IHT Wealth Management’s Post

This article emphasizes how the NIL landscape is reshaping the intersection of college sports and marketing. The rise of digital platforms and social media influencers challenges traditional advertising models and offers substantial growth opportunities for adaptable brands. A key takeaway is as the NIL market continues to evolve, companies that align with these new trends are likely to gain a competitive edge. https://lnkd.in/gTdmwNSD

This week's advisor spotlight highlights Kurt Yndestad a veteran investment professional with 30 years of experience. He began his career at American National in Chicago, which, after four mergers, became JP Morgan Private Bank. Kurt joined IHT Wealth Management five years ago, where he now works closely with business owners, corporate executives, and their families.   Kurt’s approach to financial planning is rooted in the belief that every client relationship is unique, requiring a customized approach to meet specific objectives. He works diligently to identify all aspects of each client’s financial picture through discussions, estate documents, planning sessions, and current investment holdings. This comprehensive process ensures that the plan is tailored to the client’s needs and stays on track over time.   Since joining IHT Wealth Management, Kurt has been able to offer a fully independent approach to portfolio construction. Free from affiliations with any fund companies, he can select investments that best align with each client’s objectives. His focus is on finding the best investments based on fees, performance, and the stability of the management team.   Kurt is supported by a top-tier team for administrative support, trading, research, and investment strategy. The quality of his colleagues at IHT was a key factor in his decision to join the firm. Together, they bring all these factors to achieve clients’ objectives, creating a customized approach with the flexibility to adjust over time. For Kurt, the most rewarding aspect of his work is seeing the plans come together and watching clients achieve their goals, often across multiple generations.

This week’s IHT Spotlight highlights David Wernli, CEP® based in El Dorado, KS. Every step of his professional journey has been taken with clients in mind, aiming to provide the tools and services needed to help them gain financial independence. David says: “During this time, I’ve been blessed to build a loyal client base while helping clients achieve their life and financial goals… the focus is to provide the tools and services needed to help them gain financial independence.” Can you share a brief overview of your professional journey?  My career began with Dean Witter Reynolds nearly 30 years ago, where I trained in New York and was then officed in Honolulu, HI. This experience gave me a solid foundation in financial services, client relationships, and investment strategies. Since 1997, I have been with LPL Financial, one of the largest independent broker-dealers in the country. LPL offers flexibility and autonomy, providing me with the tools needed to serve our clients. Transitioning from a wirehouse to an independent firm was significant as it allowed me to tailor solutions to my clients' needs, free from corporate constraints. I truly love the entrepreneurial spirit of independence! Along with two other advisors, I helped form our own RIA, which we ran for several years before deciding to join IHT Wealth Management out of Chicago. Transitioning to IHT Wealth Management in 2017 provided access to a broader range of services and support, including compliance assistance, technology, and administrative support. This allowed me to focus more on client relationships rather than operational tasks, leading to even greater freedom for ourselves and our clients. IHT Wealth Management also offers more opportunities for collaboration and professional development, enhancing overall service quality and client satisfaction. Every step of my professional journey has been taken with our clients in mind. Along the way, it has been a privilege and an honor to be a part of their journey as well. What qualifications and certifications do you hold? CEP, Certified Estate Planner. Series 65, 63, SIE, 31, 3, 7, and 24.

Jim Koliatsis, CFP®, has been advising clients for 25 years. He began his career at Merril Lynch before he was recruited to LaSalle Financial Services in 2001 building strong relationships with individuals and their families. In 2007, Jim and his partners, Ryan McCain and Gregory Tong, formed KMG Wealth Management before affiliating with IHT Wealth Management in 2017. KMG has come to be known in the Chicagoland area for helping families manage the risks associated with saving, investing, and managing their money. What is your philosophy when it comes to financial planning? Our philosophy of working with clients is taking a holistic approach and assuring that nothing is missing from their plan. From near-horizon to far-horizon planning, we seek to uncomplicate and reduce the stresses associated with managing money. How do you determine the best investment options for your clients? Every client is unique with their own set of goals and objectives, so we never take a cookie-cutter approach to our recommendations. Depending on a client’s situation, it could be a strategy on creating and growing wealth or protecting and preserving wealth. Whatever the strategy, tax considerations must be addressed before fully deploying the investments. Could you provide examples of how you’ve helped clients achieve their financial goals? Nothing brings more satisfaction to me as a Financial Advisor than experiencing clients living through the recommendations we have implemented over the years and watching them achieve their goals up to and into retirement. Whether that has been funding a 529 plan and using it for college or building a retirement nest egg and spending it down throughout retirement. To see this materialize throughout the years alongside my clients is what fulfills me as a true professional.

Ten years ago today, IHT Wealth Management embarked on an ambitious journey with a vision to transform the industry. Frustrated by the constraints of a large Wall Street brand, we sought to provide truly independent advice and build a better service model for financial advisors and their clients.   On June 27, 2014, IHT was founded with six advisors. Today, we proudly serve over 150 financial advisors across 17 states. Our journey has been defined by our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional advice, offerings, and service through an independent lens.   We owe our success to our dedicated team and, most importantly, our valued clients. Thank you for being part of our story!

IHT on Forbes: Resilient Millennial Spending Isn’t A Bubble https://lnkd.in/gEwapvCQ

As we approach our 10-year anniversary on June 27th, IHT is excited to introduce our new series, IHT Spotlight, where we feature one advisor each month across social media. Kicking off the series is Ryan Wittig, a seasoned financial advisor with 25 years experience who has been an integral part of IHT since its inception. Holding numerous certifications - CFP, Series7, and Life and Health Insurance licensing, Ryan's 25 year professional journey spans from Prudential Financial to Merrill Lynch before finding his home at IHT Wealth Management in 2014. To learn a bit more about Ryan’s approach, we asked him three questions which you can find below. Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy. IHT Q: What is your philosophy when it comes to financial planning and investment strategies? A: Making a goal and planning early are key to achieving it. Whether it's retirement planning, saving for kids' college, purchasing a home, estate planning, etc., planning is key. Equally important is investing in the right vehicles to achieve that goal. Not every investment is right for every situation. Q: How do you tailor your advice to meet each client’s unique circumstances and goals? A: Everyone's situation is different and so are the solutions. We tailor a plan specific to each client. Some clients need extensive tax planning or want to maximize long-term growth; some want to maximize income; and some are risk-averse and need more guarantees. There are investments and plans for everyone; we need to fit the plan with the person. Q: How do you help clients navigate market volatility? A: Diversification is key, but we can also reduce volatility by using alternative investments. For example, structured notes (buffered notes) allow our clients to invest in many different indexes but gives them a downside “buffer” in case of a down market. Private Equity Funds that are “uncorrelated” to the public stock market so that they don’t ride the volatility of the stocks. There are also bond strategies like target-date bond ETF's that guarantee principal and protect against interest rate risk. These are some of the ways to achieve our client’s goals while reducing risk and volatility.