IAM875- Advisor Focuses on Financial Planning for Families

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00:02 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:29 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Cortney Haycoop of Clover Leith Wealth Strategies. Cortney, it's awesome having you on the show.

00:39 – Cortney Heykoop

Thanks for having me. It's great to be here.

00:41 – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on as well. Before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Cortney so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Cortney focuses on financial planning for families in Loudoun County, Virginia, with a passion for the special needs market. This passion grew after adopting a special needs child 14 years ago. With the arrival of her daughter, she experienced first-in-hand the isolation and lack of support parents felt as they struggled with daily challenges and complex issues. The importance of a trusted advisor has never been more evident. Cortney works daily to be that trusted advisor and a resource for the family she works with within the community. Cortney, great to have you on. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:24 – Cortney Heykoop

Sure, I am.

01:25 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. Cortney, I truly appreciate you again for being on. And just to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to kind of rewind the clock a little bit here a little bit more on how you got started. Could you take us through what I call your CEO story? We'll let you get started with your business.

01:39 – Cortney Heykoop

Sure. So, my business is only 2 years old. However, I've been in this industry for over 20 years. I'm not gonna say exactly how many over because then you'll know my age. But I started doing finance work for a local bank. There I did everything from savings accounts to 401ks, commercial lending, and mortgage lending. I've done it all. The investment side and the financial services side are definitely where my interest lies. But really, the goal for me to start my own company and be a CEO is that desire to be a true food dishier.

So in this industry, we are food dishier for our clients, but working for a corporation that has its own profits or has its own partnerships with different companies. A lot of times I was restricted to offering the clients only what was available to me. But as an independent, I'm able to go out and find the best products for my clients. And that way I can truly meet those fiduciary standards that are asked of our industry. It helped make me be able to go to sleep at night knowing I did the right thing.

02:52 – Gresham Harkless:

Cortney, I definitely appreciate that. And you mentioned the word a fiduciary. Correct me if I'm wrong, but fiduciary means that you're not necessarily beholden to one specific, I guess, product or service, because you have that expertise, you're able to kind of have the full treasure chest that you can choose from.

03:08 – Cortney Heykoop

Yes, so fiduciary means I'm legally bound to do what's in my client's best interest, right? So if I'm working for a company that has its own products, there's going to be some type of incentive or requirement for me to sell their products only or their products first. But as an independent, I can go out and get my clients whatever they need and can structure my business to be able to meet those needs. So when a client needs life insurance, I can see who has the best product for them on the market and I'm not beholden to just 1 company or my investment client. If one money manager is better for them than another, I'm not tied in any way. So that was the real big push for me to go independent plus wanting to be my own boss.

04:06 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I'd like to say that as well. Exactly. There's a lot to say about that indeed. And I appreciate you for doing that. And I know you touched on being able to kind of make sure your client's needs are being put first. Could you take us through exactly how exactly that process works and how you serve your clients and some of those, I guess, solutions that you provide for them?

04:28 – Cortney Heykoop

Sure. So I'm a registered investment advisor, a financial advisor. I do financial planning for clients. I do, so when we go through that process, sometimes clients need to kind of start from the bottom of their financial housing, get the life insurance or disability insurance, long-term care insurance, something like that. Or we may be looking at focusing on their retirement goals or educational goals or wherever they are in their financial journey on their financial path and making sure that those plans are in place and that we are you know working them through that.

So depending on what they need you know if it's insurance or investment or financial planning, I do that in-house. You know, if they need a mortgage loan or something like that, although I can help assist them with questions to ask, things to look for, I prefer that type of stuff out because that's not what I do anymore. But my holistic approach, I help them, I take a look at everything. I'm not just looking at their investments, I'm looking at their whole financial picture and working on a plan for them. As you said earlier, I do have a large number of clients who are special needs families, which adds additional levels of planning for them.

But I work for special needs families, individuals, families, and businesses, whether they're special needs or not. And with small businesses, I can help them with their group benefits and group retirement plans as well. So It really comes down though, I think to that holistic background, being able to talk to them about the CDs they have at the bank or the home equity loan that they have or don't have, or how we need to structure things. That background helps me as I work on their financial plan with them.

06:36 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I was definitely gonna mention that. And you being able to have that experience while you're not the 1 that's actually, I guess the mortgage lender, so to speak, you having that experience, I feel like speaks to that conversation you can have with a client that's trying to figure out if and when or if that is in alignment with their, you know, their financial journey and where they want to go. So I imagine that that's, you know, completely huge. And you mentioned that special needs and I read it in your bio being part of that community to be able to kind of serve that community.

It seems and definitely correct me if I'm wrong. When you don't sometimes know what to do or how to you know to be there you know for your children to be able to have and lean on a community and be able to lean on somebody that's able to kind of help serve that, helps you feel, I think that you're not alone and you have somebody that can help you, guide you through that journey as well.

