We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rafe Klein Investment Counselor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rafe Klein , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

That being a fiduciary means you must act in the best interest of the client. For over 25 years, I have acted in the best interest of the client, it is something I’ve always done. That doesn’t mean that anyone can guarantee against loss, neither can a fiduciary. I don’t believe we need to have a specific license to insure that that we act in best interest of our clients.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began my career on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Now my office is in Westport, CT. While I still enjoy visiting New York City, I like living in CT much better. I enjoy my job, working with investors of all stages of life, and helping them reach their financial goals. Many of my clients are retired, planning to retire, or looking to fund a child’s education, or saving for a home. I have to be informed and in touch with many people and I like that.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I am fortunate enough that I am not currently looking for new clients, or looking to take on new clients. I would rather focus on my existing clients, and continue to grow organically. I do take referral’s however, which are the biggest source of my new clients these days.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pandemic in 2020 has changed the way I do business. Most of what I did was face to face. We held dinner seminars, and I would go to clients’ homes for appointments. That all changed when COVID hit. I was forced to adapt to a virtual world, that was totally new to me and my clients. Thanks to this we all have gotten used to things like DocuSign, and Zoom meetings. I can work so much more efficiently now, sometimes up to 5 meetings a day. Nothing replaces a true face to face meeting, which we still do, but I also incorporate virtual meetings, and I can service more clients, faster, and better.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Rafe Klein David Lerner Assocites

Image Credits

Keyvan Boupour