FREEDOM STREET

A veteran of the world of finance offers insights for others in the profession.

In this debut business book, Danner offers his fellow financial advisers recommendations for building a successful career, achieving work-life balance, and developing a strategy for transitioning their clients to new advisers when they’re ready to retire. Danner, the founder of advisory firm Freedom Street Partners, describes his career progression from entry-level employee to business owner along with the philanthropic interests and personal goals he achieved at the same time. The book offers suggestions to others in the industry looking to build a profitable business with high income potential while also making time for family and other interests as well as giving back to their communities. The suggestions include both conceptual advice, such as developing self-awareness and evaluating life priorities, and concrete recommendations, such as developing and automating a process for staying in touch with clients as often as necessary. In the book’s final chapters, Danner discusses how those who have established their own businesses should plan for a retirement process that allows continuity for clients and financial stability for retiring advisers but also a sense of personal satisfaction and fulfillment. The book is aimed at a narrow audience of financial advisers and is thus able to make assumptions about background knowledge, socio-economic status, and career goals that would not be applicable to a wider readership, but in this context, it allows the text to be concise. Danner does an excellent job of encouraging his colleagues to focus on the personal elements of their profession—for instance, by understanding how often and in what context each client prefers to hear from their adviser—and to see themselves as members of a broader community. The author strengthens his recommendations by including stories about advisers he’s mentored, showing how others have successfully implemented his tips. His passion for his business and his charitable work is evident throughout, making him a credible voice for others in the same field.

A solid guide for advisers that encourages a life that’s about more than financial returns.