Mainline Capital

A little about myself, and my future. I have worked at a mid-size RIA(350M AUM) firm four four years I’ve led a transition from LPL to Charles Schwab, I worked on our service team, I moved into a junior advisor client facing role, and then into a fully licensed advisor.

@markcecchini The cheat code is having clients who are too busy to bother you! Lol it’s hard to even get them on the line sometimes in the spring when 100hr weeks are the norm for them. But they never call and complain🤣

What’s it like having a job where you don’t have to talk to people all day every day

@Rick_Ferri @Andrew68508 I explain it clear as day for my clients. I make sure they understand this 200% over, and over five have said THIS IS WHY WE CHOSE YOU. It also allows me to work with the new business owner starting out who can’t afford large flat fees.

@MainlineCapital @Andrew68508 Then I say charge for what you're doing, not on the value of the investment portfolio.

When I write on X a single world equity index fund (VT) or ~65% total US stocks (VTI) and ~35% total international stocks (VXUS) is all the equity most people need to achieve their objectives, the pushback I get isn’t from individuals, it’s from advisers who charge high AUM fees.

@chicoresch2 @Rick_Ferri @Andrew68508 And why’s that?

@Rick_Ferri @MainlineCapital @Andrew68508 “We do better when you do better” really annoys me.

After the client exits, and that planning diminishes, I drop my fee by 40%.

If all I did was pick investments, I’d be USELSS. But find an advisor that covers everything listed above, and get their flat rate. It will be massive if they do those things correctly. The investments are just icing on the cake to keep our shared interest in their success.

Here is my 2 cents about AUM fees I charge an AUM fee to all my clients. Flat across the board. I only work with trade owners. Some of them are 5M+. I show them that this is $50,000+ a year paid in fees to me and my team. The response? You’re my cheapest employee!

@Rick_Ferri @Andrew68508 All of this to say, I charge an AUM fee, and never sell myself as an investment guy. 95% of the time I have the client before investments even come up. And they don’t mind at all paying the 1% fee. Even when they see 30k a year, I’m their cheapest employee.

@Rick_Ferri @Andrew68508 Not true. I charge a AUM fee… And I work directly with blue-collar business owners. I help them align and start -Financial planning -Business exit planning(valuations, exit option reviews, metric tracking) -Point out tax implications -Hold them accountable -Have ETF models

@TKopelman My estate attorney refuses to make empty trusts. This is so common

One of the biggest estate planning mistakes I see? Setting up a trust… and then stopping there You did the hard part Don’t skip the part that actually matters From today’s new episode of The Long Game:

@_jaydeepkarale I’m in finance, yeah this isn’t getting on our computers ANY TIME SOON. Sadly. Working hard with compliance.

90% companies dont allow this btw

@DeanBuilds22 @RampCapitalLLC What we haven’t witnessed is a massive hack. That days coming

@RampCapitalLLC lol this is why we need better guardrails can't wait for the "Claude deleted my entire Desktop trying to be helpful" posts

Claude, put all of the files on my Dekstop into a new folder and name it Desktop 2. Make no mistakes.

@JonLuskin I’ll be buying.

Right now, I'm averaging one client engagement a week; every week, I'm evaluating a new family's entire financial situation:  •Investments  •Retirement planning  •Taxes  •Insurance  •Estate planning  •Social Security  •And more  Here's what makes the 2025 Planning Template for Advisors – the same library of answers I go to when serving my clients – different:  When a new topic comes up that I haven't addressed before, I don't just answer it for that one client – I add it to my template library.  For example: a client asked about Washington state’s long-term care insurance policy. After explaining why the limited benefit won't provide meaningful protection against prolonged care expenses, I added that to the template.  This means that everyone who purchases the 2025 Planning Template for Financial Advisors gets continuous updates based on real client questions from 400+ households.  The 2025 Planning Template for Advisors isn't static: it evolves with every family I serve.  Already purchased?  Expect this (and more) in the next update. Get your copy – link in the comments 👇

Ordering a top line computer strictly to stay on top of all this AI development. Can’t run this new Claude on a company computer 🤣🤣 Current computer isn’t capable. Thanks memory shortage for the nice price tags.

@msant531 @T_Gatzemeier I did it with a simple pro subscription.

@T_Gatzemeier Nice I would love to incorporate this into my education. What subscription are you using to accomplish this?

When I design an investment plan for clients, I like to walk through "expectations". Because the best investment plan is the one you can stick with. I built this interactive tool with Claude to help educate on different allocations and create more realistic expectations. Still a work in progress, but it's looking pretty good!

@T_Gatzemeier I have been loving building apps with Claude. Compliance is just being a stick

@TKopelman And to be fair, I do understand the point 100%. The gap that does exist for me I’ve attempted to close by becoming a CEPA, and I’m “partnered” with a business coach, who also is only focused on the trades. He handles telling them business ops, that’s just not my lane.

@MainlineCapital I feel like that definitely gives you a real feel based on the way you describe it

So true It’s exactly why business owners should only work with financial advisors who’ve owned a business and work with lots of other business owners There are the occasional few who’ve gotten enough experience advising many but it’s hard to relate and understand when you’ve never done it

@TKopelman So, yes I was not the owner, but I was the right hand man, every single day, and because of our friendship discussed every detail. I had the option to buy in, but followed my career to being an FA. I’m at 20 trade owners. Would you say I’m wrong?

@TKopelman Would love your perspective- While I wasn’t the owner, in 2020 I helped my closest friend for two years launch Elite Tree Service. I helped buy and trade equipment, handle books, learn all the equipment. From $0 to $2M a year in two years. Now I work with tree business owners.

@JonLuskin Spot on.

I really like changing my mind about something. It proves that I’m not an old, stubborn curmudgeon set in my ways. One area where I changed my mind recently is about low-cost estate planning options, especially when it comes to the folks that I work with using it.