Wellness, Wealth, and Willpower with Chris Dukes of Dukes Wealth Management

In 2006, Christopher Dukes set a goal for himself at the beginning of his financial services career while living in a small apartment in North Hollywood: he wanted to build over $100,000,000 in assets under management. On June 24th, 2019, he received a text from his executive assistant with the number: $100,005,309.19 to be exact.

Before he began his career in wealth management, Chris was making a living as a stuntman/actor but found that the entertainment industry was unstable at times. He wanted to find a way to help his entertainer friends build a secure income in-between their gigs. He began to learn about assets management in 2003, working under a bigger agency before branching out on his own in 2006, under the banner Dukes Financial Services (now Dukes Wealth Management). At the time, he had only 2 million dollars in assets under management.

He told his wife, “I”m gonna buy people dinner for a living without the guarantee that they are going to do business with me.” Although apprehensive, she was supportive of his idea and believed in him. Chris began to hold educational seminars, complete with catered dinners. He told the attendees that they were not allowed to spend anything all evening and all that he asked of them was to they keep an open mind to the information that he would give them.

“I had hope that in the 55 minutes I spoke, they would see enough in me that would like me personally — because people don’t do business with people that they don’t have a connection with — or at least see that I know what I’m talking about and that I have the intelligence to help them fulfill their financial goals,” Chris says.

Giving value upfront to his clients has been a pillar of his business strategy. He also made sure to surround himself with people that are excellent at what they do. Most financial advisors who manage assets of 100 million or more usually have teams of seven or eight people, but Chris does it with a team of three. He’s had the same office manager for eleven years, and his executive assistant has been with him for six years.

“We are small but mighty,” he laughs.

Another success tactic that he employs is starting the week off on a positive note, so he tries to schedule a known sale for the beginning of the week. He adds, “Because there are so many negative things that we are surrounded with all the time, I really try to be laser focused on what I want to do and always start the week off on a right note.”

It’s easy to see how his positivity and persistence has translated into profits for himself and his clients.

Dukes Wealth Management will be holding Client Appreciation Dinners on July 8th through 11th this year where representatives of the companies that his clients have investments in will speak. Because Chris understands the importance of giving back to the community, the dinner will also benefit the WeSpark Cancer Support Center in Sherman Oaks, a group that supports families that are going through cancer treatments and the after-effects of cancer treatments.

For more information, Chris Dukes can be reached through dukeswealthmanagement.com