Eric James Negron

We All Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

Sometimes a client says something that stays with you.

Not because it's about money.

Because it's about life.

This past week, one of our clients, Katie, said something I'll never forget.

"I'm grateful for all those giants on whose shoulders we stand that we're able to be in this spot and living life."

I've been thinking about that sentence ever since.

Katie and her wife have been clients for more than a decade.

Over those years, we've done what most people think financial advisors do.

We refinanced their home.

Sold that home.

Bought another.

Then, when their grown children moved back to Austin from Boston, we helped them move again.

This time closer to their grandkids.

Their dream?

As Katie likes to call it...

"Grandma daycare."

Then life reminded all of us how fragile it can be.

Katie developed a rare brain infection after bacteria entered through her eye.

Within a short period of time, she lost many of the things most of us take for granted.

Walking.

Feeding herself.

Her independence.

Recovery took nearly a year.

During that season, we didn't spend much time talking about investment returns.

We checked in.

We visited them at home.

We made sure their financial plan could carry one less burden while Katie focused on healing.

Thankfully, years earlier, they had made some incredibly wise decisions.

Their estate plan was complete.

Their long-term care coverage was in place.

Their retirement plan didn't need to be reinvented during a crisis.

It simply did what it was designed to do.

This week, our meeting looked very different.

Katie is retiring again from a part-time consulting role.

She finally earned enough Social Security credits to supplement her teacher's pension.

So we talked through the math.

When should she claim?

How does longevity affect the decision?

What role does health history play?

It was a normal planning meeting.

And honestly...

Those are my favorite.

Because normal is something you appreciate a whole lot more after you've lived through extraordinary hardship.

As we wrapped up, Katie looked at Michelle and me and said,

"I love you both. I love what you stand for and how you support folks through life."

That meant more to me than she'll probably ever know.

Because that's exactly how I hope our clients experience us.

Not as investment managers.

Not as financial planners.

But as partners who help carry life's biggest transitions.

I still keep coming back to Katie's words.

"I'm grateful for all those giants on whose shoulders we stand..."

None of us gets where we are alone.

We're all standing on someone else's shoulders.

Parents.

Teachers.

Mentors.

Friends.

Spouses.

Clients.

It's a good reminder to appreciate the people who helped us get here.

And maybe even become one of those giants for someone else.

P.S. If you or someone you know is looking for a trusted advisor to help simplify life's financial decisions, prepare for retirement, or navigate a major transition with confidence, my team and I will always make time to talk. Feel free to send me a message.

The best technology in my advisory practice isn't Zapier.

It's empathy.

The technology just gives me more opportunities to show it.

Hear me out.

This past week, I was helping one of our clients finish something we've been working on for months: retitling the final bank account into his trust.

Everything else had already been completed through his estate plan with EncorEstate Plans.

There was just one problem.

The last account was at Citibank US.

Years ago, he moved from New York City to The Villages, Florida. The nearest branch?

10 Hours away.

When we called CitiBank, the answer was exactly what you'd expect.

"You'll need to mail in the paperwork."

One more hurdle.

One more delay.

One more thing on his mental list.

Then our conversation took a turn.

He shared that his prostate cancer may have returned, and he was scheduled for another procedure this week.

Suddenly, this wasn't about retitling a bank account anymore.

It was about making sure his daughter wouldn't have to any issues if something happened to him.

So we changed our approach.

Instead of asking him to drive hours to a branch or find a local notary, we opened Notarize .

Within minutes, he had digitally signed everything from the comfort of his home, and as soon as we finished, our team overnighted the documents to CitiBank.

One less thing for him to worry about.

But that's not what he'll remember.

While we were talking, I made a mental note that his procedure was the next morning.

Before we hung up, I scheduled two text messages using our phone platform, CurrentClient.

One to him.

One to his daughter.

Not about investments.

Not about paperwork.

Just to encourage them before surgery and let them know they weren't walking through it alone.

Then I logged into Wealthbox.

Our team has built client care workflows that make it easy to remember the moments that matter most.

With one click, a Get Well care package from A Spoonful of Comfort was on its way to his home.

None of these things required artificial intelligence.

None of them were groundbreaking automations.

They're simply intentional systems.

And I think that's something our profession gets wrong.

We spend so much time asking,

"How can technology make me more efficient?"

A better question is,

“How can technology help me care for my clients better?”

Because clients rarely remember your portfolio recommendation.

They remember how you made them feel during one of the hardest weeks of their life.

They remember who checked in.

They remember who cared.

That's what builds trust.

That's what earns introductions.

That's what creates clients for life.

Technology should never replace empathy.

It should create more opportunities to deliver it.

If you're an advisor, here's my challenge this week.

Look at one part of your client experience and ask yourself,

"How can I use technology to create a more heart-centered moment?"

I'd love to hear your answer.

