Momodou Bojang of Axiom Value: 5 Things To Look For When Hiring a Financial Planner or Financial Adviser

Someone who can provide you with advice and guidance in a very simple way. Do they simplify complicated items and make them seem easy? You need an advisor who can help you understand all aspects of your finances, especially the complex.

As part of our series about what one should look for when hiring a financial planner or adviser, I had the pleasure of interviewing Momodou Bojang, Wealth Advisor and Founder & CEO of Axiom Value, LLC.

Momodou Bojang Bio: With a passion for building long-term and respected relationships, Momodou Bojang is committed to helping clients pursue their dreams by providing comprehensive advice and guidance. Momodou established Axiom Value LLC, a boutique wealth management practice, to serve, advocate and create incredible value for his clients. With the heart of a social worker, his mission is to help hard-working individuals, families and small businesses realize their financial goals.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit more. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

For me, it is a combination of my upbringing and wanting to help others. Growing up, I saw my parents struggle to make ends meet, and I knew I didn’t want that for myself. When I came to this country, I wanted to learn how to make money and save it. I became determined to understand all aspects of finance. I wanted to use that knowledge to help others make confident choices with their money. I don’t want my clients to worry about running out of money when they retire. I want everyone to live comfortably and enjoy a purposeful retirement.

Can you share a story about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting in the industry? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaway you learned from that?

I tend to talk very fast when I am excited! I quickly realized that being a fast talker and having an accent can make it very difficult for people to understand me. I once had a client tell me at the end of a call that he had no idea what I was talking about because he couldn’t understand me. I felt embarrassed because I thought it was a great call. However, I didn’t let it discourage me for too long. I reached out to a fellow advisor who advised me to record myself to hear what I sounded like to others. This exercise helped me immensely because I realized that no matter how excited I may be about a client, I need to slow down when I speak. Even though it was a small change, it has helped me form better relationships with clients and enhance my career.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am writing my first book. I have spent years helping federal government employees in The Greater Washington D.C. Area, and this book is for them. Their benefits can be very complicated and hard to understand, and I wanted a way to simplify those for them. My passion is helping federal government employees, and I hope this book will help them succeed.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lesson that others can learn from that?

I have always felt that you need to be authentic. You need to treat people with respect and understand that people are very smart. They will figure it out quickly if you are only in this business for the money. The tipping point for me was when I saw my clients begin to trust me. They saw that I was genuine and truly looking out for them. Because of this trust, clients began to refer their friends and family to me. My client load continued to grow because I was doing the right thing by them, and it was paying off. If your client knows you are doing everything possible to create value for them, you will have a client for life.

What three pieces of advice would you give to your colleagues in the finance field to thrive and avoid burnout? Can you give a story or example?

1. Know what your goals are, and always write them down. You don’t want to be lost or unsure about what you are supposed to do. Whether those goals are for individual clients or for yourself, having them written down will help you know exactly what needs to be done.
2. Make sure you surround yourself with the right people who can help you reach those goals. A strong support system to lean on can make the difference between success and failure.
3. Understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. Then hire someone to work on the things you are not as good at. Don’t get discouraged trying to work on a weakness. Leverage other people and their strengths to help elevate yourself and your business.

Ok. Thank you for all of that. Let’s now move to the core focus of our interview. As an “finance insider”, you know much more about the finance industry than most consumers. If your loved one wanted to hire a financial advisor (not you :-)), which 5 things would you advise them to find out about before committing? Can you give an example or story for each?

1. Do they seem knowledgeable about what they are speaking about? You want to have someone who is well informed and has a diverse skill set to help you with all aspects of your finances. This way, you can trust they are leading you on the right path.
2. Are they holistic and comprehensive in their approach? You don’t want an advisor who only has one area of expertise. You want someone who can not only help you with investments but also with estate planning, taxes, or help send your kids to college. You want an advisor who can bring you a lot of value.
3. Is your advisor a great educator? A good advisor has the skills to teach so you can become a smarter investor yourself.
4. Do they listen to you and care about what you are saying? Someone who genuinely cares about you won’t ever make you feel embarrassed when you have questions. A great advisor thinks of you as a family member and wants you and your finances to be successful.
5. Someone who can provide you with advice and guidance in a very simple way. Do they simplify complicated items and make them seem easy? You need an advisor who can help you understand all aspects of your finances, especially the complex.

I think most people think that financial advisors are for very wealthy people. This is likely not actually true. Can you explain who would most benefit from hiring a financial advisor and why? Can you give an example?

I don’t believe there is anyone out there who couldn’t benefit from a financial advisor. Whether you are in the asset accumulation, asset preservation or asset distribution stage, their advice can help you build a good foundation. Your finances at all stages of life could grow and thrive with the help of an advisor.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

All of the credit for where I am now goes to my wife. When I left banking to start Axiom Value, she supported me. She was there for me and encouraged me the whole way. When I doubted myself as I started my own business, my wife believed in me. Any success that I or our business achieves goes to her.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I hope to inspire the younger generation. I believe young people could benefit so much from learning about managing their finances early in life. They can take those lessons and apply them to their entire lives. It could help set them up for great success and pass that along to others.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can check out our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. All of these are great ways to reach us!

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

Disclosure:

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through USAdvisors Wealth Management, LLC, SEC Registered Investment Advisor Firm, Momodou Bojang, Investment Advisor Representative. Axiom Value, LLC, USAdvisors Wealth Management, LLC and the Securities America Companies are not affiliated.

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