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Jodi Viaud
Partner And Financial Advisor / Knox Grove Financial / Pennington , N . J .
Jodi Viaud entered the wealth management profession in a very traditional manner — she was inspired by a parent , her father , who had built a career as a civil servant . “ He basically said to me that my desire to be an entrepreneur and my desire to help people greatly matched a career as a financial advisor ,” says Viaud , who went to work at a broker-dealer .
Early in her experience at that B-D , she partnered with one of the firm ’ s top producers , who also happened to be a family friend : Christina Nash . It was Nash who eventually asked Viaud to leave the broker-dealer with her so they could set out as independent advisors , launching Knox Grove in New Jersey . Not long after , Viaud ’ s father joined the firm as well .
“ In the transition , I had a zigzag career where I wore many hats , but I basically served as an internal advisor for [ Nash ] and her clients ,” Viaud says . “ Then , just a few years ago , Christina pushed me back out of the nest and told me it was time to take on a role as partner and financial planner and work alongside her in the company , and that ’ s how I became an official partner .”
Knox Grove takes a financial planning approach focusing on educating and empowering clients . The practice ’ s clientele has organically skewed toward women .
While Viaud serves couples and households , typically , “ It ’ s the women who have found us ,” she says .
Today , she specializes in serving “ money avoiders ,” a cohort she identifies with . “ When I was younger , I would always cringe at conversations related to money , and I was uneducated about things like building credit . When I had my first job and started earning money , I went to buy a car , and I realized how naïve I was . I didn ’ t know that having no debt and no credit could be a bad thing . I had to ask my father to co-sign for the loan , and it was a defining moment for me : I understood that I had to learn .”
During the pandemic , she also took the lead in Knox Grove ’ s technology effort , creating video and written content online to keep clients and prospects in the loop .
Tom Presley
Partner , Wealth Advisor / Brightworth Private Wealth / Atlanta
Brightworth has grown primarily by serving big clients , and those clients have contributed most of the AUM to the book of business that Tom Presley , a partner , has built , serving aging corporate professionals and executives , many at Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the Atlanta metro area .
But for a young advisor like Presley , the future of Brightworth isn ’ t necessarily in those older , well-established executives . Instead , it ’ s in their generational successors .
“ We have to find ways to help younger people who are accumulating wealth get off on the right foot and to a faster start ,” Presley says . “ I don ’ t think robo-advisors are the answer , and neither is asking people to come back when they have a certain amount of money .”
Presley and four other partners at Brightworth started the “ Propel Your Wealth ” program to serve such clients , usually high earners in their 30s , through life changes like buying their first house , having their first child and scoring their first big promotion . The program serves clients with a full scale of wealth management services , charging them a combination of retainers and assets under management fees .
Presley came to Brightworth in 2011 after spending several years in the public accounting industry . He was driven toward financial planning because of the personal side of the business . Today , in addition to serving as a wealth advisor and partner , he is the firm ’ s president of wealth management , supporting the efforts of the firm ’ s 20 advisors .
He holds a number of designations , including the CPA and CFP marks . He also holds the designation of “ Certified Kingdom Advisor ,” meaning he delivers advice in line with biblical principles . But he doesn ’ t advertise or brand himself with his Christian faith .
“ I am a Christian and I do have clients of similar faith , and being a Certified Kingdom Advisor gives me an opportunity to mix my faith and my profession , but I do not view it as a tool to bring people into business with me ,” he says . “ I want to serve all types of people and help all types of clients , from all walks of life , and so I don ’ t want it to be a branding tool or a marketing tool .”
44 | financial advisor magazine | may 2022 www . fa-mag . com