Joseph LoPresti, Founder and CEO of Arlington Wealth Management, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Joseph LoPresti
Joseph LoPresti

Joseph LoPresti is the Founder and CEO of Arlington Wealth Management, Joseph is a thought leader, influencer, visionary, and successful entrepreneur. Joseph provides the leadership and energy that has inspired the creation of Arlington Wealth Management.
Joseph LoPresti joins other leading Bestselling Authors, International Speakers & Entrepreneur, CEOs and Founders taking part in our Leader Roundtable Interview Series. The DotCom Magazine editorial team is delighted to have Joseph join us for our Leader Roundtable Interview.

Joseph LoPresti is the President and CEO of Arlington Wealth Management. Starting as a broker working for various financial firms in the 1980s and 1990s, he found a prevalent common trait among these prestigious firms: they drove sales too heavily with little training and emphasis on providing sound advice. Early on, Joe decided that these Wall Street firms didn?t align with his business values. It was at this moment where Joe began the adventure that we know today as Arlington Wealth Management. He hit the ground running, striving to be the best in the business, absorbing practical knowledge of the industry, and learning from independent experts and leaders in the investment industry to form his specialized methodology. In 2000, Joe ventured out to start his firm, Arlington Capital Management. His methods became the foundations of his first book, entitled Empowered Investing: Strategies for Proactive Investors, and a radio program of the same name. His book and radio program provided unique insights to help investors make decisions to enrich their financial lives. Joe has taught his techniques at several local colleges in their continuing education programs.

Shortly after Arlington Capital Management?s conception, Joe also founded the Investor Education Institute, which offers memberships to investors and publishes investment insights. The memberships provide the advantage of ongoing training and education on being a disciplined investor, putting the power back in the investor?s hands, and making sense through all the noise that permeates the financial media. Joe values doing good and giving back to the community, a driving force behind creating the Joseph LoPresti Scholarship in 2020. He and AWM give the grant to a well-deserved student selected by their thoughtful response to an essay question.

Arlington Wealth Management is a lean and intimate firm. Joe believes that he could help each client lead a life of significance if he could spend less time managing a team and allocate that time and energy towards interacting directly with his clients to build trusting long-term relationships. He leads a team of talented and skilled professionals who share the AWM vision and core principles. The firm chooses to work with a limited group of clients who have good chemistry with the AWM team. By maintaining a select client base of successful families, business owners, and real estate investors, the company is dedicated to having each team member provide the time and resources to give all clients the attention and guidance they deserve. The firm strives to have a meaningful and positive impact on each client?s life.

AWM?s tailored wealth management solutions assist clients with proactive investment management and customized advanced planning to provide advice beyond investing. This planning includes tax mitigation, lifetime cash flow planning, wealth transfer, and asset protection, to mention a few examples. Some of the firm?s clients have causes that they care deeply for, and they want advice and guidance on magnifying their philanthropic strategies with methods that take care of themselves, their heirs, and the important causes in their lives. Joe and the AWM team advise clients who have spent their entire lives building their wealth and need sound advice to help them make intelligent and strategic decisions about their wealth.

Joe and his team are committed to making a positive impact on their clients? lives. Thanks to the leadership Joe provides and the decisions he takes with great care, they can continue to do so with even more time, attention, and energy than ever before.

Let?s start by telling us about your business.

Arlington Wealth Management is similar to other wealth management companies in that we assist those that have built their wealth through years of hard work and are looking for assistance in managing it properly. Our competitive advantage is in the way we do business. We focus on each client?s values, goals, and concerns and then providing custom solutions. We do not sell products, earn commissions or provide canned, unimaginative services. That is precisely why we choose to work with a limited client group, and only in situations where we believe we can make a meaningful impact in their lives. We strive to develop a relationship quality that is significantly greater than what may be available through other firms.

Q: Please tell us how you work to help make customers raving fans of your company?

We work hard every day, aiming to deliver a superior client experience. Our clients worked hard to build their wealth, and they want their wealth to work just as hard for them. Show us a picture of your ideal financial world, and we?ll put all our resources behind making it a reality. We provide solutions designed to achieve your life goals. Our clients want advisors to give them the time and attention required to foster meaningful relationships.

