"I really love kind of the collaborative approach in general...I find that really the clients are best served when the entire team of advisors are on the same page, have shared information in advance...And many times I find that the RIA is actually the quarterback for the client because he or she ends up interacting and speaking with the client the most out of any advisor and really knows the client the best, the family situation, the client's goals and worries."

Heather Rhoades is Chairman of Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is Partner in Charge of the West Hartford office. She practices in the areas of estate planning, estate settlement, trust administration and charitable planning.

"I think that the strongest firms that we know and the firms that are excellent at what they do, they keep a great structure out there of firms that are like-minded. So, it's sharing best practices, not being afraid to do that, and seeing how everybody can grow together. That's something that we do on the asset management side quite often."

In this episode we are joined by Bill Loehning of Thornburg Investment Management who shares his experiences working with both wirehouses and independent advisors and things he has learned that may be helpful to registered investment advisors.

William (Bill) Loehning is head of institutional advisor channel, focusing on registered investment advisors, family offices, and bank trust for Thornburg Investment Management. He has extensive experience working with all parts of the advisor community.

Prior to joining Thornburg, Bill was a senior advisor consultant with Putnam Investments, focused on the Northeast. Before that, Bill served as a regional marketing director for The Hartford, covering the wirehouses in New England and as a regional representative for John Hancock for the independent channel in the Chicago area.

"I coined the phrase "financial therapy" and it took off like gangbusters, the fact that it's a therapeutic sort of consultation to discuss their assets, their liabilities, their income, their expenses, their goals and objectives. And it's not specifically directed to individual solutions because the idea is it's consultative, to have a conversation about these things and figure out what might be appropriate for their point in life...it really transitioned our practice from basic accounting work to an annual financial service for the individuals."

For nearly 40 years, Jeff Levine has been more than an accountant to his clients. Jeff and his partner built a robust firm that provides much more than just tax return preparation. In this episode, you will learn how Jeff became a 'financial therapist" and how this unique approach of tax preparation with financial planning and outsourced investment management helped grow his firm and its revenues.

Jeff Levine serves as “Chairman of the Board” of Alkon & Levine and oversees the firm’s strategic planning. His conscientious and proactive approach to tax preparation and financial planning allows him to handle any issues that arise in a calm, organized, and creative way. A self-described “financial therapist”, Jeff works hard to ensure all Alkon & Levine clients receive rigorous attention to their financial needs as part of their annual service package.