“2017 will be
without a doubt a year of significant change. Uncertainty, political
change at home and abroad, advancing technology and a changing economy,
and other factors will keep markets on their toes. The result will be a
year of potential risks and opportunities for your money,” Sharma says.
According to Sharma, the key to navigating the year ahead
will be sound financial planning, which begins with what should be one
of your most trusted relationships outside of friends and family - your
financial advisor.
Finding an
advisor makes it onto many lists of New Year's resolutions, but many
quickly find the process daunting, typically involving endless Google
searches, hard to understand jargon and hit-and-miss referrals from
family and friends.
A New Way
Sharma’s
company, GuideVine, is the first modern platform for matching consumers
with financial advisors based on their unique lifestyle and financial
goals. “This was a process that was begging to be modernized and
brought into the 21st century,” he says.
Originally
targeted for high earning investors, GuideVine’s unique and personal
approach to “financial matchmaking” has quickly caught on with consumers
of all ages and financial status, as well as with advisors across
specialities ranging from wealth management to retirement planning, all
the way to family offices.
What makes
GuideVine different is its ability to match consumers and financial
advisors in a smarter, personalized, and more transparent way.
In keeping with
this premise, GuideVine offers three methods for finding a financial
advisor: investors can browse advisor profiles at their leisure, use the
platform’s questionnaire and matching algorithm to find matched
advisors, or they can book a GuideVine Concierge, a free offering where
members of the GuideVine team walk them through the process of finding a
financial advisor on the platform.
Users can
quickly “interview” potential advisors through exclusive intro videos,
personal bios and feedback from other GuideVine users. The videos are
one of Sharma’s favorite features: “I have personally had many in-person
meetings with potential financial advisors where I knew in less than 5
minutes that we weren’t a match. Our advisor videos avoid so much
wasted time on fruitless in-person meetings, a user can screen a number
of advisors in a few hours that would have taken weeks or longer the
‘traditional’ way.”
But what really
sets GuideVine apart from any other alternative is the diversity of
advisors on the platform and the ability to find exactly the right
advisor for any individual, regardless of their goals, lifestyles, and
values. “There are advisors who specialize in financial planning for
LGBT couples, and are LGBT themselves. Concerned about the environment?
Find a financial advisor that shares your concerns and will build your
portfolio accordingly. Our platform makes the process incredibly
easy,” Sharma says.
Of course,
GuideVine has already done its own screening on all of the several
hundred advisors now on the platform: to get on the platform advisors
have to be a fiduciary registered with the SEC or a State, meet size and
experience minimums plus clear a regulatory, criminal and civil
background check.
And the best part? There is absolutely no cost to consumers.
“GuideVine is
completely free to use. It’s a new year, and it’s time to try a new,
better way of finding a financial advisor,” Sharma says.
About GuideVine
GuideVine is an
online financial advisor discovery platform, built for the evolving
digital/social world in which consumers and financial advisors live.
The complimentary GuideVine investor matching service, available since
March 2014, gives consumers a better way to find the right advisor.
GuideVine has already amassed over 250 advisors across the U.S.
representing over $50B in assets under management. The founders are
former McKinsey & Co. consultants and software entrepreneurs, with
extensive experience in financial services, investment banking and
retail. For more information, visit www.guidevine.com
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