AssetMark on LinkedIn
• AssetMark on Facebook
• AssetMark on Twitter
• Natalia Wolfsen on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

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Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

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