WealthFly » Advisor Blog: Egalitarian Adviser

Advisor Blog: Egalitarian Adviser

January 31, 2008 at 9:33 am by Matt Abar · Filed under Advisors

Next in our running series of advisor blogger profiles is Kim Miller, a CFP, ChFC and CLU based in Redmond, Washington. He is a financial advisor at Sweetwater Investments and writes a blog called the Egalitarian Adviser. He gets a +1 from me for being a fellow reddit user as well has for having the most creative job title yet, “Financial Cartographer”.

1. How would you describe your business and typical client?

We are Financial Cartographers – we help people map out their finances so they can relax and enjoy life. Clients range from a 26 y.o. just getting started to 78 y.o. retirees. The business is fee-only, so we work with anyone who needs financial advice. We offer comprehensive financial planning as well as modular planning where we will focus only on the area of greatest concern.

2. When and why did you start blogging?

I started in October 2007 as a way of increasing my web presence. It also helps me clarify my philosophy.

3. How often do you post and how much time does it take?

I post whenever I get an idea – I try to post something everyday or at least have a post in the works. Time depends on how well the writing flows – some as short as 3 minutes, others 30 minutes. Blogging is like exercising – the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

4. Have your clients noticed the blog? What have they said?

If clients have noticed, they haven’t said anything. I will be promoting it in the coming quarter – I wanted to have some content first.

5. What are some of your favorite blog posts? (with hyperlinks, please)

I’ve spent most of my time working on mine, so I can’t say I have any at the moment.

6. What software do you use… For your blog? To run your practice?

Blogspot.com for blogging. The business utilizes several software programs – general office productivity (Word, Excel, Outlook, IE, etc) as well as several programs specifically for financial planning:
e-Money Advisor for financial planning, Advent for portfolio management and reporting, Morningstar Advisor Workstation for investment research, Integrated Capital Engine (ICE) for investment research, and Pareto Platform for our client database. We are adding Interactive Advisory Software’s integrated financial advisor program in the first quarter – we expect it to replace several of the programs we are currently using. We also use web-based tools provided by custodians such as Charles Schwab Institutional, Fidelity, Deutsche Bank and others.

7. What websites or blogs do *you* read regularly?