Every Sunday, I Bring Three Things to Church

Every Sunday, you’ll find me sitting in church with three things.

My notebook 📓, my Bible app 📖, and an open heart ❤️

I’ve learned something over the years.

The more responsibility God entrusts to you, the more dangerous it becomes to believe your success is entirely your own doing.

As business owners and leaders, we spend our weeks building plans, setting goals, leading teams, and preparing for the future.

That’s good stewardship.

But the older I get, the more I realize that the best leaders don’t just make plans.

They surrender them.

A Reminder from Proverbs
Today’s sermon reminded me of Proverbs 19:21:
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

I still believe in vision.
I still believe in strategy.
I still believe in disciplined ex*****on.

But I’ve learned that every plan should be held with open hands.

Because God’s sovereignty has a way of accomplishing things I never could have planned myself.

What Success Has Taught Me:

Rarely does lasting success happen without humility.

Rarely does meaningful leadership happen without character being refined.

And rarely do our greatest blessings come exactly the way we imagined they would.

My Prayer This Week:

So today, before another busy week begins, my prayer is simple:
Father, thank You for giving me the ability to dream, build, and lead. Give me the wisdom to make plans, the humility to surrender them, and the faith to trust that Your purpose is always greater than my own. May my work honor You more than it promotes me. Amen.

I hope you have a blessed Sunday.

- - -
P.S. What’s one thing you’re trusting God with this week? I’d love to pray for you. 🙏

🚨 We’re going LIVE in one hour with the AI platform that made headlines and sent shockwaves through the financial services industry.

Hazel AI from Altruist isn’t just another advisor tech tool. It’s redefining how advisors identify tax planning opportunities, uncover hidden client value, and move from reactive conversations to proactive advice at scale.

Today at ScaleCon Elevate, Fernando San Martin and the Hazel team will be unveiling powerful new capabilities LIVE, showing advisors how AI can help elevate the impact of their advice around tax planning and create better outcomes for clients.

If you’ve been wondering where AI is headed, this session will give you a front-row seat to the future.

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🕙 Today at 10:00 AM CT

This isn't theory.
This isn't hype.
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Today is the day that we are gathering growth-minded advisors at the Dimensional Fund Advisors headquarters in Austin for Advisor ScaleCon Series: Elevate.

What excites me most is the people in the room.

The advisors who care enough about their craft to invest two days in becoming better.

The conversations around tax planning, investments, and estate planning.

The ideas that will be challenged.

The relationships that will be formed.

The frameworks that will be implemented.

My hope is that every advisor leaves with a clearer vision for how they create more value for the families they serve.

Let’s elevate the impact of advice.

$110,000,000

One conversation.

Not one word about investments.

Two weeks ago, I sat down with a business owner who sold his company a few years ago and now has a net worth north of $110 million.

We didn't discuss asset allocation.

We didn't discuss performance.

We didn't discuss market forecasts.

Instead, we talked about something far more important.

Legacy.

How do you create impact that lasts 100+ years?

How do you ensure your children and grandchildren are taken care of?

How do you transfer wealth efficiently?

How do you reduce what he jokingly called "our business partner" — the IRS?

Estate planning.

Tax planning.

The conversations that actually matter when significant wealth is involved.

The truth is that most advisors never get taught how to have these conversations.

I know because 10 years ago, I wouldn't have felt comfortable having this conversation myself.

I was trained in Version 1.0 financial advice:

Portfolios.

Performance.

Asset allocation.

Investment products.

Today, those things are table stakes.

The future belongs to advisors who can integrate investments, tax strategy, and estate planning into advice clients can't imagine living without.

That's exactly why we created Advisor ScaleCon Elevate.

This Tuesday, you'll hear the exact frameworks, questions, strategies, and planning conversations that allow advisors to build trust faster, create deeper relationships, and deliver more meaningful impact.

The same types of conversations that allowed me to sit across from a $110 million business owner and confidently discuss the issues keeping him up at night.

Not theory.

Not product pitches.

Real-world conversations from advisors doing this work every day.

And if you're a procrastinator like me, I've got you covered.

👇 The FIRST 10 people who:

1️⃣ Comment "ELEVATE" below

AND

2️⃣ Repost this post

Will receive a FREE virtual pass to ScaleCon Elevate, including access to the livestream, recordings, workbook, and resources.

After the first 10, send me a DM that says:

"I WANT TO JOIN ELEVATE"

And I'll send you a special discount code for significant savings on a virtual ticket.

And if you're in the Austin area and one of the first 10 people to claim it...

I just might be able to find you a seat in the room.

The future of advice isn't more investments.

It's becoming indispensable.

↗️ www.advisorscalecon.com

It's Father's Day.

And I'm sitting here putting the finishing touches on my opening keynote for Advisor ScaleCon Elevate on Tuesday.

As I review the slides, I keep coming back to one in particular.

Because it captures something I believe with every fiber of my being:

The future belongs to advisors who become indispensable.

