Why Your Big-Firm Advisor Isn't Teaching You This
You can be making great money and still feel like something is missing.
I learned that early in my career on Wall Street.
For years, the message was consistent: investment performance is everything. If returns are strong, clients stay. If returns lag, they leave.
But then I sat in real client meetings.
And the questions people actually asked weren't about performance.
They were questions like:
"How do we pay for college?"
"What should I do with my benefits and equity comp?"
"Are we actually on track to retire?"
And the industry's default response? More performance talk. More charts. More market commentary.
That's when it clicked for me:
High earners don't just need investments. They need guidance.
The Doctor-With-One-Prescription Problem
Here's the pattern I see all the time when someone asks why they feel like they're "doing everything right" but still feel unsure.
Imagine you walk into a doctor's office with a broken arm. I walk in with a headache. Someone else walks in because their knee hurts.
If the doctor hands all three of us the same prescription, that isn’t medicine. It’s a system that doesn’t know how to listen.
But that's what happens in wealth management more often than people realize.
You have RSUs. Your coworker has a pension. Someone else has a business.
You’re juggling kids, taxes, and a mortgage. They’re not.
Different lives, different goals, different stressors. Same pitch.
Your financial situation is unique. Your advice should be too.
What Your Advisor Should Actually Be Talking About
If all your advisor talks about is investment performance, there are bigger conversations that move the needle.
Here's what I believe high earners should be focused on instead:
1. How your cash flow actually works
Most high earners making $300K–$500K+ still feel like they're not getting ahead. That's not because they're irresponsible.
It's usually because their income is complex (bonus, RSUs, ESPP, variable comp), their lifestyle costs have quietly expanded, and no one has built them a clear system for decision-making.
You need a structure that answers:
Where is the money actually going each month?
What should be saved automatically—and where?
What decisions create the most leverage right now?
This isn't “budgeting,” it's building a wealth engine you can trust.
2. What your goals are in the next 3–5 years
Wall Street loves "long-term." Real families live in the next 36 months.
This is where the real decisions show up: buying a home, private school costs, career shifts, helping aging parents, planning for a second kid.
If your advisor can't help you make tradeoffs in the near term, you'll often fall into one of two traps: over-investing and stressing about liquidity, or under-investing and missing compounding momentum.
A good plan balances both.
3. How to translate income into sustainable wealth
Here's the truth I share with every client: Real wealth is rarely built quickly. It's built through disciplined decisions, repeated over time.
For high earners, that usually means:
Understanding equity compensation and taxes before vesting surprises you
Aligning savings and investing with how you're actually paid
Building an investment strategy that matches your need, ability, and willingness
Sticking to the plan when markets get noisy
This isn't flashy. But it’s time tested.
The Player-Coach Approach: 3 Questions Most People Aren't Asked
I don't believe in sitting across a desk and talking down to people.
I prefer the player-coach approach: we sit on the same bench and work through it together.
If we were on the same bench right now, here are three questions I'd ask:
1. What does "winning" actually look like for you?
Not what your coworkers are doing or what social media says. What do you want your life to look like in 5, 10, 20 years?
2. What's the real financial pressure point right now?
Is it feeling behind? Too much cash sitting idle? Not knowing what to do with RSUs? Fear of making a wrong move? Clarity often reduces stress more than performance charts ever will.
3. Do you trust the person guiding you?
Most people stay with their advisor because they trust them. Trust is built through consistency, clarity, and communication—not a quarterly report.
Trust is the foundation. Everything else sits on top of it.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
Here's a real example (details changed for privacy):
A 38-year-old tech professional came to me earning around $400,000 a year, much of it in RSUs.
From the outside, he looked like he was doing great. He was saving. He was investing. He had a healthy account balance.
But sitting across the table from me, he didn’t feel confident, he felt stuck.
He told me, “I’m afraid to make the wrong move. I don’t know how much of this money is actually safe to spend. And every time my RSUs vest, I feel like I should be doing something smarter — but I don’t know what.”
He initially asked me about investment performance.
I told him: "We'll get there. First, tell me what you're trying to do."
He wanted to buy a house in two years, didn't understand the tax impact of his RSUs, and his wife was considering grad school.
