Trilogy Financial

What Financial Advisors Can Learn from Stephen Hawking’s Legacy

By Trilogy Financial
March 22, 2018
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We are at our best as educators and space-makers for a deeper engagement with the financial world, and all our work with our clients should spur on hope.

Many people in my profession would not make an immediate leap from the late physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking to our work of capital markets, mutual funds and financial planning. This is understandable. Our work in financial advising is overtly pragmatic. It’s either mathematical or fervently personal, with little room for theory or imagining the “why” behind what we do. It is—I suggest—so much like the world of science Hawking was awakened to 50 or more years ago. He watched as the imaginations of his peers went deeply to the practical, to the technological, while he dreamed of deeper questions about how and why.

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By Authority Magazine
December 2, 2019

By: Tyler Gallagher |

As part of our series about what one should look for when hiring a financial planner or adviser, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Motske, CFP®, president and CEO of Trilogy Financial, author of “The Couple’s Guide to Financial Compatibility” and host of “The Jeff Motske Show.” Jeff Motske, CFP®, is president and CEO of Trilogy Financial, a privately held financial planning firm headquartered in Huntington Beach, Calif. with 10 offices and more than 100 advisors nationwide. He is the author of “The Couple’s Guide to Financial Compatibility,” a book that equips couples with tools to keep their finances healthy and relationships strong, and host of “The Jeff Motske Show,” a podcast that also airs on LA’s AM 1150 where he guides listeners through proven steps toward financial freedom. Seeking a better version of the industry he had grown to love, Motske founded Trilogy in 1999 after observing that the “Wall Street-style” mentality of his peers conflicted with the “Main Street-style” needs of his clients. For the past 25 years, Motske has empowered everyday Americans to pursue the day that work becomes an option by providing easy-to-understand advice, educational tools and supportive guidance. He understands there is no one-size-fits-all approach to personal finance, and that people deserve advice that is tailored to their unique needs, lifestyle, personality and goals. Jeff Motske is a registered representative of and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.

Thank you so much for doing this with us, Jeff! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit more. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was introduced to the financial industry by a college professor who noticed my aptitude for numbers. It was the people, the clients I met along the way who needed my help, that kept me in the industry. As a young man, I was empowered by the good I could do for my clients. There were retired widows who appreciated increases in their monthly incomes and young families just getting started on the road to financial independence. I truly value those relationships and am proud to see some of those young couples I worked with long ago reach their goal of financial independence and to work with their grown children who are just getting started on their own financial path.

Can you share a story about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting in the industry? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaway you learned from that?

Mistakes aren’t limited to when you start in the industry. I made one just a few short years ago that I often share. I had been working with a particular couple for twenty or so years when it was finally time for them to retire. Over the years we had discussed all sorts of aspects of their planned retirement, from the details of selling their business to the possibility of selling their home. When I met with them to finalize the details of officially turning off their wage-earner cards, I asked what they had planned to kick-off their retirement. The husband told me that he wanted to rent an RV and travel the country visiting all of the national parks. I laughed, believing this was a joke. He had never mentioned such plans in all the years I had been working with them, and based on the shocked look on his wife’s face, he hadn’t mentioned those plans to his wife either. A few days later, I received a call from the wife, telling me that I had to speak to her husband and talk him out of this idea. In the end, they chose to take one trip in an RV and headed out to Wyoming.

That trip seemed to satisfy both of them and became a great memory. For me, though, it was a reminder that you can never ask your clients enough questions. As the author of “The Couple’s Guide to Financial Compatibility,” I pride myself on asking in-depth questions to get couples on the same financial page. Clearly, though, it doesn’t hurt to dig a little deeper to ensure that you’re creating a detailed and thorough plan for your clients’ finances and life.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

At Trilogy, we are constantly refining our teams of advisors. In an effort to ensure a complete and uninterrupted service model for our clients, our advisors work in groups. Multiple team members sit in on client meetings to ensure proper notes are recorded and to establish relationships with clients. This creates a smooth transition should a team member ever be unavailable due to illness, other commitments or even vacation. Our team members also have different areas of expertise to ensure that every client receives a comprehensive level of service.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lesson that others can learn from that?

