We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Justin Hall. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Justin below.

Justin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

I am a third generation family businessman. My father and grandfather partnered together many years ago and after I left college, I joined them. Having a family business presents it’s own unique challenges. Unlike other partnerships, this type of partnership IS personal. You need to make sure you have, and can keep a good relationship with your family business partner(s). It took a little bit of adjustment but my father and I figured it out. We have very clear partnership agreements and understand each other enough to know where our boundaries are. We also can separate our business conversations from family conversations. We never intermingle the two. This is vital because, on occasion, it is necessary for us to have tough conversations about each other or the business. Ultimately, what our success comes down to is trust. I feel lucky to be partnered with my father because there is no one I trust more and I know that whether I agree or not, I know he just has me and our business’ best interests at heart.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I cam into this industry a little backward. Right out of college, I came home and worked for my family business while getting my master’s degree. The family business was car wash and detail centers. I can’t tell you how valuable the experience running these centers was. It gave me a completely submersive experience into running a business, financial reporting, etc. It was the perfect compliment to the financial education I was receiving with my master’s degree. After I graduated, my father and I opened up shop in the investment advisory and wealth management realm. Because of our history and experience with owning a small business, we have been uniquely positioned to help HNW individuals and families with businesses of their own. More often than not, we become business consultants to our clients along with helping them manage their wealth. The other niche of wealth management that I have been able practice is the wealth of medical professionals. My wife is a dentist so I have been able to look at her unique needs from the inside. This has led to other dentist clients and spreading to other medical professionals. I know manage wealth for medical professional clients who practice pediatrics, general surgery, ophthalmology, and more.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

This one is easy to answer; complete and total transparency. Trust is extremely important and people trust advisors who are easy to communicate with and always open. When I enter a meeting, I always go in with a mindset of “lay it all out on the table.” Sometimes this can be hard with a client who maybe hasn’t saved enough for retirement or wants to spend more in retirement than they can afford. Your duty is to the client! ALWAYS tell them the good, bad, and the ugly. Sometimes that alone can set you apart from many advisors out there.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Anyone who wants to get into wealth management needs to read “Wealth Management” by Harold R. Evensky. It is a little dated but many of their practices and philosophies are timeless.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goodlifeassetstrategies.com