This year’s conference was in Seattle. I love the Pacific Northwest and I was blessed to be able to spend some time with my sister and her family! This is my second national conference with Avantax. It was nice to see some familiar faces and build upon relationships that are beneficial to my career. I also received good information about the products we offer, different service ideas, and market related updates. One of the themes I picked up on throughout the sessions is how we communicate with each other, especially our clients. I felt good that Willis & Machnik does well in many areas but, there is always room for growth! Often, we find ourselves telling our clients what they need versus what they want to hear. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, there is middle ground and I believe both are important to helping us achieve your goals together. 

Willis & Machnik sets itself apart by listening first and then offering advice in a manner that is consistent with our values. In many ways, the investment and planning advice people receive from most firms is fairly typical, however, at Willis & Machnik, the level of service is not. As advisors, we believe its crucial to go the extra mile to make sure we are being thorough and always thinking outside the box when it comes to solving complex issues. In fact, we love solving all issues, simple to complex. That’s why we ask our clients to call us first whenever faced with life’s challenges. If we can’t handle it ourselves we usually know who to call. That’s a level of service we pride ourselves on after years of professional development within our community. 

The closing session focused on trust and that everything of value is built upon certain characteristics: clarity, compassion, character, competency, commitment, connection, contribution, and consistency. It was a great talk and I wish you could have been there to hear it for yourself. That said, it is our sincere goal to gain and maintain your trust by providing all of these things to you as a client.  Thank you for giving us the opportunity.