April 17, 2017

Meet Samuel Rad of Affluencer Financial in Culver City

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Rad.

Samuel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. You know! The time where Americans were being held hostage at the Iranian Embassy. Definitely not a great place to raise children at the time, so my parents decided to run away to a place where they can raise their children without the threat of violence at their door. With that, they had to leave all of their money and belongings behind. We came here with 3 suitcases and a few English words to carry us forward.

I noticed that my parents had no clue on how to navigate the complex financial landscape that was ahead of them. So many complicated concepts like retirement accounts, taxes, social security, investments, mutual funds, they were completely helpless. In school my mission became learning as much as I could about financial topics so I could help my family. I went to Beverly Hills High School, then Cal. State Northridge and finally UCLA to earn multiple degrees and designations. Yes, you can say I over-did it on the education front. However, my drive was to get myself and my family out of poverty.

Once I got out of school I helped my parents, I still do. But I quickly started to notice that even Americans are clueless about their personal finances and the American financial system. Think for a second about 401ks, IRAs, ETFs, REITS, 403Bs, UITs, and so many more acronyms that make you feel you are swimming in a bowl of Alpha-Bits cereal. Most people get their information from the news, but what they don’t realize is that the news is there to entertain them and not educate them.

At the beginning of my career I was trying my best to help clients but I soon realized that my biggest roadblocks were my employers. Many of the big investment firms I worked for, were more concerned about their quarterly profits instead of the clients lives whose money we were managing. I noticed there was a lot of pressure to sell products, rather than to help clients by giving them wise advice and direction. Then the 2008 market crash happened and I watched so many clients lose their shirt while the CEO’s of the big Wall Street firms made millions in bonuses. I had had enough, I wanted to start my own firm but with a completely different focus than what I had experienced over the past 10 years.

Affluencer Financial was created. I called it that because my goal is to make clients Affluent. In addition, the company was created as a “high consciousness” financial planning firm. Our mission is “To do good things, for good people.” We wanted to create a financial firm that went against all of the corporate greed that people were so fed up with. Our advisors all focus on the client and not the firm’s profitability, because our incentive structure is unlike most other financial firms. Also, instead of focusing only on investments, we help individuals and families with comprehensive advice about retirement, taxes, estate planning and more.

In addition, I am an instructor at UCLA and I teach financial topics. This was my way of giving back to the country.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Definitely not! So many times during my career I thought about quitting. But I always knew that if I made it big, I would do things differently than anyone else. This industry has so much scandal, which makes it hard for good people to stay in the business however I have always been very determined. One time I remember one of my bosses walking into my office and telling me I was fired. I was so determined to keep the job that I actually ended up grappling with him on the floor trying to let him know that I wasn’t going anywhere. It happens that he actually appreciated it and realized how committed I was to succeeding. The fact that I didn’t give up let him to promoting me 6 months later. I guess being a refugee kid in a new country makes you realize how bad things can be, and how good you have it here. I always use the push-pull mentality in pushing myself forward, and then pulling others up with me. This has helped me become a better leader and learn from those who I have helped.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our firm is a “High Consciousness” financial planning firm. Our motto is that we want to “do good things, for good people”. We see ourselves as true, wise, life-advisors for clients, not just investment nerds. Our firm selects only advisors who are well rounded, cultured and articulate so we can make sure that we can empower every client that we choose to take on.

So often Wall Street firms do anything to make their profits grow, which ends up hurting consumers while they are at their most vulnerable. I tell all of my clients that I treat their money like it’s my parents’ money. Our focus is to truly help empower people so they can feel confident and comfortable with their finances.

Another thing that makes our firm unique, is that we are fee-only financial planners which means we are not in the business of selling or promoting products. Rather we focus our attention on giving clients true advice which helps them make progress. Our advisors are all trained to make topics simple to understand so the clients don’t walk out clueless.

Pricing:

$300 Per Appointment Cost – Comprehensive Financial Advice
$3,000 Per Year – Unlimited Financial, Tax, and Estate Planning advice for a year (includes your family)

Contact Info: