Jeff Rose: By far the biggest focus has been my blog, GoodFinancialCents.com. I launched the blog in 2008 without really knowing what I was getting myself into. Little did I know that the blog would be an amazing online business card that would continuously refer new clients to me, but even the blogging landscape has changed in the past few years. In addition to having a blog, you have to be prominent on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and also incorporate other ways for your readers to digest content. Because of that, I also have a YouTube channel and Podcast that showcases my expertise.

MutualFunds.com: What are the biggest areas from a financial planning needs standpoint that many of your clients need help with?

Jeff Rose: I think the biggest area that all my clients need help with is making sense of what they are already doing. Many clients have investments scattered all over the place and really don’t have a clear goal on what they are trying to achieve. By taking a bird’s-eye view on their entire investment portfolio and helping them articulate what they are actually trying to achieve and when is what most of my clients are in desperate need of.

MutualFunds.com: There are a wealth of fantastic tools on the web we’re sure you incorporate in your mission to service clients. Could you share what some of those are?

Jeff Rose: The biggest tools that I use for my business are a CRM (Client Relationship Management Tool), a financial planning tool, and an account aggregation tool. All these tools are web-based, which means that I can access client information whenever I need. This allows greater flexibility in the way I run my business and also allows my clients easier access to information about their accounts when they need it.

MutualFunds.com: In starting Alliance Wealth Management over three years ago, how have you seen investor needs evolve over that short amount of time?

Jeff Rose: The biggest need revolves around income or should I say a lack of. Interest rates are still at all-time lows and trying to find that 5% to 7% yield on bonds that we used to be able to get is next to impossible. Because of that, our clients have had to go outside the box to generate the income figures that they need.

MutualFunds.com: What are some of the investment vehicles that you like to recommend?

Jeff Rose: Most of our clients start with mutual funds and ETFs as the core of their portfolio. From there, if the client is looking for some sort of income guarantee, we may incorporate a variety of annuity and insurance products.

MutualFunds.com: If you could point to one specific piece of advice for younger generations on when it comes to money, what would it be?

Don’t take money for granted. You work hard to earn it; make sure that you put it to work for you. I see a lot of younger people and older people that waste their money on things that offer little to no return. Use your money and invest into either things that are going to pay you back such as investing in your career, education, or even stock, or use that money to purchase an experience such as traveling or an adventure that you’ll remember the rest of your life.

DISCLOSURE:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of MutualFunds.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions.