Ep 229: Navigating The Evolution Of Financial Planning Over 50 Years Of Building with Alexandra Armstrong
Financial Advisor Success
Michael Kitces
4.8 • 696 Ratings
🗓️ 18 May 2021
⏱️ 90 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Alexandra Armstrong is the founder and chairwoman emeritus of Armstrong Fleming & Moore, a hybrid RIA based out of Washington, DC. Alex has a long and experienced 40-year career in the financial services industry, having first launched her firm in 1983 and subsequently selling it to four different successors.
Alexandra is a true pioneer of the industry and brings a wealth of wisdom that she shares with us, including what set her apart in the early days of her career, what it was like being female in a primarily male-dominated industry, and what the real secret of her success was. She also discusses what the industry was like when she first earned her CFP marks in 1977, and explains why she believes that financial planning is an ideal career for women.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/229
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Financial Advisor Success Podcast, where you go behind the scenes with |
| 0:07.1 | financial planner, speaker, and consultant Michael Kitsis to hear stories of how leading |
| 0:12.4 | financial advisors navigated the inevitable challenges that arise on the path to success |
| 0:17.4 | and get insight from leading industry consultants about how to break through to the |
| 0:21.9 | next level in your advisory business. And now here's your host, Michael Kitsis. Welcome, everyone. |
| 0:28.1 | Welcome to the 229th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast. My guest on today's podcast is |
| 0:34.5 | Alexandra Armstrong. Alex is the founder and chairwoman emeritus of Armstrong, Fleming, and Moore, a hybrid |
| 0:40.5 | RIA in Washington, D.C., that she launched in 1983 and ultimately sold to four successors after |
| 0:46.2 | her career of over 40 years as a financial advisor. |
| 0:50.3 | What's unique about Alex, though, is that she's one of the true pioneers in the industry. |
| 1:02.0 | Earning her CFP marks in 1977 is one of the first CFP classes in the country and the first person in Washington, D.C. to earn the designation. |
| 1:09.0 | Serving for seven years is the first woman chairperson of the International Association for Financial Planning, which would later become the FPA, |
| 1:11.3 | championing the initial formation of a group of independent broker-dealer that would eventually become today's Financial Services Institute, |
| 1:16.2 | and serving as the chairwoman for the foundation of financial planning, a board that she continues |
| 1:20.4 | to sit on this day. In this episode, we talk about Alex's journey through the financial |
| 1:25.7 | service industry at a time when there were |
| 1:28.0 | even fewer women in the industry than there are today. |
| 1:30.9 | Her appreciation for the fact that she was mentored by two women who were both top producers |
| 1:35.0 | at their firms in the 1970s and demonstrating that even early on, women could find success |
| 1:39.9 | in the industry. |
| 1:41.5 | Alex's early recognition that providing comprehensive financial planning was a competitive advantage in a way to differentiate herself beyond the industry. Alex's early recognition that providing comprehensive financial planning was a |
| 1:45.0 | competitive advantage in a way to differentiate herself beyond just selling investment products, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Michael Kitces, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Michael Kitces and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.