For Nick Kloster, CFP®, AIF®, a shift in priorities after changing firms became the key to faster growth in his business. “At the start of my career, I made the mistake of making my job my top priority, and although it helped me get a quick start in the business, other areas of my life suffered,” he says.
Nick decided to go independent with Cornerstone Wealth Management and LPL Financial in 2021 when he founded Symmetry Financial Advisors in Rockford, Illinois. The move gave him the ability to build a schedule that supported his life.
“I have the flexibility to put my life priorities first and then build my job responsibilities around my life.”
That balance has been a game-changer for Nick, leading to remarkable growth. “When I made my family, friends and health come first, then my clients got the very best of me and my business grew quicker.”
Cornerstone supports that life-first mindset by providing advisors with best practices, new tools and ideas – along with dedicated support in areas like compliance, marketing and investment management – so they can grow without sacrificing what matters most.
Nick appreciates being able to start his own business and help clients make decisions that positively impact their financial lives. “My greatest professional satisfaction is when I see a client realize that they are in a good place,” he says. “I enjoy when they have confidence in their long-term plan and can leverage their money to live the life that they’ve always wanted.”
Nick’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to launch his firm while his wife, Jenna, cared for their two young children, then ages 2 and 3. “On paper, that move made no sense but when there is no Plan B, Plan A had to work and I got the job done,” he recalls. Cornerstone’s transition support empowered him to take that leap of faith and ensured he had the tools, resources and community to succeed.
Since then, Nick has had the opportunity to purchase a book of business from another LPL advisor and invest in marketing efforts that have helped propel his growth far beyond where he was at his prior firm. But he also credits a key realization since joining Cornerstone: “As much as I like to think I'm the best at everything, I'm not. I outsource anything I don't excel at or don't enjoy doing, so I can focus on the tasks that I enjoy and I'm good at.”
A regular participant in Cornerstone’s peer learning groups, Nick values the collaboration at the heart of the Cornerstone community. As he puts it, “Every business idea I've had was permanently borrowed from someone else. I'll always welcome a call from anyone at Cornerstone who wants to chat and share ideas.”
