What makes me different, and how does that benefit you?
It is true that I only deal with expats and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), even though my team can accept others.
It is also true that many of my client reviews on LinkedIn and beyond emphasise how quickly I respond to queries.
Due to our size, we can also offer institutional assets at reduced prices. For example, if you wanted to invest in a relatively safe fixed-return investment, the rates could be 4%–6% per year, as an example.
We have offered enhanced returns on countless occasions as numerous clients go into the same deals simultaneously, increasing the deal size and rates on offer.
These things might be unusual, but they aren’t completely unique.
Below are four things that make my offering unique in my niche.
More important, as I know I hate it when companies only speak about themselves, I will say why it matters to you, by helping you reach your goals if you became my client.
1.An unconventional approach
If you want extraordinary results, you can’t expect that by taking ordinary actions and decisions.
When I started my own business in 2018, having worked for other firms for five years, I noticed something.
The world was going online, yet so few advisors or wealth managers were progressive. They met people in person, played golf and operated like other wealth managers have for decades or even centuries.
Expats and HNWIs tend to move around a lot and can be time-poor. Only some do-it-yourself (DIY) providers seemed progressive, but many people want guidance from a human.
Therefore, I decided to go completely remote, global and online. I would not meet potential clients in person. I only met existing clients if I happened to be in the same city or country by chance, like when I met Tom in Germany during Oktoberfest and interviewed him!
You can see that interview below:
In addition to going remote and global, I also worked with investment providers that would accept digital signatures, when most wanted clients to sign by pen and paper.
All of this was an unconventional approach at the time. It worked. We now have clients in 109 countries and every continent. The market liked it because it made me nimble, speedy and saved everybody time.
That approach is no longer unique. Some other advisors jumped on the bandwagon after Covid-19, even if few online firms have the reach that we have, and docu-sign and Zoom became fashionable, years after I started using it.
I have since decided to take the model one step further. I noticed something when I am dealing with other providers such as the banks. I’m not too fond of it when I am forced to go through a specific process, such as needing a call.
I have therefore bought a system where you can pick your method for onboarding and ongoing communication.
As you can here on the become my client page, you can apply to become my client, and select your preferred communication method.
I have clients who prefer WhatsApp chat, emails, voice notes or video or regular calls. I have no preference, provided our communication is smooth and efficient.
I can also set up investment solutions in hours or days, not weeks of needless compliance – unless you have a very specific situation such as you are a politically exposed person (PEP).
Being agile, open-minded and sometimes unconventional also applies to my approach to how clients should manage their assets.
Whilst most of my clients are medium-risk, I can give clients ideas about how to gain potentially higher returns by utilizing unconventional approaches.
Most non-professional investors only become interested in an asset or strategy once it is mainstream.
Take crypto. I have never been a big fan of it. I was only briefly interested in it in 2013. I was interested as it was a new idea and frontier.
The risks were huge, but few people spoke about it, so it was cheap. I ended up saying no to it back in 2013, for various reasons, but the fact remains – the significant gains in crypto were when few people were speaking about it.
Those who got in when it seemed normal, and every taxi driver and family member spoke about it, often lost the most money.
This is often known as the shoe shin indicator. The expression came after a renounced investor sold before the 1929 Wall Street Crash, due to his shoe shine boy giving him investing tips.
As “everybody” seemed to think they knew about stocks, and investing in them became so conventional, something was up.
The same is true when it comes to technology stocks. Everybody was speaking about them after Covid-19.
Yet years ago, I said that as more money went into ETFs and index funds, more money would naturally go into the big tech stocks – known as FAANG for Facebook, Google, Amazon and other big firms in the space.
Therefore, even though it was risky, putting a small portion of your portfolio into these big tech names made sense back then.
As soon as it became conventional, the big profits were already gone, as the price was already high.
I also believe the same thing applies regarding investment, insurance and property providers that we offer clients.
I don’t want to use unproven providers, yet I also don’t like the biggest players who see my clients as client number one million.
Ultimately, progressive firms doing unconventional things are often easier to use and offer value.
