Fee compression is a 'real challenge' for the industry

For Robert Patton, the best part of being a financial advisor is the retirement planning for clients.

“We can really help people with their most important asset, which is their retirement asset,” he said. “Through education, through investment lineups, and through plan design.”

A driving issue the managing director at Silicon Valley, California-based SageView Advisory Group sees the industry facing is fee compression.

“As our industry matures, clients are expecting more,” he highlighted. “Competition is more fierce and price is the first thing that tends to get hit. So how do you maintain fair margins while still growing the business, servicing the business and not losing sight of what we have to do every day, which is make retirement plans better?

“That has been the real challenge for everybody in this business,” Patton added.

Patton is keen on navigating those challenges, especially after being recognized as an InvestmentNews Awards 2024 Excellence Awardee, with the winners announced on June 20 at 583 Park Avenue, New York City in a glitzy, red carpet ceremony. Click here to register to attend.

Noting that SageView is at “the center of the tech universe,” they’re constantly working with the big tech companies “that are changing our world,” Patton says.

“We run an incredibly efficient business with scale, making sure that we're delivering not only the fiduciary advice and services that our clients expect from us but we also deliver a plan design that helps their participants save as much as possible and ease into retirement by offering education so they can go on through retirement,” he added.

For more details about the InvestmentNews Awards, including a list of all finalists and details of how to attend, follow this link.