1. How Did Campbell Wealth Management Begin?
I never intended to start my own business, but circumstances inspired me to take the leap. Back in 2003, I was working with multiple wealth management companies, and I noticed a disturbing trend. These businesses wanted me to sell their products to every single client, even when they weren’t appropriate. That attitude made no sense to me. It seemed exploitative—not what a trusted advisor should be doing.
Roused by this call to action, and in spite of my fears, in September 2003, I took the entrepreneurial leap of faith. I signed a lease, bought furniture and computers and hired an assistant. Campbell Wealth Management was off and running. I’ve never looked back!
2. How Did We Grow?
When CWM opened, I was only managing about $6 million. We grew over time by educating people to become empowered about retirement. Our philosophy was, essentially: let’s help people understand this confusing process. If they want to hire us, that’s great. But even if they don’t, they should walk away feeling smarter and more prepared.
We reached our audience wherever we could. We taught retirement and investment planning classes in libraries, community centers and employer offices. Our hard work and message spread. We expanded, and we had the capacity to recruit more team members and obtain more office space and computers.
3. Where Are We Now?
CWM has come a long way over the past 17 years. Today, we’ve narrowed our focus. We only do retirement planning for people over the age of 55. We have an incredible team of 24 GREAT people. We spend a lot of energy fostering our team culture. This focus makes CWM a fun and engaging place to work, and it benefits our clients as well. Today, we advise on over $750 million of client assets. We’re ranked in the top 300 in the country, according to Financial Times.
4. Where Are We Going?
While we are still growing, we have always kept our strong planning focus. Every client goes through a thorough process during intake and then each and every year after. By staying sensitive to our clients’ needs—and alert to changes that might affect them—we’re able to keep them feeling in control. Even as we continue to expand, we’re passionate about this customized approach to planning. We see a huge need out there, particularly for people on the verge of retirement and in retirement. And we will do whatever it takes to help as many people as possible live the retirement of their dreams.
