Sheraz Iftikhar of Arch Global Advisors: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Consulting Business
An Interview With Doug Brown
Always seek to learn more and educate yourself on anything you are passionate about
Business is not just numbers. It’s about relationships
There are good days and bad days. Take one day at a time
Take risks when the time is right and when the right opportunity knocks on your door
Surround yourself with competent and motivated people
As a part of my series called “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Consulting Business ”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sheraz Iftikhar President and Chief Executive Officer of Arch Global Advisors and is responsible for the execution of the mission, vision, and financial success of the firm. Mr. Iftikhar is also charged with attaining the company goals, while managing the right balance of resources for employees and initiatives. Over the last 18 years, he has raised the profile of the firm nationally by developing seminars that educate clients on the importance of generational planning. In addition, he is credited for developing the organization’s signature five-step process to provide financial advice and custom, yet practical solutions for individuals, families and institutions. As a recognized leader in wealth management, he is regularly featured in many national publications including CNBC, Reuters and Advisors Magazine, discussing various financial topics.
Under his direction, three of the firm’s major initiatives were developed. The first was Arch Global’s proprietary Asset Track Program, which perfectly blends financial technology with the human touch to provide cost effective, high-value solutions. The second initiative tapped into the team’s experience, qualifying select Arch Global Advisors to participate in programs such as Retirement Readiness, which caters to corporate clients and their employees. The third leverages Arch Global’s network of accountants and attorneys to integrate tax and legal knowledge into holistic financial planning and decisions.
Mr. Iftikhar graduated from City University of New York with a double major in Economics & Media. He holds a General Securities Representative Registration (Series 7), Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination Registration (Series 63), Uniform Combined State Law Examination Registration (Series 66), and Life insurance licenses. He is an Investment Advisor Representative, Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and a candidate for the CFP® (Certified Financial Planner™).
Mr. Iftikhar is active in various charities and is a board member for multiple profit and non-profit organizations. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association and has consistently qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table for the last 10 years. Mr. Iftikhar is a highly decorated competitive runner. He lives in New York City with his wife Sheba and beautiful daughters, Aaliyah and Ariana.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I started working as an advisor in 2003 for a mid-tier firm. Following my entrepreneurial spirit, in 2007 I decided to become independent and started Arch Global Advisors. My objective was to create a firm that eliminates the conflict of interest that exist in our industry and focus on providing transparency and accountability. Under my leadership, we were able to create a process that prioritized understanding the challenges that our clients face, and then providing tailored solutions that would match their needs.
I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of Arch Global Advisors and I’m responsible for the execution of the mission, vision, and financial success of the firm. Over the last 14 years, I have been able to raise the profile of the firm nationally by developing seminars that educate clients on the importance of generational planning. In addition to this, I have fully implemented my processes that I have built throughout my career by developing the organization’s signature five-step process to provide financial advice and custom, yet practical solutions for individuals, families, businesses and institutions.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
Here’s a great testament of how our unique processes work, and how clients have come to rely on us by making us their trusted advisors. An interesting story that I always think is this one time when I was on vacation overseas and a client called. I realized it was important and immediately called back. The client was going for a bypass surgery and he shared that he told his wife that if anything happens to him to call me for guidance. It was such an impactful moment for me to understand my role in my clients lives, and I have several stories similar to this one.
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?
I am grateful that I have learned from several people while on this journey. The one relationship that stands out above all is my business partner, Akhil Kumar. We’ve known each other for years and have worked together for the majority of our careers. He has been instrumental in moving the firm forward towards its success. His candid approach and input have always been helpful. Akhil’s nearly two decades of financial experience, has madehim instrumental in developing the strategic vision of the firm, as well as analyzing and anticipating market trends. I’m very thankful to have him as a partner, and friend.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You can’t control the results, but you can control the effort you put in.Your best effort is good enough.”
I don’t want to look back and say that I didn’t put my full effort into any situation.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. We’d love to learn a bit about your company. What is the pain point that your company is helping to address?
There are of course many pain points just like any other company in today’s climate. A few pain points are dealing with market volatility, changing regulations, clients changing investment behavior, and competitors including fintech. One major pain-point is that not enough people know about our firm and our unique approach.
Our solutions are best tailored to high-net worth individuals who are looking for a better use of their wealth and are concerned about generational planning. Referrals have been the best source of expansion in what is typically a very exclusive market segment. We rely heavily on referrals so it’s important for our clients to be able to share information about us in a way that captures their networks attention.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Reliability, innovation and the ability to evolve. We realized in 2013 that issues such as higher fees, lackluster performance and a lack of asset control was an issue. We launched our Asset Track Program in 2015, which allows us to manage investments internally rather than outsourcing it. We’ve reduced our clients cost by 30% through the program and have outperformed the benchmark majority of the years since inception. Our asset management platform, powered by the expertise of our financial advisors, helps balance risk with cost-control to provide our clients with the optimal portfolio to match their goals. And with Black Diamond®, a financial portal available through Arch Global, clients can see where your finances stand at any time, and anywhere. Our ability to enhance the experience with the power of technology has really set us apart from other firms in the industry.
