3/22/2023 - Matthew J. Daniel was interviewed by FeeOnlyNetwork.com

If you could only give one piece of financial advice, what would it be?
Start your financial planning journey early! Putting a plan in place and sticking to it early on will help you build a larger portfolio (due to the power of compounding) and will lay the foundation for good financial decisions that will impact the rest of your life.

How has your family background influenced your personal financial mindset today?
I remember at age 16, my father signed me up for my first credit card. He also made me sign a “contract” that I would pay it in-full each month, and never spend more than I could afford to pay. My grandfather also influenced my brother and I by offering to match contributions to our investment accounts at a young age. We were very fortunate to have good financial role models early on, and now we want to use our knowledge and experience to help others.

Is there a particular book that has had a positive influence on your personal or professional life?

If I had to pick one, it would be “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. The principles in the book are totally applicable to multiple facets of real life – from personal to professional. There are so many good concepts to help with truly understanding how people tend to think and how they are motivated. It is very interesting and useful!

What is the biggest misconception about your job?

I think the biggest misconception is that financial advisors are only available to the wealthy with large liquid portfolios to manage. At Columbus Wealth Management, we have purposefully structured our firm so that we can serve young professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs who may not yet have the liquidity that large firms often require. While we are equally equipped to serve clients with large liquid portfolios, we want to be able to extend those services to others so we can be part of their growth early on, when planning really makes the highest impact.

What do you wish more people knew about the process of creating a financial plan?
It does not have to be hard! A good advisor can help you plan one step at a time and tackle problems in order of their importance to you. Do not let the process overwhelm you before you’ve even started – all it takes is that first step to partner with someone who understands you and can help you accomplish your goals. At Columbus Wealth Management, we like to start by reviewing a list of a new client’s successes, pain points, and priorities and build a plan to tackle them one at a time.

What do you like to do outside of work?

My first choice is always to spend time with my family and friends. I love living nearby most of them in downtown Columbus and being within walking distance of so many fun places. I also really enjoy the gym, taking trips to the beach, or out west for some snowboarding. I also try to stay involved in the community at home, particularly in the LGBTQ+ space.

How did Columbus Wealth Management come to be?

My brother Nick and I both studied finance at Miami University and talked about starting our own firm from a pretty young age. After spending 8 years or so at larger firms, it was time to either commit to those firms for the rest of our careers or start our own. We felt prepared to make the leap and are so happy we did. Our dream is to continue to build a firm that puts clients first through the principles of honesty, fairness, and full transparency. We look forward to growing alongside our clients so we can continue to offer our services to more individuals and families and help them achieve financial independence.

Describe the culture of your firm:

Nick and I are both extremely hard workers and have big dreams, but we also love to laugh and have fun. We really balance each other out in a lot of ways and look forward to building a team in the future that shares our passion for helping others build a brighter future.

How do you hope the industry will evolve, and how are you contributing towards that change?
Sometimes I feel our industry gets a bad reputation for being focused solely on gathering assets or selling products. I hope to see a continued shift toward the fee-only, fiduciary model, but I also hope to see progress toward creating an industry that is known for helping others achieve their goals rather than generating large corporate profits. At Columbus Wealth Management, we are contributing towards this movement by fully adopting the fee-only and fiduciary model, starting with the messaging on our website and other marketing, all the way through to our onboarding process. We are always transparent with our fees and disclose any conflicts of interest immediately.