Nostalgic and Future Proof Don’t Have to Be Mutually Exclusive

What do vinyl records, vintage cars, and retro video games all have in common? They hold classic value. And while there have been significant advancements in technology – sound quality, electric batteries, and video graphics – many of their historic elements still hold influence over these industries today. We see this in both rock and reggae sounds influencing new hip-hop beats, and in the resurgence of platformer games with the box-office shattering release of The Super Mario Bros. this spring.

The groundwork has been laid, and it serves as a foundation on which the rest of the industry is built. It’s not replaced, it’s repurposed and woven into the progression of the industry. It’s this adaptation and advancement that creates a sense of familiarity, while also solving for new challenges. It’s in this same light that the world of financial planning continues to take notes from its past, as well.  

We often celebrate that as a profession, Financial Planning, has certainly come a long way. Forty-plus years will do that!

The historical roots of modern financial planning embody the concept of simply “living better, more efficient, and sustainable lives.” This truly is the goal, reiterated in the work of Certified Financial Planners^® and upheld by organizations like the CFP Board and the Financial Planning Association. The tools of our industry have advanced from Excel spreadsheets to more robust, client-facing dashboards displaying financial opportunity and ability to achieve life goals. This progression is powerful – and yet upholds its initial ideals of serving clients’ best interests by providing better (and now entirely personalized) outcomes.  

Here’s how financial professionals are honoring their financial planning roots, while continuing to advance the financial industry at-large, in support of better client experiences and solutions.

1. There’s a person for that. There was always someone on the other end of the phone who knew you. They worked in your community, they knew the same people, and they shopped at the same stores. This mentality can easily be lost in the larger financial services landscape where an 800-number serves as a client’s primary point of contact. For independent financial professionals, this creates an incredible advantage.
   
   Instead of letting a computer route a call to another computer, hoping that a client eventually gets their question answered, a real person says ‘Hello!’ This sparks additional connectivity that could inspire better connections, more tailored advice, and a reminder that trust runs deep.
2. There when you need it. One of the most frustrating aspects of modern life is hitting a voicemail box or being told to ‘call back during business hours.’ If anything, this decade is known for its obsessive reliance on availability. We’re always online – whether we’re texting, chatting on teams, or posting on Twitter. Our clients are no different. When they hit a barrier to service, that trust erodes. Frustrations fuel attrition – there’s no secret there.

The historical experience of picking up the phone at midnight and talking to an advisor about an urgent need to pay for medical care, or on a Saturday as you’re buying a car or home – this need has not disappeared. For financial professionals willing and able to connect with clients at any-and-all hours, this is an incredible advantage proven time and again over the decades.

3. More ‘Yes’ than ‘No.’ Somewhere along the way, large broker-dealers and wirehouses began treating their financial professionals as little more than numbers, prioritizing uniformity and conformity over unique, creative ideas, flexibility and freedom.

And there’s certainly a compliance argument to be made for sticking to the script. But we believe individuality is a strength, not a weakness. So when our financial professionals come to us with new ideas for serving their clients, marketing their firms, or optimizing their operations, we do our best to say yes – or at least, let’s try it, instead of no.

These ideals consistently shape the service our professionals provide to their clients, and drive our service to reps. We aren’t your average broker dealer. Our relentless pursuit of ‘Yes’ coupled with our availability and support of YOU ensures your success. When you win, we win.

Take our AdvisorHub and AdvisorFX solutions: building upon the needs of the past, these platforms serve your traditional needs of building tailored portfolios for clients in transparent and accessible ways. However, what sets our tech apart from the rest is our unique ability to combine traditionally inaccessible investment vehicles into more modern portfolios. We push the envelope so that our financial professionals can continue to surprise and delight their clients.

It’s this nostalgic mentality that fuels our purpose and guides our actions. At Silver Oak, you are free to build and grow the firm that best supports your clients. And when you need us, there’s no 800-number. An actual person will answer the phone, hear your concerns, and guide you to the answers. We embrace the principles of the past and apply them in ways that best serve our financial professionals.

Let’s talk about your future.