As you know, Randy served at RBC Wealth Management for the past 19 years and I have been fortunate to work with my dad – I mean, my boss – for the last 7 years. When Randy joined RBC back in 1999, the firm was then Dain Rauscher, an employee-owned Texas based firm.
In 2016, Randy and I began to realize that a bank owned brokerage firm was not the best place for us to serve our client family moving forward. But where would we go? Was there a better firm out there? We knew a change had to be made if we truly wanted to put the interest of our clients first. So the hunt began.
We interviewed many firms. Big firms. Small firms. We hired a strategic coach and even considered starting our own firm. But we could not find the right fit. During this process, we were re-acquainted with some colleagues in Washington D.C. who had recently left RBC to join Steward Partners.
Once we learned of the Steward Partners model and how advisors were able to provide advice free of any bank ownership conflicts, we knew we had to learn more. During our 24-month due diligence process, Steward Partners’ value proposition of putting needs of clients first was unmatched by any other firm. Other firms mentioned the idea of putting clients first but Steward staked their reputation on it. They named the company after the idea of stewardship.
One of the main questions that we have received since announcing this exciting news to our client family has been… “So what is Steward Partners?” And the answer is simple… Steward Partners is the fulfillment of our desire to be part of a private, employee-owned firm dedicated to our personal values including faith-based stewardship, excellence, and putting the needs of clients first.
Does your current firm place your interests above their own?