Mark Bradburn | Access to Innovators Podcast | Watch HPU

Chapters & Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Access to Innovators podcast powered by the premier life skills university, High Point University.

Hello and welcome to the Access to Innovators podcast powered by High Point University. My name is Lauren Hurt. I'm a junior here at HPU. I'm a marketing major with a sales and social media marketing minor.

Today I am joined by Mark Bradburn who is our wealth management innovator in residence. Thank you so much for joining us, Mark.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to it, Lauren.

0:30

So, Mark, I wanted to start off by asking you what initially drew you to the finance industry.

Sure. So, I was faced with a tragedy when I was a young child. I was 10 years old. My father unexpectedly passed away. My brother was four at the time. My mom was 39 years old. And we were dealing with this tragedy. And a couple months after my father had passed, she came home and she said, "I met with the family's financial adviser." And like any 10-year-old that has no knowledge of finance, I said, "What is that?" And she said, "This is somebody that's going to give us a plan. You and your brother are the most important thing in the world to me. I have to make sure that you both get to college and it's paid for. So, I'm going to go back into the workforce."

My mom was a teacher. She retired when my brother was born. And she laid out the plan that this adviser had given her. You're going to save x number of dollars per month if it grows at y% you're going to have enough money for the boys to go to college and we're going to do the same thing with you for retirement. So like any 10-year-old that hears something interesting I said well that's what I want to do when I grow up.

So here we are. I'm actually living my dream of what I said I wanted to do when I'm 10 years old.

1:50

So, as you progress through different jobs, companies, positions, what is one piece of advice that has always stuck with you?

You know, I've always tried to be a positive person, and I can't control the equity markets going up or down, or if the company I work for does well. But I can control my attitude, my behavior, my work ethic, and I can control how I respond to things. So, you know, my job doesn't come with a salary or a minimal salary. Basically, I'm paid on commission. So, I am aligned with the effort of how much I put in, right?

The more I put in, ideally, the more I'm growing my business, getting new introductions, getting new clients, and building my brand and my practice. So, I've always tried to be positive and really kind of stay in the lane on what I can control. I can control how active I am, how positive I am. I can't control if the market goes up or down. So, I've tried to not get frustrated with a lousy market or be too excited when the market's really up and doing well like it is now. I try to stay even keeled and focus on how I'm going to win the next client and continue to build my brand.

3:11

So, bouncing off of that, what qualities that you have do you think have led to your success?

I'm a big believer in hard work. You know, roll your sleeves up, put your head down, and get it done. You I can, again, like I said earlier, I can control my effort. My effort is really, really high. I'm constantly working. I get in early. I leave late. I have a really sound business plan on how I'm going to execute that.

My clients understand how they're going to be communicated with. You know, I sell air. You don't walk in and walk out with a water bottle or you don't walk out with a car. You come in with your entire life savings, sometimes generations of savings, and I sit down and I say, "This is how we're going to invest. This is the plan that we have." But if the market goes up, ideally I make you a lot of money. If the market goes down, hopefully I don't lose you.

So, I really sell air. So, it's super important for clients to understand that we have a sound process. You know, we have processes with everything, right? Think about the last vacation that you went on. You didn't just show up at the airport and say, "That's where I'm going to go." Right? You knew where you were going to go. You probably researched the hotel. You had it booked in advance. You knew how you were going to get to and from the airport. You had a plan.

So, something as simple as going on vacation for a week, you had a plan. But people don't have a plan for being in retirement for 20 or 30 years. Exactly. Yeah. So that's really what we do and that's what we try to instill in our clients.

4:48

So looking ahead, how do you see the future of finance evolving and what challenges do you think will come up in that process?

So look, I got a lot of questions today about AI and is that going to replace people? And in some areas in finance it will, but in certain areas I don't think it will. The way I like to think about it is if you're sick and you have a sore throat, that's fine to go to a health clinic, right? A minute clinic, urgent care. They can solve that. But are they going to really solve, god forbid, you need chemo or you have a major medical issue. They're not going to perform surgery. You have a specialist for that.

And I truly believe that clients in general want a specialist for their wealth. They don't necessarily want a generalist. They want somebody that can talk to them about all areas of finance, transfer of wealth, insurance, mortgages, estate planning, really everything that goes into like a real sound financial plan.

So, while technology is amazing and it's making me faster at what I do and giving me the ability to service clients better, I think there's a fine line between will AI hurt my industry or help it. I tend to think that it's going to help it. You know, we went through the first market downturn when firms like Robin Hood and Mint were around and they almost went out of business because trading activity disappeared. You know, nobody pays for a stock trade anymore. It's advice. The transaction is the easy part. It's what are we going to do and how do we pay you for that advice.