There definitely have been moments in my career that heralded momentary success. Over the years, though, I’ve realized that it’s best to look ahead. Our industry is constantly changing, and it doesn’t benefit anyone to sit back and rest on their laurels. Success comes to those who are constantly striving to be innovative and ahead of the curve.

What three pieces of advice would you give to your colleagues in the finance field to thrive and avoid burnout? Can you give a story or example?

First, I do believe that being part of a peer-to-peer study group is an invaluable resource, as is finding a quality mentor. Spending time with other successful people is a great way to stay motivated. These people also provide strong examples of how to improve in your field. Some of Trilogy’s great innovations have been derived from sharing and refining ideas with peers, both by chatting with them and by seeing how they operate.

Equally important is enjoying what you do, which is why we champion the team dynamic. I truly believe that being a financial advisor is a noble profession. However, that doesn’t mean you have to like every aspect of it. When the right teams are formed, you can focus on where your strengths lie while another team member can excel in an area in which you would gladly not spend much time. Not only does this play to everyone’s strengths, but it also facilitates a flexible schedule where advisors are able to pursue other activities with their family or in the community.

Lastly, I do believe that you need a healthy work-life balance. Yes, you do have to work hard to achieve success. At the same time, you also don’t want to miss the moments of watching your child’s soccer game or giving time to a charity that is important to you. My personal mission statement is, “Do something wonderful for someone every day,” and I don’t mean just at work. Success isn’t simply a reflection of what your title is or how much you have in the bank. Success is a reflection of the positive impact you made on the people you interact with in every aspect of your life.

Ok. Thank you for all of that. Let’s now move to the core focus of our interview. As a “finance insider”, you know much more about the finance industry than most consumers. If your loved one wanted to hire a financial advisor (not you :-)), which 5 things would you advise them to find out about before committing? Can you give an example or story for each?

1. Comfort: Make sure that you find someone you can talk intimately with about your finances. You want to feel comfortable sharing personal details with them and be able to ask questions about the advice they’re giving you. You need to feel that you’re in a true partnership with your trusted financial advisor.

2. Communication: You need to communicate a lot with your advisor. You should be sharing both your dreams, so they can plan appropriately, and your fears, so they can adequately address them.

3. Credentials: You want an advisor that is acting in a fiduciary capacity. This means the advisor is acting in the best interest of the client at all times.

4. Part of a team: It’s beneficial to avoid relying on a single financial planner. There may be moments that you need a timely response, and it’s valuable to know there is someone you can address when your primary advisor is busy meeting with other clients or out of the office. Also, while working with a solitary older advisor can provide experience, younger clients need to be aware that they run the risk of these advisors retiring before they reach their own destination of financial independence. The last thing a client wants is for their financial advisor to not be available when he or she is needed most.

5. Connections: An advisor with access to other experts in neighboring fields, such as taxes, estate planning and insurance risk, can seamlessly solidify your personal network. Not only are such referrals valuable when trying to select a particular professional, but they can also add a level of ease and security if your financial advisor has an ongoing professional relationship with them.

I think most people think that financial advisors are for very wealthy people. This is likely not actually true. Can you explain who would most benefit from hiring a financial advisor and why? Can you give an example?

Middle America definitely needs to work with a financial advisor more than wealthy people. A trusted financial advisor can help keep you on track and accountable to your goals. Without that help, many will fail to save or plan enough and ultimately have trouble securing what they’ve been working so hard to achieve. Additionally, the market can be an intimidating place for inexperienced investors. A trusted advisor can ensure that they make sound decisions when things get rocky, rather than allow their emotions to take the wheel. Having money can solve a lot of problems, but building wealth requires a lot of work, patience and tenacity.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am part of a CEO study group, and I owe a lot to those group members. The open and honest feedback I have received over the years from my peers has been invaluable, and the relationships I have formed have been life-lasting.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

My personal mission statement is, “Do something wonderful for someone every day,” which illustrates my belief that each person has the power to make a positive impact. This extends well beyond finances. At Trilogy, we believe our purpose is to provide opportunities for people to live their best lives. Obviously, this can be seen in the steps that we take to help our clients reach financial independence. This also applies to how we empower and encourage our advisors to become leaders, both at Trilogy and in their community. We also encourage our team members across departments to aid and lift up their fellow associates. We are all interdependent, and we recognize that when we lift someone else up, we lift ourselves up as well.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

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By Authority Magazine
April 8, 2022

By: Jason Hartman |

As a part of my series about The 5 Essentials of Smart Investing, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Broker.

