Founding Wealth Advisor

White Tiger Connections • Morgantown, WV

43d • Onsite

About The Position

Guidepoint Financial Services is establishing itself as a partner RIA to Guidepoint's growing family of accounting firms, aiming to create a fully integrated professional services platform. This platform will combine tax compliance and advisory services with wealth management and financial planning, offering a unified client experience. The accounting division is experiencing rapid growth, with plans to handle 3,000-4,000 tax returns in the upcoming year, fueled by acquisitions and organic expansion. As the Founding Wealth Advisor, you will be the inaugural wealth professional and the primary leader for the RIA's daily operations. Your role will involve shaping the service model, investment strategies, technology infrastructure, client onboarding processes, and team development, while also converting existing tax clients within the firm into wealth management clients. This position requires a blend of hands-on client engagement and entrepreneurial leadership to build the firm from its inception. The operational model is designed for efficiency, utilizing tax return data and AI-driven insights from client conversations to populate a specialized CRM, enabling advisors to prospect effectively. The integration of tax and wealth services is a core component, with Wealth/Planning services offered at 100 basis points. The primary objective is the consistent conversion of high-intent households and small business owners already utilizing the platform, with a strategic goal of converting approximately 100 clients annually, leading to $50 million in Assets Under Management (AUM).

Requirements

• Series 65 (or 66/7) and CFP® credentials.
• 5–10+ years of experience in wealth management or financial advisory.
• Proven track record serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth clients.
• Demonstrated success in converting clients or building a client book.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a combination of 'hustle' and technical depth.
• Enthusiasm for building and growing a firm, not just managing an existing client base.
• Strong emotional intelligence (EQ) for effective client and CPA partner relationships.
• Comfort with process development, technology utilization (including AI), and scaling operations.
• Alignment with a long-term firm-building vision.

Nice To Haves

• CFA, EA, or demonstrated deep tax-planning knowledge.
• Insurance licenses.
• RIA background.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the RIA, including designing workflows, client experience, and go-to-market strategies in collaboration with accounting leadership and the head of compliance.
• Drive client conversion and firm growth by leveraging warm introductions from the existing accounting client base.
• Identify tax-efficient wealth management opportunities, such as tax-loss harvesting, retirement planning, and investment allocation strategies aligned with tax outcomes, and convert these into RIA relationships.
• Deliver integrated wealth management, financial planning, and investment advisory services with year-round tax coordination.
• Build and scale the advisory team, starting as a player-coach and progressing to hiring and mentoring advisors, planners, and support staff.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a scalable client experience leveraging a robust technology stack, including platforms with strong tax integration capabilities like Altruist or similar.
• Foster a seamless integration between tax and wealth services by collaborating closely with CPAs and tax professionals across Guidepoint on cross-referral processes, joint client strategies, and a unified 'one-firm' experience.
• Provide operational and strategic leadership, contributing to the definition of investment policy, risk management, technology selection, and overall firm positioning.
• Ensure adherence to fiduciary and regulatory standards by working with the head of compliance.

Benefits

• Full administrative, technology, and operational support from the accounting platform.
• A unique position at the intersection of tax and wealth management with built-in captive demand.
• Long-term ownership mindset with a focus on building for durability.
• Base salary of $150,000, increasing by $25,000 annually, capped at $300,000.
• Cash incentive of 10% of gross advisory fees, capped at $500,000 total cash compensation.
• 10% equity in fully diluted compensation, vesting over 10 years.
• Potential for $1 million in total compensation by year 5 and $3 million by year 10.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior