When you were young, you likely thought about what you wanted to be when you grew up. Some people wanted to be a firefighter or an Olympic athlete, while others imagined saving the world of becoming a famous movie star.
When I was a child and even when I was approaching college graduation, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life. One night as graduation was near, my dad and I got to talking about careers. He asked me what I wanted to do and I shared with him my uncertainty. He suggested that because of my giving personality and caring nature, I should consider working in financial services. He believed that this business may embrace a man like me who truly enjoyed helping people make sound decisions that would benefit their future, be it insurance, investing or planning for retirement.
Starting My Career
While I didn’t know much about the financial services industry, I liked the idea of being able to help people for a living. I spent the next few months researching the industry. In 1994, two weeks after graduating from Southern Methodist University, I began my career in the financial services industry, joining Northwestern Mutual Life as a Special Agent.
During my early years, I worked with a lot of young families, and I loved being able to help them start taking control of their financial life and putting in place life and disability insurance so they could protect their income and provide for their family if the unthinkable or unexpected were to happen.
After several years with Northwestern, I worked with Fidelity Investments for a decade as a financial advisor for high-net worth families, a Retirement Consultant for businesses, and a Regional Consultant. Following Fidelity, I worked as a District Manager at ADP Retirement Services. I worked with businesses with 50 to 1000 employees to help them implement or update their 401k plans. Most recently prior to forming my firm I served as a Vice President for Pershing Advisor Solutions LLC, a BNY Mellon company. In my role, I consulted with family offices and wealth management firms, as well as financial advisors, to develop new custodial relationships and help those firms grow, evolve, and better serve their clients.
Creating Private Client Wealth Advisors
Throughout my many roles in the industry, I loved what I did and felt like I was making a difference. However, with the desire to continue challenging myself and work more closely with individuals, families, and businesses, I decided it was time for me to branch out and formed my own independent firm. I’d always known that I wanted to feel as though I represented the best resource for my clients. When deciding how to structure my practice, I carried the same belief: to do what was in my clients’ best interests.
This drove me to form my firm as a registered investment advisor (RIA). As a RIA, I am able to serve my clients in a fiduciary capacity, offer a transparent fee structure, and constantly research and remain open minded to new information and relationships that can benefit our clients.
It’s been three years since its founding and it has grown immensely. Today, Private Client Wealth Advisors brings resources and relationships established over many years from across the financial services, investment management, private banking and planning world in order to provide superior service to our clients.
The Challenges and the Successes
Running a business is no easy task, and as it can be difficult to find new clients that share our same vision. Many of our clients have had a bad experience with a previous advisor and this taints the business for people like us who are working diligently to do things right. This means we have to work harder to share and communicate our advantages and resources in a way where people do not feel like we are “selling” them.
However, despite the immense workload, I can’t imagine having any other career. There is nothing more fulfilling for me than seeing my clients benefit from our relationship in some shape or form, whether they achieve a goal or feel more confident in their finances. I really enjoy being around people and building meaningful relationships. I leave the office every day proud that I helped protect a family’s livelihood or helped them implement a plan for pursuing a financial goal. It is such rewarding work.
Are We a Good Fit?
Because we provide such a high level of service and hands-on strategizing, we only work with clients who share our values and who we believe we can truly help. If you’re interested in learning more about our approach and the people we serve, I encourage you to reach out to me, whether it’s sending a quick question by email or calling me for an appointment. You can reach me by calling 303-945-2222 or emailing barry@pc-wa.com.
About Barry
Barry Steelman, AIF® is the Founder, Principal, Managing Partner, and Client Advocate at Private Client Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisory firm based in Denver, Colorado. He specializes in working with individuals, families and businesses and conducting financial planning, portfolio management and retirement plan services. Along with more than two decades of experience, he is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, which signifies knowledge of fiduciary responsibility and the ability to implement policies and procedures that meet a defined standard of care. Learn more about Barry by visiting www.privateclientwealthadvisors.com or connecting with him on LinkedIn.
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