Ep #72: Associate Planner to CEO with Matt Elliott

Matt Elliott is the CEO of J.F. Williams & Company based out of Denver, CO. He joins the show today to talk about making the leap to financial planning from a career in IT, including how he secured a job with a firm he had previously been rejected from.

Listen in as Matt shares how he secured his first job in the industry and why he left that position to pursue an employee career path at an ensemble firm. We also discuss how he was able to develop his skills throughout his career, how he eventually bought into his firm to become the majority shareholder, and how he continues to use the original founder’s mentorship and advice to steer the firm forward.

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

Matt’s journey from IT to financial planning. (2:20)
Why he was drawn toward NAPFA. (7:30)
The importance of company culture. (17:00)
How the initial firm succession discussion started. (18:45)
Matt’s skill development toward becoming CEO. (25:40)
How the original firm founder still mentors Matt. (34:20)
Matt’s vision for his firm’s future. (35:30)
The top things that have helped him to succeed. (39:20)

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“I want to get out of bed every day and make sure that people have a thinking partner who is going to talk to them about tomorrow.” - Matt Elliott Share on X “People that are in the entrepreneurial space have always been my heroes.” - Matt Elliott Share on X “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” - Matt Elliott Share on X

Resources In Today's Episode:

Download your free copy of the New Planner Career Roadmap!

In this roadmap, you'll be guided through the details of various stages of your financial planner career, including position descriptions, licensing, skill and experience level requirements, and compensation ranges.