Read more and surround yourself with like-minded people.
Richard Blair is a fiscal professional with an undeniable enthusiasm for educating regular investors. By combining his lifelong love of teaching with sound experience and financial knowledge, he works to show people how to improve their financial outlooks and make sound economic decisions.
Richard’s contagious passion for explaining and guiding those in need of knowledge has deep-seated roots. Coming from a family whose last three generations all produced strong women who became professional teachers, he got to see the benefits of instructive discourse firsthand.
Richard came to the inevitable conclusion that by teaching investors how to plan for their futures and their families’ best interests, he could imbue more people with genuine confidence and practical fiscal understanding. To achieve these ends, he earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Houston and plunged himself straight into the financial services industry afterward.
As with many of life’s milestones, things weren’t always smooth sailing for Richard. After a year spent successfully overcoming challenges, he decided that the best way to work smarter would be to build his own firm. In 1994, Wealth Solutions was born.
From their headquarters in Austin, Texas, Richard and the Wealth Services team work together to offer bespoke advisement services to unique clientele from all walks of life. Interestingly, the company’s methodology stands in stark contrast to those of competitors that offer mysterious black-box solutions or so-called magic formulae. Instead, Wealth Services stays the course by sticking to its mission of teaching people how to make smarter financial choices. The company helps investors identify their needs and draft financial roadmaps for achieving life-changing goals, such as improving their portfolio liquidity or building broader asset bases. Since each person gets to take their fate into their own hands, they don’t have to trust others blindly.
Richard is still just as proud to help people feel actualized as he was when he got his start more than two decades ago. Today, he maintains a variety of certifications, including Certified Fund Specialist®, Retirement Income Certified Professional®, Certified Tax Specialist®, and Certified Estate and Trust Specialist®. As someone who has truly proven himself dedicated to investor empowerment, he looks forward to many more decades of educating those who want their wealth to work harder for them.
Where did the idea for Wealth Solutions come from?
My first job out of college was with a company that sold pension plans to nonprofit groups, and ever since I have worked in wealth management.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
9 AM to 6 PM, depending on client calls.
How do you bring ideas to life?
By focusing on what would be beneficial for organizations and clients that come to me.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Technology and the ability we now have to reach anyone immediately.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I find that I am constantly thinking about and preparing for the future.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Read more and surround yourself with like-minded people.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
My opinion on how politics and global economy go hand-in-hand.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Save money and focus on customer service.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Determination, hard work, and perseverance.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Finding hardworking employees.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Providing the highest possible customer service is absolutely necessary, especially now.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I recently bought myself a deep-tissue massage for relaxation, a worthwhile investment.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I split most of my time between Google, Dropbox, and Grendel.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“The Intelligent Investor”, an incredible resource in my line of work.
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Steve (Stefan) Junge hails from Germany and helps with the day-to-day publishing of interviews on IdeaMensch. While he and Mario don’t share a favorite soccer club, their enthusiasm to help entrepreneurs is a shared passion.