07:28 – Cortney Heykoop

It's as a special needs parent, I know firsthand how isolating it can be and how challenging it can be. Also incredibly rewarding as well. I mean, there's always that silver lining. But especially for parents, you know, that are either in the beginning or working through some type of transition, whether they're child transitioning into school or out of school or, you know, into independent living, whatever the case may be, those are always extremely difficult times. And having a resource there of people that, that get it, I always say empathy is, is not the same. Their sympathy is not the same as empathy, right? I can empathize with these parents. I know what it feels like.

And I have a toolbox for my clients of, well, if you're looking into group homes and have you talked to this person or, there are other resources within the community beyond just my services that I can help connect my clients to. And it's kind of vice versa. They've connected me to things that I'll need for my child or that I can think of that I can refer to another client. So it's an incredibly supportive community. And I really enjoy like, I've had some young families that have come to me, and they're just starting out, so they don't have all of those resources. So I'm able to pair them, with people in the community that can help them find the resources and the support they need. And that's just as rewarding as helping them with their financial plan.

09:11 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, and I imagine, just as you said, so while they go hand in hand, I think so many times we try to silo certain aspects of our life, but in reality, they're all integrated. They're all aligned in that holistic approach as you spoke to go so far, whether you're a special needs family you're starting a business or you're just trying to figure out where to put your 401k. So I love that you're able to kind of create that community and those connections and those relationships within that. So would you consider that to be like your secret sauce? The thing you feel kind of sets you apart is that ability to bring all those things together.

09:49 – Cortney Heykoop

Yeah. So I think my biggest differentiator is the special needs aspect and my ability and desire to work within that community. But I mean, everybody, one of the biggest keywords is holistic financial advisors, right? Well, how many financial advisors have worked in all of those different sectors versus just, you know, know of them and ask of them, right? So I think that I do truly have the ability to provide that holistic approach to whether a client needs help with budgeting or debt management or their home.

I can guide them beyond just what you learn in a textbook as you're studying, right? I've done that and I've worked in it. So I do have that holistic approach. But within my community here in Loudon, I think it's my special needs aspect that really brings people to me specifically versus another advisor because that is my, that's where I'm in the pocket. That's where I operate best and really enjoy working with those families that are in unique circumstances, you know?

11:07 – Gresham Harkless

All right, Cortney, I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple Book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

11:18 – Cortney Heykoop

So, when I was thinking about this before we met today, I think the easy answer would be to say my CRM, right? I mean, It keeps everything in order for me. I love it. I can't live without it. I say if it's not in the CRM, it didn't happen. But really, I think what makes me the most successful business owner, mom, and financial is actually prayer and meditation. For me taking you know those few minutes in the morning to stretch and do some yoga and kind of go through and center myself and get myself kind of in that right place. And the same thing at the end of the day. And I cannot suggest meditation. If you're not God-fearing and you don't feel like praying, meditation is amazing. So whatever that form of centering is, I think is really what makes me the most effective.

12:25 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely, absolutely. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. And this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client or if you have to do a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

12:39 – Cortney Heykoop

Very early in my career. And even now, I mean, I was following up with some people that I sent letters to, you know, so there's still that element of cold calling or warm calling, follow up, whatever you want to call it, right, that we do in the sales environment. And I was working with a gentleman who was my assistant years and years ago. And I brought something back from a training class for him because he hated to cold call. Like, it just like made him so nervous and just reaching out to people and not being willing to face that rejection. This quote that I brought back from the seminar I'd been at is, some will, some won't, so what, who's next? I hung that in the back room of my bank at the time.

And that was like our mantra, like, I mean, if we have to do cold calling, or we're, you know, asking people about things, we just have to be able to let the rejection roll off your back because they're not rejecting you, right? So years later, I went back to see him. He was a branch manager on his own and his license plate was SWSW, SWNext. It was like that, like, oh my gosh, you know, somebody could listen, right? I had to get back, right? But I think that's my golden nugget that for anybody getting into sales, you know? I mean, some people are gonna say no and just being able to come to terms with that being okay.

14:27 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, and so now I wanted to ask you my absolutely favorite question and it's the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Cortney, what does being a CEO mean to you?

14:38 – Cortney Heykoop

I started at the beginning and when you asked, you know, what is my story? And I use the word independent. Right. But for me, being a CEO is about independence, not just for my clients, but also for myself.

14:54 – Gresham Harkless

Truly appreciate that Cortney, I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and of course how best it can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

15:09 – Cortney Heykoop

So you can find me on Facebook under Cortney Heykoop, registered representative, or you can find me online at www.cloverleafwealth.com. We are launching this week our updated website this and hope to have a lot more content on there for our special needs families, as well as businesses who have questions on retirement plans or group benefits and individuals looking for you know tax saving strategies and 401k ideas so the website's probably best way to reach me and to find me and that's cloverleafwealth.com. But thank you so much for having me. This has been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your I am CEO podcasts.

16:01 – Gresham Harkless

Thank you. I definitely appreciate you as well, Cortney, You're doing phenomenal work. So I appreciate you for taking some time out. We will have the links and information as well in the show notes so that everybody can get ahold of you and get in contact. But I appreciate you again for all the work that you do. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:19 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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