Emily Rassam Named to Investopedia 100: List of Top Financial Advisors

We are proud to announce that Emily Rassam, Senior Planner here at Archer Investment Management, has been named to the Investopedia 100, a list of the top 100 financial advisors in the country! 

There are 100,000 independent financial advisors in the United States. The Investopedia list honors those who make significant contributions to critical conversations about financial literacy, investing strategies, life-stage planning, and wealth management. 

The 2023 winners represent advisors who provide unique value to communities, such as representing clients in various industries, offering pro bono financial planning tips to women, and volunteering to educate local students. Emily is very much deserving of the honor in these regards—we’re proud of her excellent work! 

We spoke with Emily about winning this highly sought-after award, surprising moments from her journey, and how she plans to continue making a positive impact long after the award dust settles. 

What excites you the most about being chosen for the Investopedia 100?

It’s an honor to be recognized for giving back to the community. 

Financial literacy is important to me, especially coming up in this industry doing 401(k) education meetings, where I would help everyone and meet with everybody. 

From day one, it’s been important to me to help. So in every way I’ve been able to, I’ve tried to give back some of what I’ve learned in this industry. It’s an honor to be recognized for that. 

Many awards in our industry are for growing your business. To me, this award represents having a positive impact. To be recognized feels great because it’s always been a high priority for me to help others with their finances, even if they aren’t a client of mine.

Is there anything about your journey to winning this award that would surprise any of your clients or online followers?

What may surprise people is the lengths I go to help–it’s impossible for me to turn off my inner financial planner.

I’m generous with my knowledge and give back to different groups. If someone messages me on LinkedIn and asks me a quick question, I’m always happy to help. 

I try to give people something in every introductory meeting as well, so even if they don’t become a client, they walk away from the meeting with some value. 

I used to have a sticky note on my computer that said, “Bring value to every interaction you have.” Since I possess this knowledge and help clients every day, I try to expand that out to my network and everybody I know personally as well. 

For example, this year I was on a trip with some of my girlfriends. We were sitting around after going out for the night, and I’m talking about estate planning with them. I can’t help myself! 

There’s basic knowledge that can be really helpful to people that I’m always excited to share.

What advice would you give others who aspire to achieve the same recognition or honor in the field?

Grow your advisor network. I’m a better planner because I have other planners I regularly work and communicate with. 

Share your knowledge with other experts and colleagues in your network and try to make them stronger. 

There are enough clients for everybody. All of us are better when we bring our best selves and knowledge to this profession. We can help more people overall. 

So build your peer group, build your network, and focus on giving back to other advisors and people you meet along the way. 

I was even meeting with a lactation consultant, nursing my baby in front of her, and I started talking to her about Social Security! There’s never a situation where, once you start talking to people, you can’t help them in some way.

What are creative ways you have been able to educate and inspire others to make smart decisions with their finances?

I offer to give financial presentations or education to groups I’m already naturally involved in. 

For example, I’m part of a triathlon group. 

Once a year, I do a presentation about budgeting triathlon expenses into your life. It’s expensive to do an Ironman, you have to buy a road bike and tons of gear. I make the presentation fun and relate it to triathlon stuff, but at a high level, I’m talking about the basics of financial planning, like how to bucket your money and build in expenses. 

I do the same educational presentation for my infertility group. 

A couple of times a year, I do a presentation about how to budget for the cost of infertility treatments. IVF is very expensive, soon to be new parents need a clear plan for how to budget for their growing family. 

These are a few ways I give back to groups I’m already involved in. I already have this knowledge, and I get excited to share about it and find ways to make it practical and approachable. 

Continuing to teach, learn, and expand my skillset in this way makes me a more dynamic planner for our clients too. 

Imagine you’re walking on stage to thank the people or mentors who helped you achieve this award. What would you say to them?

I have so many people to thank along the way, and I’m very grateful to all of the mentors that I’ve had. 

I started in this industry with a very unique firm that had excellent company culture. They won awards for being a wonderful place to work. Working there taught me how to treat colleagues and be a great leader. I learned so much from my role there.

My peers in the finance industry who have been so open about sharing their knowledge. From technical knowledge about working on plans to working with clients and growing your business, that knowledge has helped me tremendously.

My first mentor, who encouraged me to “be authentic” and give back. It’s amazing how powerful two words can be. One skill I brought to this profession is that I like to have authentic conversations. Some clients come to me from other advisors who talked over them or used a lot of jargon. My goal is to have real conversations, and I hope my clients feel that intention. 

And, of course, Richard, the owner of Archer Investment Management. A huge reason I joined Archer is because Richard leads with empathy, kindness, and understanding. 

He’s coached me in work/life balance, and he creates an environment that’s conducive to serving on boards and committees, pro-bono financial planning work, and giving back to our community. 

We are encouraged to share our knowledge on social platforms and through the organizations we serve, and we’re given the time and space to enrich those around us. 

The culture of giving back at Archer just amplifies my own desire to give back with my time and expertise.

How do you plan to keep contributing to the financial community going forward? Anything you’re excited about in the next year?

It’s important to me to help people one-on-one in any way I can. Getting back to helping people face-to-face, especially those in my community in vulnerable situations, is high on my priority list. 

I try to stay tuned in to what the financial concerns and challenges are for all income brackets, not just high net-worth individuals. Staying involved in my community is one way to do that.  

I’m also excited to expand the short videos, articles, and tidbits I share on LinkedIn. Our firm is getting great feedback that people are implementing these quick tips. 

Sharing online in a simple and digestible format allows me to help different people that I may not get to serve one-on-one or build and adjust their financial plans personally is exciting to me. 

That allows my impact to scale and help as many people as possible, so I plan to do more of that too.

Want to work with Emily to manage your finances and investments?

Schedule a call with her to see what opportunities you may be overlooking in your finances.

If you want a sneak peek at what it looks like to work with her, check out her Linkedin posts on intentional money, thoughtful spending, and creative gifting.