It’s not often someone knows their future career so early in life, but Brooke Martinez knew she wanted to work in the financial services industry at the age of 12. Out of high school, she worked for a large bank and eventually moved into wealth management, taking her services to another level while leading with planning. In 2021, Brooke transitioned to a large RIA, Western Wealth Management, in beautiful Golden, Colorado, where she also offers planning services to other advisors within her firm.
Challenge
The right tool to make clients’ lives better and advisors’ lives easier
When Brooke became an independent planner with Western Wealth Management, she acknowledged the importance of choosing the right financial planning software from the start. She took her time researching different tools and ultimately decided on RightCapital because of a few “non-negotiables”—specifically tax-planning and Medicare-planning capabilities that she found lacking in other software, including the one she had used at her previous company.
Solution
“It was a no-brainer.”
Since switching to RightCapital, Brooke has influenced several advisors on its usefulness and efficiency. She tells them, “Why make planning harder than it has to be? There are already so many things we have to juggle in our lives. If we can have a tool that is efficient and easy to use and also very straight-forward from a client experience? It’s a no-brainer.”
Results
Extremely easy and efficient platform
“It was extremely easy,” Brooke commented, when asked about switching to RightCapital. She discussed how she encourages peers to move on from tools that are not as efficient. “When you have to go from one screen to another to look at cash flows and you’re clicking probably six times to get there, whereas in RightCapital in Analysis, you click and you’re in cash flows—it allows for a much more streamlined and efficient meeting.”
Brooke later shared a story of working with an advisor she does planning for, suggesting they present to the client in both the advisor’s software and within RightCapital: “I said, ‘With this life change that you’re currently going through, we’re going to incorporate another tool, and here’s why: I want to be able to show you the cash flow of how you’re going to sustain your lifestyle in a very straight-forward manner’…The client was so impressed…he said, ‘Can I have access to this online now? I feel like this answers my questions.’”
Enhanced client engagement and empowerment
Brooke is seeing a trend in clients being more hands-on and wanting to engage more during advisor conversations but also on their own afterwards. She even has one client who logs into the client portal almost every day!
“(Clients) use it for all things financial…To empower them with a tool where they can go online and see that change in real time is really impactful to the relationship because we are investing in that relationship and tools that are making their lives easier.”
Customized visuals for efficient meetings
Brooke shared how RightCapital’s “one-page plan”, Snapshot, has changed relationships because advisors can focus on what is important for each client’s specific situation. “Seeing it all on one page, and it doesn’t overwhelm them because you can customize what’s important to that particular client and how you’re focusing that relationship…It allows you to show on one screen ‘here’s where you’re at currently,’ and you can lead into other topics if you need to.”
She noted that reports and deliverables are not as important as they used to be, “(Clients) want to see their situation live and how when you move the dials, how those variables might change their outcome…RightCapital by far does a fabulous job with our clients in showing those impacts to their lives.”
Increased accountability with Tasks
Brooke discussed the usefulness of RightCapital’s Tasks feature: “You can have these great conversations with clients, however if they don’t take your recommendations and incorporate some of those changes into their lives, it’s almost kind of a moot point. I really like how RightCapital has the Tasks feature built in, where you can help clients prioritize what they need to focus on.”
Brooke even schedules Tasks out years in advance for clients to address when the right time comes. “It really helps me hold my clients accountable, hold myself accountable, and allows us to make those changes in our clients’ lives.”
As Brooke said, “Why make planning harder than it has to be?” Sign up for a 1:1 demo to receive access to a 14-day free trial of RightCapital to see how easy it can be.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.