When you first started the business, what drove you, what was your primary motivation?
The main point I always want to get across is that I saw a strong need to bring a different approach to the advisory world. Reliability, transparency and efficiency was the motivation.
Another observation that we made years ago was the lack representation of minorities in the wealth management industry. One of our goals is to provide a platform for minorities to grow and excel in the industry.
What drives you now? Is it the same? Did it change? Can you explain what you mean?
I’ve run several marathons. I remember in my first marathon; my goal was just to get to the finish line. I wasn’t focused on the finishing time. Once I completed the 1st marathon and realized that I can do it, my goal changed to improving my time and competing at a higher level.
There’s a lot of parallels to my marathon story to what drives our business at Arch Global Advisors. With 14 years of track record under our belt, we have realized that it’s possible for us to reach the level of excellence that we had envisioned since the beginning. Our motivation to excel is greater now, and now that we know that we can do it, it’s about setting the bar higher each time. We consistently aim to improve our processes and services, introduce new concepts and always be a step ahead of our competitors.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We have been really excited about the ESG(Environmental, Social, Governance) portfolio that we just launched this past January. ESG investments allows investors to align their investment with their personal values, and it was developed to promote socially responsible and meaningful investing.
As investors have become increasingly interested in aligning their personal values with their investment objectives, our management committee constructed an allocation with these principals in mind. The Arch Global Advisors ESG strategy is a portfolio created specifically for you to take Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues into consideration. The ultimate aim of the portfolio is to provide clients with an opportunity to participate in sustainable investing, while not sacrificing returns.
For example, it will include companies who look to decrease carbon emissions, promote equal employment opportunities and apply ethical business practices with concern for all stakeholders. In short, ESG investing considers the “big picture”. This portfolio will be monitored and maintained by the same team responsible for our highly successful Asset Track Program™.
In your specific industry what methods have you found to be most effective in order to find and attract the right customers? Can you share any stories or examples?
Referrals have been the best source of expansion. It takes time to build a brand that people feel comfortable working with, and then feeling strongly about the firm enough to refer their friends and family. The second-best approach has been providing advice to non-profit organizations. We manage several endowments and through the years’ we’ve helped non-profit organizations create a long-term sustainable financial model. With COVID-19 bringing along the PPP loan, new regulations, and financing, we have seen an increase of financial assistance for these non-profit organizations. We’ve received dividends and recognition by receiving referrals through these organizations that we have helped, which has been instrumental for our firm.
Based on your experience, can you share a few strategies to give your customers the best possible user experience and customer service?
At Arch Global, we believe that financial planning must be approached in a disciplined and holistic manner, because every financial decision you make can affect another. To make that happen, we follow these 5-steps in order to implement the right strategy for you:
ENGAGE:we start with an in-depth discussion about what the client’s financial goals are, their needs and wishes, and even their family dynamics.
EXPLORE:we work with the client to gather data around their current situation including what they have, what they owe and what they spend.
DESIGN:blending technology with the personal touch, we design a clear investment strategy based on the client’s data, tolerance for investment risk and the length of time they have to invest. It will include a road map that outlines where they will be financially in 5, 10, or 20 years from now.
IMPLEMENT:we put our client’s financial strategy into action by making the appropriate product and investment recommendations like Asset Protection, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Investments and more.
MANAGE:this is the most important of the 5-step process and where the discipline is enforced Leveraging the client’s Asset Management program, we review their plan annually, measure its performance and re-calibrate it, as needed.
What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Consulting Business”.
- Always seek to learn more and educate yourself on anything you are passionate about
- Business is not just numbers. It’s about relationships
- There are good days and bad days. Take one day at a time
- Take risks when the time is right and when the right opportunity knocks on your door
- Surround yourself with competent and motivated people
You are a person of enormous 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. :-)
Charitable work is very important to me. I’ve been involved with several charities and the one closest to my heart helps people with disabilities. In developing countries there’s a lack of support systems for people with special needs. Society completely disregards the special needs, and basic rights of people with disabilities. Governments don’t have well-defined programs to help this group of people. We really need to create programs that help integrate people with special needs into society. My personal idea is to create a program in developing countries that helps people with special needs and makes them be able to be self-sufficient in their daily lives.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I would like to meet Mohamad A. El-Erian. He’s an immigrant, like myself, and has excelled greatly in his life. Mohamad is Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, the corporate parent of PIMCO where he formerly served as chief executive and co-chief investment officer. He also chairs President Obama’s Global Development Council, is a columnist for Bloomberg View and a contributing editor at the Financial Times. I’ve attended several of his speaking sessions and have always enjoyed his knowledge and analysis, about business and the markets
Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!