So while technology is all around me, we have chat GBT, we have incredible tools, I have to use those tools to make me more efficient to be able to expand how many clients I could talk to. But technology is not going to make more hours in the day. And if I'm maximizing the hours in the day, I'm really up against the wall to be able to expand my practice. So hopefully if my conversations could be a little shorter with clients because I'm more efficient, it'll allow me to take on additional clients.

7:08

So I know you touched on some of your early childhood challenges, but when you first got into the finance industry, what are some of those challenges that you faced and how did you overcome them?

Yeah, know it's a great question, Lauren. You know, I was young when I first started. Right out of college, two weeks, I was 21 years old and unlike today, I didn't have any gray hair. And to me the equalizer was knowledge. And if I could become knowledgeable about estate planning, about trust and estate work, insurance, really everything in somebody's life financially, wherever there's a dollar sign, I could make up for being young.

So I really tried to dig in and become an expert. I wanted to be a resource for clients. I wanted them when they had a question to call me, not to call anyone else, but to always come to me because if they came to me, then I control the relationship.

And you know, Warren Buffett came up with this expression that he only invests in businesses that have a moat around them. So, you know, Coca-Cola, I could give you a billion dollars today. You can't recreate Coca-Cola, right? Doesn't matter how much. Like I could give you a billion dollars. You can't recreate Amazon. I can't recreate American Express. These are all companies that Warren Buffett has invested in Apple. And they all have a moat around them.

So I've tried to create a moat around my clients where they're coming to me for everything. Every bank has figured out that wealth management makes sense and it's a highly profitable business for the institution. So, anytime a client walks into a bank, they're getting propositioned. Do you want to buy a CD? Do you want to buy an annuity? How about this investment? So, if my clients have their investments and their checking account with me and their credit cards with me and I've done their mortgages and I've been involved in their estate planning and I've advised on their insurance, there's a moat around them, people can't get to my clients.

And that always seemed like a really smart business concept and it's how I built my business. But if you don't have the knowledge, you can't set yourself apart. So really understanding, you know, exactly how people make decisions and being able to give them the information so that they can make intelligent decisions is paramount. So that's how I've really kind of built it and I tried to make knowledge surpass like the weakness at the time which was my age.

Now I've got 27 years of experience. So when I sit down with somebody, nobody's questioning my experience and I have the knowledge. So it's kind of a double win. But back in the day I didn't have the experience. So I had to really rely on becoming much more educated and becoming a resource for clients.

10:08

And with those 27 years of experience, you know, people are coming into your office and they are completely handing over their lives financially to you. So, what do you think separates you from other financial advisors? What makes clients trust you more than other people?

It's a great question. I mean, that's the trillion dollar question, right, that everybody's trying to answer. Why you? I think we have a sound process. I think we have no better platform that exists than the Morgan Stanley platform. I can access investments that most advisers never even dream of seeing. So, you know, that's why I've stayed at Morgan Stanley and I've effectively partnered with them because I really want to be able to deliver an amazing client experience.

Having a sound plan like that example that I gave you earlier about going on vacation, right? Like clients need a plan and they come to us for that. They don't come to us to buy the next hot stock. They think they might think that's what they need, but they really need a plan and that's what we try to deliver.

And once people understand, hey, wait a second, I didn't even know people like you existed. They become clients because we're offering them something that they didn't even know existed. And when I sit down with a client, almost nine out of 10 times a client's saying that to us. We didn't even know people like you existed. So, of course, I'm going to win them because I'm basically a unicorn. They didn't even know that something like that existed.

So, it's super important to be able to articulate, you know, what how you're going to service them, how you're going to manage their relationship, how often are they going to be called, are they going to get an annual review, things like that are super important to be able to articulate to a client.

So, when they walk out of my office, two things need to happen. One, they need to be able to say, "I get it. I understand it. This is what's going to happen." And two, I want them to become what I call a raving fan. It's an amazing book. It's called Raving Fans. I read it every six months. It's it'll take you an hour to read it cover to cover. And really what the book is about is creating an environment where your clients are marketing for you.

Right? My clients go out and are talking about us to their friends and their family and their neighbors. And their neighbors sit there and say, "Hey, can you make that introduction?" So, I'm creating a fan club effectively to market for me. Super important. That's how I effectively never take my eye off the ball and understand exactly what I need to accomplish.

12:51

Okay. So, I can tell through the way that you talk about your work that you're very passionate about what you do and you're also very passionate about Morgan Stanley as a company. So, can you talk about a project or an initiative that happened at Morgan Stanley that you're particularly proud of?