Mike Broker is a leader in the financial planning and investing space and understands the need to work diligently in the moment to build something great for the future. He began his fiduciary focused and financial advisory career in the beginning stages of the Great Recession of 2008. Mike quickly gained great experience working with clients as they strived to recover and get ahead during a difficult time. He’s also the author of the book Fit Financial Approach. To write the book, Broker utilized his background as a Certified Personal Trainer to coach his clients and team members to great success, paving the way to grow quickly into the role of Chief Strategy Officer at Trilogy Financial. As an Investment Advisor Representative with Trilogy Capital, Inc., in which he holds his Series 65 Registration. He holds his Series 6, 7, 24, and 63 Registrations with LPL Financial and his Life and Health Insurance License. Mike leverages his expertise every day to help Trilogy clients build the path to saving, investing, and pursuing their dreams. It would be a great asset to share his five things essential to smart investing.

Thank you for doing this with us! Our readers would like to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the finance industry?

Hi! I’m happy to. With the last name Broker, it’s hard to say my path to finance wasn’t fate. My path to the financial planning industry actually started with a car accident when I was twelve years old. It was a bad accident that resulted in piecing my face back together and a bit of money for the trouble. Being a good steward of the funds awarded, my dad introduced me to his financial advisor, and I fell in love with the profession. All I wanted to do was help people live better, and at a very young age I realized that financial planners could do just that.

Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

I started in this business as a financial advisor who only wanted to help clients improve their lives; I didn’t want to lead anyone or manage people. As I was improving my skills and growing as a planner, I found that sharing what I had learned personally and professionally was a way that I could impact more and more Americans. I went from running a small team, to managing a larger team, to an office, to becoming an executive for a national firm — kicking and screaming the whole way. As a sole advisor, you can only comprehensively help 150 to 200 families before running out of time and capacity. In my current role, I have the opportunity to impact far more families nationwide. I’ve learned not to shy away from risk and challenges. Don’t let your prior judgments and expectations hold you back from trying something new. You never know — it could become your new passion, or an opportunity to create real change in your corner of the world.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

At Trilogy Financial, we are working on helping everyday Americans feel confident about their future. We’re working to build a scalable, yet individualized approach to financial planning and coaching that may help people make critical financial decisions — ones most Americans feel ill-equipped to handle on their own. We are building a movement that should help those in our country who really need it and have been continually overlooked in financial planning. In an industry known for selling products and lacking integrity, we are working towards becoming a brand that Americans can turn to when they have questions and concerns about their money.

Ok. Thanks for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. According to this report in Fortune, nearly two-thirds of Americans can’t pass a basic test of financial literacy. In your opinion or experience what is the cause of these unfortunate numbers?

Financial literacy is not a set of concepts you can tell someone, and they may remember for the rest of their lives. You cannot memorize a list of facts and regurgitate them on a test. Financial concepts are also intimidating for most Americans, and they can seem overwhelming and complex.

The truth is that financial literacy is a set of information that all works together, and it can be easy to learn if you’re willing to take it one step at a time and apply the knowledge gained as you learn.

Some of the basics are dollar-cost averaging, diversification, asset allocation, inflation, and compound interest. You can learn investment strategies, investment tools, financial products, taxes, and the like. You could also hire a financial advisor to educate you and use their extensive knowledge of all of these concepts to guide you in building a plan, just as you would hire a personal trainer to show you how to use the machines and utilize proper form while working toward good fitness.

If you had the power to make a change, what 3 things would you recommend to improve these numbers?

