Company Culture
Your Advisor's Culture Drives Your Client Experience (and Possibly Your Success)
One of the first things often asked of any financial advisor or wealth management firm is, “What sets you apart from the competition?” or “How are you different than your peers?”
Often, the response is, “It’s our people.”
That’s not a good answer.
The truth is that culture is what differentiates one firm from another. And at Glassman Wealth we KNOW it’s our special culture that makes us different.
We often say that the relationship with your advisor needs to be more than pie charts and reports.
But we also know that the service and commitment we expect of our team starts with a culture that establishes expectations and gives them the environment they need to do what’s right and take care of you.
It all starts with transparency – and putting clients first.
As you may know, Glassman Wealth Services is a fee-only firm adhering to the highest fiduciary standards.
What does this have to do with culture? Well, it means that we’ve already removed any conflicts of interest that could come up in the advisor/client relationship. Your relationship is built on transparency and doing what’s best for you, not us.
Our fiduciary responsibility of putting clients first is the cornerstone of our culture and is woven into every component of our firm.
We foster curiosity backed by a commitment to not being satisfied.
Our culture builds from our transparent foundation by creating an environment that fosters curiosity and challenges our team to ask “what if” or “what about.” Our clients see this first hand when our team looks beyond the bottom line of the account balance or first sheet of a tax return and starts to challenge strategies, assumptions, and expectations.
We encourage our client advisors to explore possibilities and play out scenarios such as new estate planning strategies, exploring different tax scenarios, or rebalancing based on upcoming life changes or goals. An idea or strategy may or may not work out to be the right solution. But even if it doesn’t, we want our team to consider the alternatives and put in the effort to explore and find alternatives.
Thinking time is revered and rewarded.
“Putting clients first” and “going the extra mile” are merely words on a website if your advisor doesn’t actually have the time to spend on your account and give you the service you deserve.
We offer our team a unique environment where they are encouraged to take the time they need to do things the right way. Our culture eschews the hamster wheel approach of running from one meeting or call to the next with overloaded advisors juggling too many clients.
It is a key reason why we manage our growth so we can maintain a low client to advisor ratio. This gives our team the bandwidth to put in the thought work required to make the extra effort and focus on serving you and your family.
Time for Reflection Outside the Office
Our commitment to thinking time goes beyond the office. Every Glassman Wealth employee is encouraged to take a quarterly “thinking day” by spending the day away from the office learning something new, reading a book, or just spending time with their thoughts to focus on a new idea.
All we ask is that they not do any work and share what they learned or developed when they return so we can all grow and explore the realm of “what if.”
Ours is a proven culture that attracts the best talent to serve you.
We feel we have something special here. But a gut feeling isn’t enough to know when it’s working.
That’s why we are honored to consistently be named a “Best Place to Work” by some of the Washington DC area’s leading publications. Just some of the recognition we have earned includes:
Want to know more?
Listen to Barry Glassman talk about creating company culture and why Glassman Wealth is such a great place to work on Ian Altman's Business Cast podcast.
Discover how our unique culture can benefit you.
Please Note: No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results of satisfaction if GWS is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services.