Yeah, there there's two that stand out to me. One is our relationship with High Point. It really this has been a special relationship. You know, my daughter is a sophomore on campus. I've spent a lot of time here. I've gotten to see what this institution is all about. In the beginning, we were sitting there saying like, how could this really happen? But it happens. And it was easy for me to lean in.

And Morgan Stanley has become a partner with High Point. We are seeing the students. We're seeing the talent that's coming out of here. And we're hiring them. After this, I'm going to an event where we're ringing the bell for a student that just got hired at Morgan Stanley full-time. And it's going to be this whole new concept at High Point where when a student uses the resources of the school, they ring this bell as like a sign of, hey, I did it. And this student today is going to be the first student ever that's rung that bell.

So, it's something that I'm super excited about and proud of that in a year's time we've accomplished this. We have a lot more to accomplish, but that was the first step. I'm also really proud of the business that I've built. You know, I had the odds in some ways stacked against me, losing a parent at a young age. But I overcame it and I used that tragedy to pick a career, to stay motivated, to continue to push forward, to build, to never want to fail. That's my biggest fear is failure.

So, I do so much every day to make sure that failure is never even in my rearview mirror. Like, I don't even want to see it, think about it, and I just constantly am pushing forward. So, the business that I built is equally, you know, meaningful to me as the relationship that we've built as a firm with High Point.

14:59

So, how do you stay ahead in a constantly changing financial landscape? And what are some things that you do to keep learning? What are some life skills you use?

Yeah. So I read a lot. I mean I read the Wall Street Journal cover to cover every day. I'm constantly, you know, looking at CNBC, Bloomberg white papers. I talk to my network. I have a lot of clients that are CEOs and C-suite executives and I ask them how business is going. I ask them what's going on.

When a client says to me, hey, I deal with a consumer and we're seeing sales start to slow. I know that consumers are slowing down. When I talked to a client of mine who's an investment banker and he says, "We have a lot of companies that are getting ready to go public in the next 3 to six months. I know that the economy is heating up. Those are all ways that I try to form an opinion and stay cutting edge because information is what moves the market.

So, if I can stay informed about everything that's going on, I feel like I'm at least, you know, staying ahead of my competition. Super important to, you know, read a lot, ask questions. That's really my oxygen. That's how I kind of refer to it.

16:12

Okay. So, we at High Point University believe in experiential learning. So, what other qualities or experiences do you look for when hiring or Morgan Stanley looks for when hiring?

So, I don't do hiring at Morgan Stanley. But what I can tell you is we're looking for people who are leaders. You know, I rather have somebody that showed leadership in a variety of different ways. Whether it's in a club, in a class, in some ways they've taken a leadership role, to step outside their comfort level, to do more, to lead by example.

That to me is the track record of success. Because if your peers are sitting there saying, "We're okay with you leading this organization." I know what I'm getting. I'm getting somebody who wins. I'm getting somebody who leads. So, you know, whether you got an 85 or an 89 in your statistics class. While that's important, it's not the determining factor if you're getting a job. At least when I'm looking at a resume, and any of my colleagues that are looking at résumés want to see leadership roles, they want to see people do more.

Most people just do the bare minimum. Are you stepping up? Are you taking advantage of all the resources here? You know, today I was on campus giving a speech. We had a room full of people. That was by choice that people came. So, when they reach out to me and say, "Hey, I'm looking for an internship. I'm looking for…" Why would I not lean in to those people that have gone the extra mile and gotten up early and come to see me speak and ask questions and done all the little things?

You know, when you build a house, it's not one brick that you put up. It's lots of little bricks. And you have to do all the little things. You walk through this campus and everything, all the little things are done. You know, it's raining outside today. We walked in and there's an umbrella stand there for people to put their wet umbrella in. There's ponchos available for free, right? It's all the little things at this institution. The details, the details matter. And the details matter professionally and the details matter. Like at an organization like this, everything matters. How you do something, it's how you do everything and that really, really matters.

Well, Mark, thank you so much for your time. I've really enjoyed our conversation.

Same here. This was fun.

And thank you so much for joining us on our Access to Innovators podcast.

Mark Bradburn, a wealth management innovator in residence at High Point University, discusses his career journey in finance, which began after witnessing his mother's need for financial planning following his father's unexpected death at age ten. Throughout the podcast, he emphasizes the importance of positive attitude, hard work, deep financial knowledge, and creating meaningful client relationships in the wealth management industry. Bradburn also highlights Morgan Stanley's partnership with High Point University in identifying and hiring talented graduates, and shares his perspectives on how artificial intelligence will enhance rather than replace financial advisors who provide comprehensive planning and personal expertise.

Mark Bradburn | Access to Innovators Podcast

Mark Bradburn | Access to Innovators Podcast

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