Ep #38: Joining a New Firm to Making Partner in 5 Years with Kelly Stanley

Kelly Stanley is a Partner and Fiduciary Wealth Manager at Cogent Strategic Wealth, a firm based out of Chicago, IL that manages $200 million in AUM for 70 client families. She joins the show today to share her inspiring story and how she became a partner at her firm in just 5 years.

Listen in as Kelly details her career trajectory, from first being interested in financial planning as a child to securing her first position at a broker-dealer firm and eventually earning the partner role in a very highly profitable fee-only group. You'll learn the challenges of balancing a young family with a career and how that has impacted Kelly's career path, as well as how joining a small firm right out of the gate has numerous benefits for new financial planners.

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

Where Kelly started in the financial planning industry and what her path looked like. (2:25)
What first got her interested in financial planning. (4:15)
How she developed confidence in her career path. (6:35)
Why a buy-out prompted her to leave her job. (10:25)
Some of the benefits of starting your career in a smaller firm. (13:30)
The current structure of Cogent Strategic Wealth. (15:10)
How Kelly became a partner in just 5 years. (16:10)
What a realistic time frame usually is for becoming a partner. (20:50)
The process in the partnership transition. (22:10)
Kelly’s tips for job seekers and career changers. (23:50)

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“It was my expectation at my previous firm that I was in that progression of becoming an owner at some point.” - Kelly Stanley Share on X “Working with people who you know you get along easily with is a big deal.” - Kelly Stanley Share on X “We all have our own strengths, and financial planning is one thing that I love doing.” - Kelly Stanley Share on X

Resources In Today's Episode:

Kelly Stanley: Website | LinkedIn
Buckingham Strategic Partners
FP Transitions
EP #13: The Basics of a Successful Succession Plan with Christine Sjölin

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