Q: Please tell us the one thing that separates your business from the competition.

I believe there we have a few competitive advantages. For example, our investment management prioritizes active risk management to help preserve wealth. Wealth preservation is the top concern among our clients. That?s much different than the more common, passive asset management. If I had to choose one thing, I?d say it?s the amount of time and energy we place into each client in a way that many other firms cannot do because, in our opinion, they are too focused on growing and finding the next client.

Q: And to finish this section, please tell us the primary key to your company?s success?

It?s creating a balance between preserving our core values and stimulating progress, staying true to our vision while also adapting as our industry, client needs, and the world evolves. I believe that delicate balance is key to long term success in this industry.

Q: For our readers just starting to build a company, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just beginning with a new venture?

Build a great foundation and do it with people you would trust taking care of your mother. Do as much research and learning as possible before you start your business. Sure, it?s essential to have a business plan, but it?s equally vital to be nimble and adapt. It helps if you have clients you can bring on board before you hit the ground. As many of these things you can do to build your foundation before day one, these will increase your chances of success.

Q: For entrepreneurs seeking to build a business as successful as yours, what one big piece of advice can you give them when times get a little challenging?

Speaking again of being adaptable, I?d say that it is the best time to adapt when times get challenging. Adapt or get left behind. Be open to the possibilities of profound change when times get challenging.

Q: In today?s fast-changing business environment, how do you stay abreast of things?

I am part of a group of advisors similar to me in that they have many years of experience, I?ve been in the industry for 36 years, and they have similar values. It?s like a mastermind group where we can share experiences and develop solutions to help our clients achieve their life goals. It is especially beneficial during times like these because I am not isolated. I also spend a lot of time reading and listening to podcasts of other successful people, which I find very enlightening when staying abreast of things in these changing times. Also, every business owner should have a coach. Just like every top athlete has a coach, I think entrepreneurs should too.

Q: What is your ?Why?? In one sentence, why do you get up in the morning?

I get up in the morning because I look forward to the impact I can make on others? lives, I am grateful for what my company is accomplishing, and above all, I do it for those that I care about and love.

Q: What is the most important thing one has to do to be a great leader in one sentence?

To be a great leader, one must make a positive impact on people whose lives they touch.

Q: In one sentence, describe how important your customers are to your business?

My clients have been the driving force behind the decisions I make; from the day I set out to learn and develop my methodology, I sought how to be the best advisor for my clients because they deserve to be the main focus of the wealth management industry.

Q: In one sentence, describe a positive way that technology can make the world a better place?

Technology can positively impact the world and make it better by gaining more access to information and knowledge; I learned a lot through self-learning and cannot imagine having today?s technology back when I started.

Q: In one sentence, tell us something positive to motivate our readers?

Measure your value by the size of the impact you leave on the world, not by the money you make.

Q: In one sentence, tell us how you start your day to get ready?

I take comfort in routine, so I like to start my day the same way most of the time: a short meditation, visualizing my life and business goals, and then on to my fitness program.

Q: In one sentence, describe how you handle rejection and setbacks?

You have to expect rejection and setbacks in this industry at times, so I handle them by knowing that they are inevitable and that there is nothing that my persistence won?t get me through, and if there is something to learn from the setback, then I take note.

Q: In one sentence, describe what your hiring philosophy is?

You get the right people on the bus, find talented people that align with the company?s core values even if you aren?t sure exactly where they ?fit? at first.

Q: In one sentence, describe how you keep your sanity in a competitive business environment?

I keep my sanity by staying humble: remembering that I am just a person doing a job has helped me stay focused while working in an industry that can be very stressful at times. Oh, and red wine. I guess that?s two sentences.

Joseph LoPresti, thank you so much for participating in the DotCom Magazine Leader Roundtable Interview Series. We appreciate you participating in this important roundtable interview series, and helping our readers learn more about what it takes to build a great company and become a great leader.