How One Advisor Built a Highly Profitable RIA Around Her Life | Rachael Burns

What if the goal of independence wasn’t to build the biggest RIA possible?

What if it was to build the business that gave you the life you actually wanted?

In this episode of RIA Collective, Charlie Van Derven reconnects with Rachael Burns of True Worth Financial Planning to discuss how her approach to independence has evolved since her first appearance on the podcast.

After working at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Ameriprise, Rachael eventually launched her own RIA. Personal circumstances made flexibility a priority, and instead of recreating the traditional advisory firm she came from, she intentionally built something different.

Today, Rachael runs a highly focused solo practice with just 31 clients, no employees, minimal overhead, and an average relationship of more than $1 million. She’s built the firm around efficiency, technology, and the ability to be present for her family.

Charlie and Rachael discuss:
• Why she left the wirehouse world and became independent
• How major changes in her personal life reshaped her definition of success
• Why she intentionally keeps her client count low
• Building an RIA around lifestyle instead of maximizing headcount
• Why focusing less on growth actually resulted in significant growth
• How she runs a solo practice without employees
• The technology that helps her minimize administrative work
• How FinDash streamlined her CRM, scheduling, planning, agreements, and onboarding
• Why Altruist fits into her technology stack
• How she gets new-client onboarding down to roughly 30 minutes
• The hidden time costs of offices, meetings, commuting, and distractions
• Why she’s able to finish work before her kids get home
• The reality behind some of the fears advisors hear about independence
• Why starting an RIA wasn’t as expensive as she expected
• How independence gives advisors the ability to adapt quickly
• Why compliance was less intimidating than she anticipated

One of the biggest takeaways from Rachael’s story is that independence gives you the ability to define what success actually means to you.

That might mean building a large enterprise.

Or it might mean 31 great client relationships, low overhead, no employees, a highly efficient tech stack, and the flexibility to be done working when your kids get home.

There isn’t only one way to build a successful RIA.

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Connect with Rachael Burns
True Worth Financial Planning: https://trueworthfp.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelvburns/

Connect with Charlie Van Derven
Social Advisors: https://social-advisors.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlievanderven/

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