Portfolio returns grab attention but miss half the picture. Advisors fixate on beating benchmarks and chasing maximum returns. Performance matters, but represents only one piece of actual service. Real client service shows up in communication speed, life planning help, and crisis management when things fall apart fast. Clients remember how advisors handled tough conversations more than quarterly numbers. Serge Robichaud, a Canadian financial advisor, built his practice around service beyond managing money alone. His approach gets that wealth intersects with major life decisions constantly. Marriage breaks down. Inheritances arrive. Health fails without warning. These moments demand advisor involvement beyond tweaking portfolio allocations based on market movements.
Accessibility defines relationships
Returning calls within twenty-four hours separates committed advisors from those phoning it in. Many let messages sit for days before bothering to respond. Email questions vanish into black holes for weeks, creating frustration. Service means setting clear communication rules from day one between advisor and client. People deserve to know when advisors will actually respond to different question types. Urgent problems get immediate attention while routine stuff gets handled within stated windows. Consistent follow-through builds confidence that advisors give a damn about client situations. Reaching out beats waiting for clients to call every single time. Calling during market drops stops panic before it destroys decades of planning. Checking in after major life events shows investment beyond collecting quarterly fees. Sending relevant information demonstrates ongoing attention to individual circumstances, which are constantly changing over the years.
Service encompasses guidance
Client service stretches into areas having nothing to do with stock picking:
- Estate planning coordination means checking beneficiary designations every year without fail, connecting clients with qualified attorneys who know estate law cold, explaining trust structures without crossing into legal advice territory, watching for estate tax law changes affecting specific client situations, and making sure wills match current family situations instead of outdated relationships from years past
- Tax strategy discussions cover finding tax loss harvesting opportunities throughout the year, working with accountants on capital gains timing that minimises tax hits hard, explaining retirement account withdrawal sequences that reduce lifetime tax burdens substantially, and reviewing charitable giving approaches that match both personal values and tax efficiency goals for people with significant assets.
- With cash flow management, you don’t have to sacrifice either completely, build realistic budgets aligned with actual values instead of arbitrary restrictions no one follows, identify wasteful spending that could fund meaningful goals instead of disappearing into nothing, and provide accountability in between quarterly meetings when financial discipline is most important for long-term success.
Family situations require handling that spreadsheets never address properly at all. Adult kids struggling financially create tough questions about appropriate help levels. Ageing parents needing care blow up retirement plans, requiring hard conversations.
Presence during crises
Service quality shows during client crises when stress peaks hard. Job loss demands immediate cash flow planning, and benefits work fast. Sudden inheritance requires tax planning and investment decisions under emotional pressure. Divorce means asset division help and planning for totally changed circumstances. Health emergencies flip priorities from building wealth to preserving and accessing it. Advisors providing real service stick around throughout these periods instead of vanishing. Multiple conversations happen as situations develop, rather than one meeting, then silence. Emotional support comes with technical guidance because people need both at once. Referrals to specialists happen when problems exceed the advisor’s knowledge and experience.
Dedicated service goes beyond returns through accessible communication, comprehensive life planning, and crisis support during periods requiring guidance beyond investment management decisions.