Use Wise or Revolut and compare them to most traditional banks, and you will agree.
How does this benefit you? The above will increase the likelihood of you saving time and making more significant gains.
I will always try to reduce hassles and paperwork, and be at the cutting edge.
My vision is to remain big enough to be relevant, but not too large, whereby we become bureaucratic, and everything goes through my assistant or team.
2. I have the biggest audience in my niche
Unlike in 2018, when I started my own firm, many firms are using social media more regularly.
However, no other individual in my niche globally has over 650 million views on Quora (an average of 15 million a month), hundreds of thousands of views from Google and a regular column on Forbes.
How does this benefit you? Well, I only accept clients who approach me, or have been referred by an existing client. I don’t need to network, call or send random messages on LinkedIn.
It also means that I don’t need your business, because even if 0.1% of my audience becomes a client, I am oversubscribed.
I have no incentive not to protect my reputation, or try to sign up clients if we aren’t a mutually beneficial match.
3. I have run 7-figure businesses and am an expat myself
I am not just an advisor to expats and HNWI clients. I have lived the life myself. Most advisors and firms in your home country might never have done it.
I can only write on Forbes on an invitation-only basis because I needed to prove that my businesses generated a million dollars plus per year, which was one of the criteria to prove I was worthy of giving advice to other business owners.
In the below video, I explained “the boring truth” about how to create seven-figure per year revenue and profit businesses.
This is relevant because most relationship managers in banks, and expat advisors, are not expats and HNWIs themselves.
They are either neither or just expats. At best, their boss is both, but he/she won’t directly advise you.
They also aren’t invited to conventions and events multiple times a year, where they can hear directly from industry movers and shakers, and get nominated and win awards.
They are merely a tiny part of a large machine, so they need to dress to impress and behave in a certain way.
There is nothing wrong with that if that is what you want. Yet when I am dealing with providers, I like to know that the person has relevant first-hand experience.
With that being said, I don’t claim to understand things that I don’t. I help with investments, not tax or legal matters.
That is why we partner with lawyers, banks, trusts, accountants and others to help us and our clients.
However, the important thing is that I have been there. I have moved around the world. I have had bank accounts closed like the countless British expats who have recently been reporting this issue, which is all too familiar to those living overseas.
I also understand how difficult it is for business owners to get corporate bank accounts, particularly if they are based in certain countries.
How does this benefit you? I have a network of providers who can help you beyond investing.
Our providers have helped clients with issues ranging from trusts, bank accounts, second residencies and passports, insurance and much else.
As I have lived the life myself, I can also give you first-hand experience about it.
My primary service will always be to help expats and HNWIs invest and protect their wealth. Despite that, I can share my network and knowledge besides doing that.
4. I have skin in the game
As per the last point, I live a lifestyle similar to many of my clients. This is partly about skin in the game.
It goes beyond living the expat lifestyle, though, as I have also invested in many of the projects, and used many of the same providers, my clients are put in.
Over the years, I have became a customer of two insurance providers and countless investment providers that my clients have used.
That has included low, middle and high-risk opportunities.
How does this benefit you? The above doesn’t mean I won’t offer clients investments if I haven’t invested myself.
Your situation, and mine, could be a bit different. It does mean I have incentives to see some projects work.
I can confident say that none of the firms in my niche can offer all four of these things together.
That isn’t to mention that my fees will sometimes increase if your accounts are doing well, because of the nature of percentage account fees.
With all of the above being said, my services aren’t for everybody, as my eligibility quiz and criteria clarifies. For one thing, I no longer do free consultations with potential clients.
I am not corporate or overly formal, and I don’t wish to deal with the largest providers in the banking and investing world.
I also can’t deal with the majority of people due to account minimums and eligibility.
My services are merely perfect for a certain subset of people.
Pained by financial indecision? Want to invest with Adam?
Adam is an internationally recognised author on financial matters, with over 760.2 million answer views on Quora.com, a widely sold book on Amazon, and a contributor on Forbes.
