Why I Became A Personal Wealth Manager

by Bryan Sarff, CFP®

 

Can you think of a specific person or event that made a significant impact on your life? Many of us can think of more than just one example. For me, two powerful stories led me to where I am today.

Growing up, I experienced the impact of my dad unexpectedly losing his job with Procter & Gamble. While this was difficult on our family, I took that lesson and turned it into a successful career — first in the business world and then in the financial industry. But I have always kept that lesson close to my heart, reminding me of the importance of being prepared for unexpected events.

A similar scenario happened when my uncle suddenly passed away in 2000. he was such an anchor for our family and a knowledgeable mentor to me. He had been working with an investment advisor who never talked to him about insurance, beneficiaries, or estate planning. My uncle didn’t have a will or trust, which meant everything had to go through probate. This created a huge burden on my aunt, resulting in thousands of dollars in legal fees and their assets tied up for almost two years. The most egregious example was that his life insurance policy still had his ex-spouse listed as the beneficiary and she ultimately received 50% of the life insurance payout. With a little more time spent on planning and preparing, this pain could have been avoided.

Both events impacted my life decisions in significant ways. I started True Wealth to focus on holistic planning for our clients, helping them create their optimal financial world. My highest priority is to be an advocate for driven entrepreneurs and thrifty millionaires to achieve financial independence and economic freedom.

Starting My Career

My career didn’t start in the financial industry. I earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and was a member of the Army Reserves for seven years during and after college. I then worked in the business world for many years in manufacturing, operations, and multiple process improvement initiatives with Lear Corporation and General Electric. After working my way up in that industry, I decided I needed a career change. So, in 2003 I pivoted and entered the financial industry, earning my Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2010.

Having helped another financial advisor build a very successful practice for his family, I decided to build a business for myself, my family, and my team at True Wealth. I did not want to look back at age 70 with regret asking, “Why didn’t I have the courage to go out on my own and build a company?” So, in 2013 I founded True Wealth & Company and haven’t looked back since.

Branching Out

In my current role as CEO of our firm, my services cover a variety of wealth management processes. I serve on the Investment Committee and manage assets for our clients. But my most prominent role is directly serving the needs of my clients as their personal wealth manager.

When starting True Wealth, I mostly helped retirees with their wealth management and retirement needs. While we still serve these clients, I shifted my focus a few years ago to predominantly work with a select group of driven entrepreneurs and thrifty millionaires whose chief goal is to attain or maintain a work-optional lifestyle.

This shift in focus came from a series of meetings we had in 2019 with some of our business-owner clients. To the outside world, these four business owners had it all: large homes, beautiful families, successful businesses, fancy cars, and fantastic incomes. But behind the scenes, their personal finances were a mess and they had very little personal wealth outside of their businesses. If something happened to them, their immediate family would be negatively impacted. I realized these families could end up just like my uncle’s family, and I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to help them prevent that tragedy. Since then, I have been on a mission to help driven entrepreneurs transform their successful chaos into legacy-leaving personal wealth.

The Best Part

One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is seeing clients be relieved of stress and start spending more time doing what they love instead of sacrificing their life for their careers and businesses. I love witnessing the impact they make on their families, employees, and communities, and am grateful to be part of their quest to attain an amazing life of significance.

This is what drives me to work hard at what I do: providing clarity of focus and uncommon care to our clients. It’s very satisfying to live out our core values and get recognized for that by our clients’ testimonials or in the public and media. Our company also had a great culture and great benefits, making coming to work an enjoyable experience.

It’s Your Turn!

I love getting to know my clients, hearing their stories and goals and dreams for the future. At True Wealth & Company, the heart of what we do is building a solid, trusting partnership so we can help our clients fulfill their financial goals. If you’re ready to start walking your path to financial independence so you can make work optional, contact us today by calling (913) 653-8783 or emailing Emily@RetireWithTrue.com.

 

About Bryan

Bryan Sarff is the founder and CEO of True Wealth & Company and has been serving clients’ financial needs since 2003. His services cover all areas of the wealth management process, including business succession planning, investment strategies, business value acceleration, retirement planning, legacy planning, and insurance planning. Bryan acts as a personal wealth manager for successful business owners and thrifty millionaires who want to make work optional and join our Make Work Optional™ community. When working with clients, his highest priority is to help them “achieve financial independence and economic freedom” so they can spend more time doing what they love.

Bryan has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Outside of the office, Bryan has spoken at hundreds of wealth management workshops, hosted financial talk radio shows, the “Let’s Make Work Optional” Podcast, and is launching a new podcast in 2023. In the community, he is involved with Strive for Life, Band of Angels, and the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. He enjoys playing golf, swimming, smoking tasty ribs on his Traeger, traveling with his wife and three daughters, attending concerts, and is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Mizzou Football. To learn more about Bryan, connect with him on LinkedIn.