Guess what? Today’s the last day of the longest financial advisory web-development project EVER. At least, I think it might be.
I’d like to invite you to check out the new homepage for Thrive Wealth Strategies. It’s been 7 years in the making. Yes, I’m serious!
Thrive Wealth Strategies is the brand I’ll be using for all my client relationships in 2021 and beyond. You might already be familiar with Thrive, but it might also be new to you. Rest assured, nothing is going to change with your portfolio, our working relationship, or anything else you’ve come to expect from LPL Financial and me.
You’ll still receive the same dedicated service and expert guidance you’ve always enjoyed. I’m still with LPL, but my Thrive branding gives me more opportunities to promote my services. You can use the Thrive Wealth Strategies website to check your accounts, schedule meetings with me, and reach me at any time through the contact forms. You have my phone number and email address as well, and I’m always available through those channels. Just reach out if you’ve got any questions!
Want to know more about Thrive Wealth Strategies, and why it took 7 years to get my website online? You’re in luck, because it’s quite the story…
I’ve been a financial advisor since 1999. I’d been with LPL for 13 years when my wife Jen told me she was pregnant with our first child at the end of 2012.
Kids change things in your life, of course. I knew I needed a strong brand of my own. I created the Thrive Wealth Strategies brand in early 2013 and set out to launch a website before my son’s due date.
Ever try to launch a new brand? It’s not easy, especially when you want everything to be perfect. There are thousands of people and firms offering web design and development. Finding and vetting the right design and development firm became a full-time job, on top of my normal full-time job as a financial advisor. Eventually, I decided I’d be better off building my website on my own.
That was my first mistake.
My first son, Finn, was born in July 2013. Business was booming, but my website wasn’t going anywhere. I created several drafts on my own between mid-2013 and late 2014. They were AWFUL. Just because anyone can make a website doesn’t mean anyone should. Especially if (like me), they have no training in web design, very little free time, and a growing family to look after.
My second son, Rhys, was born in July 2015, just as Finn hit the terrible twos. My handmade website would have to wait — family always comes first.
By 2016, I knew I’d need professional help if I was ever going to launch a useful and attractive website for Thrive Wealth Strategies.
I thought hiring a professional would take the work off my plate. Instead, it looked more like therapy, or personal training. Trusting the professionals is only the first step, and I had to take many, many, many steps on my own.
Somehow, working with professionals wound up demanding nearly as much time as I’d put in trying to do it myself. I’d had barely enough time to do anything on my own, so the project… just fell through the cracks. I’d hired a team, but had no time to give them the detail they needed to make the site I wanted.
Months passed. Finn turned four. Rhys was about to turn two. I came up for air in mid-2017, just long enough to go through a couple of drafts with my web design team. By this point, they’d been “working” on the project for a year, quite patiently. My client roster and my family had both doubled in size between 2013 and 2017.
By mid-2018, the website was back to square one… again. I dove back into but so much time had passed it seemed like I was starting from scratch, and I realized how much things had changed in just two years. There were so many new apps, new platforms, new styles.
By the time I was on the same page as the firm, my wife was already expecting our third son, Boden. The website crept along, draft after draft, all the way into 2019. When Boden was born, my new website once again dropped to the bottom of my to-do list. Weekly check-ins and progress reports took a backseat to diapers and 3 AM feeding times.
The turning point came in late 2019, when I hired a contractor to put up a new fence in my backyard. I hired them because they had the best website. Once I realized I’d chosen a company for a major construction project based on the quality of their website, I started to think about all the opportunities I’d been losing by not having a great website of my own.
The meetings started up again. And then the pandemic started.
Being stuck at home only gives you more time to work on your projects if your kids aren’t stuck at home with you. But everyone else in the world was stuck at home, too. Everyone was online… and my website wasn’t. That had to change.
I became a model client for my design team in 2020. I showed up to every meeting, did my homework, brought my notes, and pursued progress every week.
Somehow, I managed to stay on target while raising 3 boys under 6 years old, managing hundreds of client portfolios, each with unique requirements and expectations, AND simultaneously building out the branding and website for Thrive Medicare Strategies with a second team. And after 7 years of struggle and slipping through the cracks, I’m super excited and proud to announce…
Thrive Wealth Strategies is online! Just click the link on “Thrive Wealth Strategies” to open my new site. Take a look around and let me know what you think.
I’m proud of it, but I know it’s not perfect. It might still have bugs I haven’t found yet. If you come across anything that doesn’t seem to work right, please let me know so I can get it fixed.
I want you to enjoy every part of your experience with the new Thrive Wealth Strategies website. It’s been 7 years in the making, and I hope it’s beyond your expectations.
I’m honored and grateful to be able to work with and for you to secure your retirement and preserve and grow your financial assets. I made this site for you. Let me know how you like it… and please reach out at any time to discuss your investments, your portfolio, and your financial goals.
Thank you for all your support,
