Today is an exciting day as we announced that AGC™, the online community for financial advisors I co-founded with Taylor Schulte in 2019 joined forces with Wealthtender, a digital marketing platform for financial advisors, which launched the first SEC-compliant online review platform and is the top find-an-advisor website not sponsored by a wealth management firm, credentialing organization, or industry association–which basically means it’s the best independent website for consumers to find financial advisors and for advisors to be found.
When Taylor and I set out to launch AGC™ in 2019 we went into it with an idea and a mindset that we would allow the community to grow organically and in ways that the community wanted and needed. Our only goal for the community was to provide a safe environment for like-minded financial advisors to come together, collaborate, support each other, and focus on not only growing their businesses, but also as individuals. We had no idea if anyone would be interested, what the community would look like at the end of year one (or beyond), and what to expect and what the AGC has become and accomplished in the last four years is beyond my wildest dreams.
The community has grown to 130+ financial advisors all over the world–the community has grown exclusively via word of mouth, Q&A sessions we host every quarter, and it certainly helps to have the best marketing financial advisor in the game as one of the co-founders…that would be Taylor, not me. In this group of financial advisors you will find numerous Investment News 40 Under 40 award winners, Investopedia Top 100 Advisors, Kitces’s Financial Advisor Success Podcast guests, media contributors, authors, podcast hosts, and almost any other accolade you can name in the profession–and there are even more advisors who will be on those lists in the future.
To say that AGC™ is filled with the best advisors in the business is an understatement, and what makes it so special to me is they ALL are helping each other become better advisors and human beings–think about that, where most of the profession considers each other competitors, the advisors in AGC™ are referring business to each other, sharing workflows, templates, and other original documents, joining forces in their firms, and celebrating each other’s successes.
Earlier this year members of the community wrote a book, More Than Money, that was published by THE financial publications publisher, Harriman House, and we’re about to kick off the beginning of More Than Money II. And the authors did not come together to make money–all of the proceeds are being donated to various organizations in the financial services profession focused on moving the profession forward, like the BLX Internship and the Foundation For Financial Planning. The purpose of the book was much bigger than the advisors and the community itself, which is not surprising given the mindsets of AGC™ members.
I could continue to go on and highlight all of the amazing things we’ve accomplished as a community in the first four years–I hope the pride and love I have for the community and the advisors in it comes across as I share just a little about what makes it so great…
Instead, I wanted to share a little about today’s news and why I’m so excited for what it means for the future of AGC™.
First and foremost, Taylor and I aren’t leaving the community–and neither is our amazing community manager Mallory Clouse.
The decision to join forces with Wealthtender was not some sort of exit for the two of us. We retain our leadership roles in the community, will continue to host our regular sessions and meetings in the community, provide feedback and direction for the growth of the community, and continue to share the community with the overall advisor space to help more advisors who would be a great fit find their tribe. Going forward, we’ll have less administrative responsibilities takingonf all of the “stuff” that goes on in the background, which I’m excited about because it allows me to spend more time in the community and one-on-one with members.
Secondly, the name, logo, mission, and brand of AGC™ are not going anywhere either–I’ve got the logo tattooed on my thigh, so there’s no way I was letting that go (and it was never even in the conversation) 😀.
Finally, AGC™ members really aren’t going to experience any major changes, other than all AGC™ members will now have access to Wealthtender’s platform and be able to leverage all of the great SEO benefits, along with marketing resources that Brian Thorp has built over the years, which is obviously a positive! Eventually Wealthtender members will have the opportunity to upgrade and join AGC™, if they’d like. Over the years we’ve been intentional about the growth of the community–we’ve strived to keep the intimacy of the group but also recognize welcoming new advisors to the community is always good because new ideas come, along with more opportunities to help other advisors.
Why Wealthtender?
Once we started talking with Brian about potentially partnering or bringing the two organizations together, it became clear to both Taylor and me that Brian was the right person and Wealthtender was the ideal place for AGC™ to continue to grow.
I’m the type of person who thinks I can do everything and has a hard time turning over things I love to other people–so admitting that I (we) needed help to continue to give AGC™ everything it needs to continue the momentum of the first four years was hard. But, as soon as I met Brian I was at ease. It was immediately apparent that he understood our vision for the community, wasn’t looking to come in and change AGC™, and could most importantly provide the operations and leadership the community needs for the next four years and beyond. I always trust my intuition, and it has consistently told me that today’s news is exactly what the community needs to continue being a great home for collaborative, thoughtful, and innovative advisors.
In addition to Brian, AGC™ now has the benefit of Diana Cabrices being out and about sharing the AGC™ story as the chief evangelist for Wealthtender.
The future for AGC™ was already bright, but it got just a little brighter with Wealthtender, and I’m excited to see where we all go next!
If you’re a financial advisor and want to learn more about AGC™ and Wealthtender, feel free to hit me up. Also stay tuned as we’ll eventually have some information sessions once we make sure the existing community is taken care of and ready for the next chapter.
If you’re the client of an advisor and you want to make sure they are staying at the forefront of the profession or combat that loneliness that some advisors face when on their own, forward them this post and tell them they should check out the community.
You can read more in today’s press release.
Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.