So we built a plan:
A cash flow system tied to goals
An RSU and tax planning strategy to reduce surprises
A house target that didn't derail long-term plans
Retirement contributions aligned with their tax planning situation
None of that was about "beating the market." It was about clarity and control.
Why Big Firms Often Don't Lead With This
This isn't about blaming big firms. There are smart, hardworking people everywhere.
It's about structure.
Large platforms are designed for scale and consistency, which can make true personalization harder, especially when life gets more complex.
That’s why so many successful people still sit in meetings thinking, ‘This doesn’t really fit me.’
That's one reason I built Julius Wealth Advisors as a boutique firm, with a simple goal: education-first guidance for high earners who want a plan that fits real life.
Your Partner for Better Guidance
If your advisory relationship is built mostly around performance and market updates, you might be getting only part of what you need.
The real work is understanding your cash flow, aligning money with near-term goals, making smarter decisions with equity compensation, building repeatable systems, and having guidance you can trust.
Working at large firms taught me a lot. But what I learned most is this:
Most people don't need better performance; they need better guidance.
If you’ve been feeling uneasy even while doing well financially, it’s not because you’re failing — it’s because you haven’t been given a plan that actually fits YOUR life.
Wondering how we may be able to help you? Let’s connect! To schedule a meeting, call (201) 408-4644, email info@juliuswealth.com, or get in touch online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my financial advisor is actually helping me?
At Julius Wealth Advisors, we believe a helpful advisor should lead with questions—about your cash flow, your next 3–5 years, and the decisions you're trying to make—before talking about investments. If your meetings are mostly market updates and performance recaps, you may be missing the planning and guidance that actually helps drive real-life confidence.
What's the difference between a fiduciary and a regular financial advisor?
A fiduciary is legally required to put your interests first. At Julius Wealth Advisors, we operate as an independent fiduciary firm, which means we're not paid to push proprietary products or hit sales quotas. The focus stays where it should: building a plan that supports your goals and long-term wealth system.
Should I work with a local financial advisor, or can I work with someone remotely?
You can absolutely work remotely. At Julius Wealth Advisors, many clients work with us virtually from across the country. What matters most isn't geography—it's whether your advisor understands high-earner complexity (equity comp, taxes, cash flow, near-term goals) and communicates clearly in a way you actually trust.
How much should I be saving in my 30s and 40s if I want to retire comfortably?
At Julius Wealth Advisors, we don't use a one-size-fits-all number because the "right" savings rate depends on your timeline, goals, taxes, and equity compensation. As a general starting point, many high earners aim to save roughly 20–30% of gross income, but the real answer comes from modeling your goals and building a plan you can stick with—even when life changes.
About Jason
Jason Blumstein, CFA, is the founder and CEO of Julius Wealth Advisors, an independent boutique RIA serving clients nationwide from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. His passion for investing began at just 10 years old, when his grandfather Julius turned off the cartoons, turned on CNBC, and began teaching him about stocks, discipline, and the values that build a meaningful life.
Shaped by early family financial hardship and inspired by Julius’s integrity and generosity, Jason built a career by gaining experience with PwC, Morgan Stanley, and J.P. Morgan. With a mission of offering transparent, education-forward planning rooted in Integrity, Knowledge, and Passion, Jason founded Julius Wealth Advisors in 2021. The firm operates in a fiduciary, client-aligned model built around long-term partnership.
Building Wealth Is By Choice, Not Chance
Today, Jason partners with High Earners, Not Wealthy Yet (HENWY) families ages 35–50, helping them build long-term, sustainable wealth through disciplined planning, deeply personal guidance, and analytical rigor he gained as a CFA® charterholder. He is known for his boutique, high-touch service, and for the educational clarity he brings to every conversation through The Big Bo $how podcast and Wealth of Knowledge blog.
Outside the office, Jason is a proud husband and father of two. He loves all sports, working out, watching the NFL (he has a complicated relationship with the Dolphins), rooting for the Mets, and staying active—a continuation of his college football days. To learn more about Jason, connect with him on LinkedIn.
Disclosures:
This piece contains general information that is not suitable for everyone and was prepared for informational purposes only. Nothing contained herein should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any security or as an offer to provide investment advice. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed. Past performance does not guarantee any future results. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. For additional information about Julius Wealth Advisors, including its services and fees, contact us or visit adviserinfo.sec.gov.