One City Built to Last

OUR MISSION AT BRIDGEWORTH IS TO PARTNER WITH OUR
CLIENTS IN ACHIEVING THEIR LIFETIME FINANCIAL GOALS BY
DRAWING ON OUR WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE.
then clients have the confidence to do
it, too.”
Funches prefers clients who are
goal-oriented and willing to not only
accept his advice, but to take action
based on that advice. He doesn’t think
in terms of minimums, but instead
gauges the passion and dedication of a
potential client when deciding whether
or not to partner with that person in
reaching their financial goals.
Instead of taking a hit during the
Great Recession, Funches actually
gained clients, and his practice grew.
“When times are tough and hard,
that is when more people seek advice,”
Funches explained. “The people who
think they can do it themselves during
the good times are the ones who
actually come looking for advice.”
Funches welcomes
new
clients
b u t
sticks with the qualification that they
are willing and able to act on his advice.
When he started his career as a
financial advisor in 1998, he wasn’t
as selective regarding clients. In his
words, “Early on in my career, I tried
to help anybody and everybody.”
He quickly learned that neither
“anybody” nor “everybody” qualify
as an engaged client. Funches admits
that this was the most important lesson
in developing his practice.“You
learn that some people do not take
your advice. They might be willing to
receive it, but they cannot act on it in
the proper way,” he said. “I learned
that this took time away from clients
who really do rely on my advice to
grow and prosper. I learned to concentrate
on those clients who are serious,
capable of taking advice and who are
able to grow from it.”
His passion for financial planning
comes from having been raised in a
setting where financial planning needs
were greatly under-served. While taking
a business financial investment
course in college, he became intrigued
with investment strategies and financial
planning. Looking around
his college campus, Funches realized
that he was attending
classes with other students
who themselves had a lot
more wealth than he did,
due mainly to the ability
of their families to use financial
planning tools.
He decided to change
his own destiny and
that of others who
previously did not
have the training, experience or access
to financial planning.
Today, he puts a significant focus on
educating clients regarding changes
in retirement funding. Despite the fact
that many employers moved away
from traditional pension plans decades
ago in favor of defined benefit
plans which shift retirement planning
responsibility back to the employee,
Funches knows that many workers
still do not fully understand the ramifications.
This – coupled with the reality
that most Americans are living
longer – gives him great cause for concern.
“It is going to be the biggest challenge
in the next few generations,”
Funches emphasized. “Helping clients
make sure they have the right
mix of investments in their company’s
retirement plan is crucial, because in
future years Social Security will only
be a shell of its former self. So, with
solid financial planning, increased
focus on savings, and a sound
investment strategy it is
more likely for individuals
to overcome all of these
challenges.”
Learn more online regarding
Stanley T. Funches,
CFP®, ChFC®, CRPC®,
MBA and Bridgeworth,
LLC at www.bridgeworthfinancial.com.
THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.81