This is an interview you don’t want to miss.

David Armstrong, CFA has found a way to message his value and attract new clients who are perfect for his business.

He does it in a genuine, compelling, and slightly fun way. 

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews David Armstrong, President & Co-Founder of Monument Wealth Management. They explore the importance of finding the right fit with clients and the value of clear and compelling messaging. They talk about the role of differentiation in the financial industry and the benefits of content marketing for financial advisors.  

Bill and Dave discuss: 

• The importance of differentiation and how to convey that to prospective clients.
  
  
• Why losing a client can be a “gift” to the firm.
  
  
• The powerful crossroads where Digital Marketing & Referrals come together to produce a flow of ideal clients.
  
  
• How Dave and his team incorporate humor into their website and marketing materials to create an authentic and relatable brand.
  
  
• Dave’s decision to bring dogs to the office, the positive response from clients, and the impact on the firm’s culture and branding.
  
  
• How Dave’s outspoken “critic” of the financial services industry has become a magnet for great clients.
  
  
• Reasons for starting a podcast as a means to better communicate important information and connect with clients.
  
  
• How the right content marketing for financial advisors can be used to generate a clear and tangible ROI.
  
  
• …And more!
  

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
  
• Stop searching for your passion TEDxKC | Terri Trespicio
  
• OFF THE WALL Podcast
  
• Ep. #27 – The Exponential Power of an Effective Financial Advisor Website + Podcast + Target Market with Jeremy Keil, CFP®, CFA, CIMA®
  

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
  
• Referral Coach Homepage
  
• Hire Bill for Coaching
  
• Enroll in The Cates Academy
  

Connect With Dave Armstrng:

• LinkedIn: Dave Armstrong
  

About our guest:

Dave Armstrong discovered his passion for finance in his mid-20s. Unable to spend money over several different deployments while serving in the Marine Corps, he became a self-taught investor. He proudly remembers his investing performance to be, “Along with a few bucks of cash income as a bouncer, good enough to pay for a graduate degree, a new car, and two years of living expenses.”

After returning home from active duty for an MBA at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina, Dave became a CFA Charterholder and started working at a large Wall Street firm in New York City. After 8 years, it became abundantly clear to Dave that the financial services industry was drowning in a sea of sameness. He felt that true wealth planning either didn’t exist or was nothing more than a smokescreen to generate a generic asset allocation and sell products. Creativity was nonexistent, the culture was focused on shareholder profits first, and advisors were accountable to sales managers, not their clients.

He was unimpressed, to say the least—and very, very bored. So, fed up with it all, he co-founded Monument Wealth Management in May of 2008 and experienced a very real-life example of the difficulty in market timing.

Dave is a combat veteran and served as an officer in the United States Marines Corps on both active duty and in the reserves, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He proudly tackled his post-retirement, mid-life crisis head-on by journeying out on a solo, month-long backpacking trip along the Pacific Crest Trail which totaled over 200 miles through the California Sierra Mountains.

He currently hosts the OFF THE WALL podcast with co-host Jessica Gibbs, where they interview top experts on topics aimed at helping founders and high-earning execs build wealth with purpose.

He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation which stewards the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico Virginia, The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and The Station Foundation which assists Special Operations warriors navigate the rough terrain of transition and reintegration back to civilian life.

His passions outside of work are fostering dogs for the Lab Rescue of Central Potomac, cheering on his beloved Gamecocks, quoting 80’s movies, and scoring under 100 on the golf course. His two current hobbies are hosting the Moments in Leadership podcast, where he conducts long-form interviews with senior military leaders, and Ham Radio but admits that could change at any moment because his wife Sara keeps calling him a dork.