From the factory floor to the Forbes List: How Tim DiSette's family business roots shaped his financial advisory career

Greg Greenberg 00:00:02

Hello and welcome to Investment News TV. Today, we're thrilled to feature Tim Disette, Senior Partner and Founding Member of Infinitas, with over three decades of experience, Tim has guided individuals, families and businesses through every aspect of financial planning, helping them navigate everything from personal wealth management to employer sponsored retirement plans with uncertain economic policies, leaving many investors seeking guidance. Tim's expertise is essential. His leadership has earned infinitis national recognition, including rankings on Forbes' best in state Wealth Advisors list and Investment News' Top 100 US teams. I'm looking forward to diving into Tim's approach to building a nationally recognized team and his deep commitment to giving back to the community. Tim, welcome to the show.

Tim Disette 00:00:50

Thank you so much. Great to be here today.

Greg Greenberg 00:00:52

Tim, founding a firm like Infinitas is no small feat. What inspired you to take that leap and how has the firm evolved to meet the changing needs of your clients?

Tim Disette 00:01:03

Well, it, it really has been a collaborative effort. You know, like many financial advisors who started in the, you know, 80s, 90s, early, 2000s you know, we built individual firms often affiliated with, you know, large broker dealers or large financial services companies. And, you know, I think everybody, one of my goals is always to be in business for myself, but not by myself. And, you know, as the firm grew, I had a lot of colleagues and some friendly competitors here in the Kansas City metropolitan area. And we saw a vision. You know, we had a vision of of working together and building something bigger than our own, independent, successful firms. And so, you know, we decided to collaborate and for branding and for strength and for diverse. You know, just to give a diverse group of specialists, really just to make us better and have more fun, we definitely have more fun working together.

Greg Greenberg 00:02:00

And what are some key strategies you and your team are implementing to help clients stay on track with their goals during these times?

Tim Disette 00:02:08

Yeah, good question. You know, I often describe, you know, to a new perspective client, the fact that we're a cash flow based planning firm. I read a really good article one time that really described the nature of different firms, and I never really thought about it before, but the back cash flow hub, you know, being able to look at a client's entire financial picture, whether it be specifically around their investments, their charitable giving, their income tax, the estate plan, and how that coordinates to be able to do complex, long term planning, whether it be building your family's wealth or or coordinating your charitable giving, doing Roth conversions. You know, it really, it really requires that central hub of that, of that cash flow plan. So that's that's definitely integral to what we do.

Greg Greenberg 00:02:56

Your work spans both private clients and employer sponsored retirement plans. So how do you approach the unique challenges of serving these two very different client bases, and what drives your success in balancing them so effectively?

Tim Disette 00:03:10

Well, being able to wear two hats every day really keeps life interesting. It has made it, I think, harder work but but more fun I having. This is my 35th year as an advisor. And I think probably about 25 years ago, after being in business for 10 years, I really was gravitating towards employer, working with I started out working with businesses and not ignoring that, that benefits and business side of the planning. I really was attracted to that. And so managing, being an investment advisor, working with 401 ks qualified plans, came natural. But I also grew up in a family business. You know, our family, when I was very young, had, I think, at its peak, about 100 employees. And if you grown up in a family business, you as a kid, you're going to be working, you're going to be working on the floor with everyday, hard working people. And I don't know, maybe that's how I developed an affinity for that, but we definitely balance. I mean, I started with a great firm that that gave me a broad, comprehensive knowledge of estate and business, investment, insurance, gifting, tax, you know, so I had that great training, and then again, balance that with my ability to work with both top executives and with, you know, everyday, hard working people.

Greg Greenberg 00:04:34

Well, recognition like Forbes is best in state Wealth Advisors and Investment News' Top 100 teams really doesn't come easily. What do you think sets your team apart, and how do you ensure your team continues to deliver exceptional results?