  1. I would add a personal finance curriculum in schools early and often. My wife works in education, supporting schools and districts with math curriculum and implementation. Kids learn math by building little by little, understanding and mastering the last skill before adding the next. They build this knowledge and skill over years before using math every day as an adult. In the majority of America, we don’t teach kids about personal finances. Many parents don’t feel confident enough to teach their kids what they know, so kids are left to trial and error.
  2. Consistent titles in the financial planning industry. I’d love to see some consistency and enforcement around the titles in financial planning. Someone who provides comprehensive financial planning, sells insurance, sells mortgages, and isn’t licensed could be called a financial advisor. I think the title of financial professional should be for those who are not licensed; “advisor” reserved for those who are licensed but do not do full planning; “financial planner” should be reserved for those who offer planning to clients.
  3. Amnesia from past public opinion. The financial planning industry has had a poor reputation for some time, and rightfully so because the American consumer often starts at a place of distrust with financial advisors. However, studies have shown that having a financial advisor helps Americans make better decisions with their money over time. I would love to see more people willing to seek out a planner’s advice when they have money issues or goals, rather than not engaging because they are afraid of being lied to or sold a product with no merit.

Ok, thank you! Now to the main question of our interview: You are a “finance insider.” If you had to advise your adult child about 5 non intuitive essentials for smart investing, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each?

  1. Don’t watch the market day-to-day. Financial plans are built over a long time. The day-to-day market is unpredictable at best, and making emotional changes to your long-term plan based on short-term changes can be detrimental to your future.
  2. The news sells ads, not information. The news reports that the market drops far more than the market gains because people will stay glued to the television when the market is going down. They are not giving you all the facts; instead, they give you the information you need to stay tuned during the commercials. My advice: just turn it off.
  3. Ask yourself “when is the best time to plant a tree?” The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, because it would be big and fruitful today. If you didn’t do that, the second-best time to plant a tree is now! Get started as soon as you can, as the most valuable resource you have is time, no matter how old you are.
  4. Remain “risky” in retirement. A portion of your investments should be set aside to keep up with inflation. Many people think you should retire and move your investments to cash or bonds, and the problem is inflation could eat away at the value of those investments. Living a long time could strain a too-conservative plan.
  5. Boring wins. If you see someone telling you to get on the next get-rich-quick scheme or invest in something that will “hit it big,” run in the opposite direction as fast as you can. Planning is about habits and long-term discipline and getting rich quick happens to very few lucky people. If you’re reading this article, it’s probably not you. Investments that are tried and true can be risky, but you know the risk you are taking for the relative reward you could receive. Stick to investments that make sense to you, and stay away from the flashy, enticing ideas.

What are your thoughts about investing in cryptocurrency? Can you explain what you mean?

I’m not going to go in-depth on what cryptocurrencies are, but it’s important to understand that they are highly speculative and are subject to many unique types of risk. The technology behind it, blockchain technology, is rapidly evolving with the possibility of impacting businesses way beyond just digital currency. I suggest you do your own research on blockchains and their role in cryptocurrency systems.

What are your thoughts about day trading using apps like Robinhood? Can you explain what you mean?

Day trading is essentially gambling, as the short-term markets respond to emotions, news, fear and greed. No one knows what will happen, and even if you have the best resources in the industry, an unexpected world event can instantly unravel your plans. Markets over the long-term respond to fundamental economics and trends, so when planning for the future you want, you could produce results if you stick to your plan over a long period.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am very fortunate to have the upbringing that I had. My dad taught me the importance of having a financial advisor and saving my money. He helped me open a Roth IRA to begin funding when I had my first job at 16 years old. Then, despite my being brand new when I became a financial advisor, he was my second client who trusted me from the beginning. Thankfully, it has worked out for us both, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the start he provided.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Esse quam videri” is a Latin phrase that means “to be rather than to appear.” When I was coming up in the business and learning my way around financial planning, I was struggling with having clients trust my recommendations. I went into my manager’s office and complained, “I just want to be seen as someone they can trust!” His advice has been burned in my memory, and I have repeated it many times to those who look to me for advice — “If you want to be seen a certain way, don’t wish to be seen that way. Just BE it. If you want to be seen as trustworthy, work to become trustworthy. Make good recommendations. Become a better planner. Then, and only then, will you be seen as trustworthy because you will be.” Sage advice.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Health and wealth! Many Americans are unhealthy and unprepared for their financial future. If I could create a movement to impact people the most, it would be to have Americans take a Fit Financial Approach to life!

Thank you for the interview. We wish you continued success!

Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advice offered through Trilogy Capital, a registered investment advisor. Trilogy Financial and Trilogy Capital are separate entities from LPL Financial.

Thank you for the interview. We wish you continued success!

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