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David Coles

President & Wealth Advisor
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Through 15 years of experience in the personal finance industry, David has honed his ability to identify a person’s needs and design financial systems to meet them.

“The money my clients entrust to me is something much greater than dollars and cents – it is a tool to build a fulfilling life,” David explains, “I believe that one of the main services I provide to my clients is ensuring they are living gratifying lives now and in retirement.”

In 2018, David co-founded Human Wealth™ reimagining the way advisors interact with their clients and how clients relate to money. Human Wealth™ is a financial planning method that is informed by a person’s subjective wellbeing or how they are experiencing themselves, their environment, and others.

“The work we do as Wealth Advisors extends beyond the balance sheet. We are creating structures for people to lean on when navigating the soft elements of life like relationships, career opportunities, and mental clarity,” David continues.

Outside of financial systems design, David enjoys sailing and wine. He recently passed his Level 2 exam with the Wine & Spirits Education Trust of England and looks forward to continuing his education in the winemaking process.

Credentials and Career Highlights

  • Series 7 & 66
  • Life & Health Insurance license
  • Forbes Financial Council 2021
  • Barron’s 2021 “Think Retirement is Only About Dollars and Cents? Think Again.”
  • Suits Magazine January 2015 “Trust and Transparency Tops the List”
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Client Profile: A couple nearing retirement, approached us with the goal of securing their financial future and ensuring a comfortable retirement. The husband had a deep passion for flying, and their son aspired to become a pilot. However, he believed that his dream of owning a plane and flying with his son was out of reach.

Challenge: Our clients aimed to achieve financial security for their retirement while also fulfilling the husband's dream of owning a plane and sharing the experience of flying with their son. They wanted to align their financial plan with their meaningful activities and create a lasting legacy.

Solution: By delving into the Discover Wellbeing phase, we uncovered the husband's passion for aviation and his son's interest in becoming a pilot. Focusing on the attributes of Financial Security and Meaningful Activities, we developed a customized Human Wealth™ Plan. Through innovative tax planning strategies and creative thinking, we explored the feasibility of the aviation dream.

Results: Through our meticulous financial planning and utilization of the plane as a business asset, our clients were able to achieve the seemingly impossible. They purchased a plane and leased it to a flight school, allowing their son to train while generating income. This not only fulfilled their lifelong dream but also laid the foundation for a family legacy in aviation.

Making Aviation a Family Legacy

Client Profile: A recent widow, found herself in an unfamiliar financial situation after her husband's passing. Throughout their marriage, she had never taken an active role in managing their finances and was now faced with uncertainties about her financial security.

Challenge: She needed to establish financial independence and find emotional support following the loss of her husband. She also desired a way to reconnect with her scattered group of longtime friends.

Solution: Recognizing the significant life transition our client was undergoing, we took her through the Human Wealth™ Method to address her concerns. During the Discover Wellbeing phase, we identified the attributes of Financial Capability and Social Support, to focus on and build supportive systems around. During our in-person sessions, we engaged in conversations about her emotional network and her dreams.

Results: With a comprehensive Human Wealth™ Plan in place, our client gained a new perspective on her financial security and discovered an avenue to reconnect with her friends. By utilizing her resources wisely, we were able to show her how she could afford to fulfill her and her friends' dream of going to Hawaii. This not only provided her with financial peace of mind but also offered a way to strengthen her emotional bonds during a challenging time.

Building Resilience and New Connections After Loss

 

Organizational Human Wealth™ partnered with a flourishing accounting firm, propelled by organic growth yet challenged by the imperative to align its structure, team, and operations with a bold strategic vision. The firm's President, committed to proactively addressing any latent concerns and enhancing team cohesion, sought to bridge the gap between the team's exceptional satisfaction scores and some unarticulated needs. With a focus on scalability, an assessment was conducted, revealing vital insights.

Highlighted by the assessment:


Scalability Demands: The accounting firm's growth trajectory led to bottlenecks in customer onboarding, underscoring the urgency to harmonize structure and team dynamics to accommodate the influx of new customers.

Vision and Career Clarity: The team displayed a strong affinity for the company but yearned for a clearer understanding of the overarching vision, their individual contributions to that vision, and viable career progression opportunities within the organization.

Upon embracing the assessment's findings, the firm embarked on a transformational journey:


Refined Onboarding Process: Swiftly responding to identified bottlenecks, the firm optimized its customer onboarding process, enhancing efficiency and ensuring a seamless transition for new clients.

Defined Career Paths: Job roles and delineated career paths, encompassing both technical and people leadership trajectories, were meticulously crafted, empowering team members with a tangible roadmap for growth within the organization.

Future-Ready Structure: A new, adaptive organizational structure was meticulously designed to support the strategic vision, underpinning the firm's commitment to seamless operations and client satisfaction.

The collaboration with Organizational Human Wealth™ equipped the accounting firm with a strategic blueprint that transcended mere restructuring. By addressing pressing concerns, refining processes, and providing team members with a clear vision for their career progression, the firm positioned itself for sustained growth, propelled by a motivated and empowered workforce.

Scaling Success: Empowering Growth and Team Alignment

Organizational Human Wealth™ partnered with a financial services client undergoing a significant leadership transition, with a new acting President at the helm. Concurrently, the company was launching new products and services. In response to these transformative changes, an intensive evaluation of the business's strategy, key metrics, systems, and organizational structure was essential.

Within a mere 8-week period following the assessment, we achieved the following impactful outcomes:

Reimagined Organizational Structure and Ownership: We redefined the organizational framework and established clear reporting lines, ensuring a streamlined and effective hierarchy. Every employee's role was documented, aligning them with the new strategic direction and granting them ownership of crucial domains.

Enhanced Client and Employee Experiences: By implementing the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), we introduced an ongoing mechanism to gauge, track, and compare client and employee satisfaction over time. This data-driven approach empowered the client to make timely improvements to elevate both customer and employee experiences.

Strategic Data Visibility: We developed a comprehensive dashboard that showcased key performance metrics, providing real-time insights into critical aspects such as revenue, growth, client satisfaction, and employee contentment. This tool allowed the client to monitor and address vital areas of concern promptly.

Revitalized Team Collaboration: Our restructuring efforts extended to team meetings, which were revamped to foster increased efficiency and ownership of departments. By mitigating risks and encouraging cross-department collaboration, these meetings became a pivotal hub for informed decision-making and strategic alignment.

Cultivated Aligned Core Values: Collaborating closely with employees, we co-created a set of core values that resonated with their individual aspirations and collective operating principles. These values unified the workforce's approach to internal operations, client interactions, and mutual cooperation.

In this case study, Organizational Human Wealth™ demonstrated its capacity to navigate complex challenges, enabling swift and strategic transformations that optimize structure, enhance experiences, and foster a culture of shared purpose. By tailoring solutions to the unique needs of our client, we laid the foundation for enduring growth, resilience, and success in an ever-evolving industry.

Embracing Change: Turning Transitions into Pathways for Success