Tim Disette 00:04:46

Well, we certainly would have never, never gotten anywhere near this if it weren't for the team. You know, I also learned a long time ago, after making mistakes, you know, in terms of hiring, that you do not cut. Corners when it comes to hiring the absolute best rock star talent to work on your team, not just, you know, when I say rock star, not just from a technical talent, but from a individuals who have that mindset that just they want to take their clients problems on as their own. My father was in a related business when I was young, and when I started, he said, Hey, everybody's going to have problems. Some of them are going to be good problems. Some are going to be bad problems. But you have to own those problems, as though you're there your own. And that stuck with me, my my my teammates, my partners, my equity partners, they all have the same mindset, which is, I've got great, talented people that have a service mindset, that that will not quit, and that's that's absolutely been the key to success.

Greg Greenberg 00:05:45

So beyond your professional achievements, your dedication to giving back is remarkable. From mission trips to Honduras to creating a scholarship and endowment funds, you made a profound impact. What motivates you to invest so much of your time and energy and service, and how does it influence your approach to leadership?

Tim Disette 00:06:03

Well, definitely been a person of faith my whole lifetime. I thank my family for, you know, for introducing me to that relationship, you know. And so that's that's really, really important. The majority of my charitable goals, you know, involve my faith. But we went further than that. One of the keys to informing infinitos, when we did that with my two senior partners that served beside me, we sat down and we developed a set of goals, things that we had not been able to accomplish individually. And one of those key goals was to form a foundation within our own company, and that has been a thriving success. Not only are not only the partners, but the employees, and we have a substantial number of clients who give to our charitable efforts through infinitos cares, which is our our foundation here in Kansas City. So it's been, it's been really, really rewarding. It's one of the best when I say we have fun together. You know that's one of those great aspects of just enjoying your career beyond and tying that into your personal life.

Greg Greenberg 00:07:09

You've also become a trusted voice on critical financial topics like retirement planning, estate strategies and charitable giving. What do you find most rewarding about educating others and sharing those insights?

Tim Disette 00:07:22

Yeah, our education I get, I get rewards from two very unique places. One, we work with a lot of high net worth family businesses. So I think most financial advisors would say, hey, it's, it's exciting and rewarding to work with successful people, people who are great sales people, people who have developed a great manufacturing firm, a great agricultural firm, a great engineering or law firm. I mean, everybody's really unique and and interesting when you're working with highly successful people. But I get as much satisfaction in working this. This last year, I probably did 500 401, K participant meetings. You know, just I get a lot of satisfaction from helping, whether you're young or 40. I still tell people at 40 You're You're still so young, you have a huge opportunity in front of you to if you're not on track for retirement. Here are some simple things you can do to get on track. There's plenty of time. But you sit down with somebody at their first job, and they're, you're trying to help them spell 401, K, sometimes and but to make those fundamental decisions, or see that, like, come on, that that they can do this. They can do this with just a if you'll work for a good company and save consistent, consistently and not, you know, not make some of the little mistakes. It really is rewarding to see people confident that, okay, I can do this.

Greg Greenberg 00:08:50

And finally, as you look to the future, both for Infinitas and your team, what are your goals for continuing to adapt and grow?

Tim Disette 00:08:59

Oh, it's great that you asked that actually we're coming off of yesterday, we had an all day off site planning meeting with the entire firm. And you know what I was we have goals, right? We have goals to continue to grow our client base and improve the ways that we do what we do. But as I looked around that room, we've got a great group of CFPs certified Private Wealth Advisors the next generation. The thing that I was really excited about yesterday was continuing to grow and develop those young advisors. I mean, we've got wonderful people. They're super talented. I can hardly remember being that young. I started as an advisor at 24 but, you know, I try to imagine how they're feeling, and, you know, we have such a great opportunity to elevate what it is that we've done successfully and ingrained that in the next generation. So that's really the exciting part. Is just the future, not not from the number standpoint, and the numbers will come. I mean, that's. That's fine, but doing the things that we've been doing for so long and passing that on to the next generation, I am lucky. I've got two sons in the business. I've got three boys, one of which is my personal, you know, physical therapy guy. So I'm lucky there, but, but two of my three sons are in the business side by side with me and and the the team around them and with them is just phenomenal.

Greg Greenberg 00:10:25

Tim, thank you for sharing your insights and story with us. Your dedication to excellence, both professionally and personally, it's truly inspiring.

Tim Disette 00:10:33

Thank you so much.

Greg Greenberg 00:10:35

And thank you to our audience for joining us. I'm Greg Greenberg.