Not because they have better products.

Not because they have prettier portfolios.

Not because they have a better performance chart.

Because they help clients solve bigger problems.

This past week, BlackRock announced the launch of a new Ultra High Net Worth Consulting division focused on helping advisors navigate areas like:

• Investments
• Estate Planning
• Tax-Aware Wealth Strategies
• Liquidity Events
• Wealth Structuring

Think about that for a second.

The largest asset manager in the world is investing resources into the exact capabilities that separate commodity advisors from indispensable advisors.

That's not where the industry is going.

That's where the industry already is.

And it's exactly why we created ScaleCon Elevate.

The future doesn't belong to the advisor with the most products, portfolios, or presentations.

It belongs to the advisor who can integrate investments, tax strategy, estate planning, and advanced planning into advice clients can't imagine living without.

The advisor who helps families make better decisions.

The advisor who helps business owners create tax-efficient liquidity.

The advisor who helps clients build generational legacies.

The advisor who becomes impossible to replace.

And here's the good news...

You don't get there overnight.

As Jalen Brunson said:

"We knew one play was not going to bring us all the way back. We just kept chipping away."

One conversation.

One process.

One referral.

One improvement.

The magic is in the work.

Advisor ScaleCon Elevate starts Tuesday.

If you've been waiting until the last minute, I've got you covered.

🎟️ We still have livestream tickets available.

The FIRST 10 people who comment "ELEVATE" below will receive a code for a FREE virtual pass, including access to all recordings.

After the first 10, send me a DM that says:

"I WANT TO JOIN ELEVATE"

And I'll send you a special discount code for significant savings on the virtual pass.

The future of advice is being written right now.

Come build it with us.

↗️ www.advisorscalecon.com

Scaling your business isn't something you do.

It's who you become.

Because let's be honest...

Nobody wants to scale mediocrity.

If your advice isn't making you indispensable to the families you serve, what exactly are you trying to grow?

This week, my wife and I escaped to San Antonio for a short break. Between great food, basketball, and checking a few things off the bucket list, I've been reviewing the final ScaleCon Elevate workbook.

And I couldn't stop thinking about something.

A few days ago, I sat across from a business owner worth more than $110 million.

We didn't talk about investments.

We didn't talk about performance.

We talked about legacy.

How to create impact that lasts 100+ years.

How to transfer wealth efficiently.

How to reduce what he called "our business partner" - the IRS.

Tax planning.

Estate planning.

Family governance.

The conversations that truly matter.

That's the future of advice.

Not more portfolios.

Not more products.

More impact.

The advisors winning today are the ones who can connect investments, tax strategy, and estate planning into advice clients can't imagine living without.

Ironically, that same lesson showed up while watching my New York Knicks fight to end a 53-year championship drought.

Jalen Brunson said it perfectly:

"We knew one play was not going to bring us all the way back. We just kept chipping away."

That's exactly how great advisory firms are built.

You don't go from $50M to $200M+ overnight.

You don't wake up with a scalable business.

You chip away.

One client.

One conversation.

One system.

One process.

One improvement at a time.

The magic is in the work.

The advisors who scale the fastest aren't obsessed with growth.

They're obsessed with becoming better.

Because when you elevate the quality of your advice, growth becomes the byproduct.

A few years ago, none of this would've been possible for me.

Not the business.

Not the opportunities.

Not the freedom.

Not attending game 5 of the Finals with my wife, about to watch the Knicks make history.

All of it came from one decision:

Elevate the impact of the advice.

Then scale it.

That's exactly why we created Advisor ScaleCon Series: Elevate.

Two days focused on helping advisors deliver deeper advice around investments, tax planning, estate planning, and client impact.

No fluff.

No vendor hall.

No filler.

Just practical ideas you can implement immediately.

👇 COMMENT "SCALE" below and I'll personally DM you a special ScaleCon discount code for a major savings on a virtual pass.

🔗 advisorscalecon.com/elevate

Today is the last day to purchase an in-person ticket for ScaleCon Elevate.

In two weeks, 100 advisors will be sitting in a room together in Austin.

Sharing ideas.
Asking better questions.
Working through real client challenges.
Learning from people who have already solved the problems they're facing.

The sessions matter.

But some of the most valuable moments happen before the keynote starts, after the session ends, and around conversations that weren't on the agenda.

You'll leave with new frameworks around tax planning, investments, and estate planning.

You'll also leave with relationships that continue long after the event is over.

If you've been thinking about joining us, this is your last chance to secure an in-person seat.

June 23–24
Austin, TX

Get your ticket here:
https://advisorscalecon.com/elevate/

In-person registration for ScaleCon Elevate closes tomorrow, June 10.

What I'm most excited about isn't just the sessions.

It's the conversations that happen between them.

The advisor who asks a question you've been struggling with for months.

The person sitting next to you who shares a framework that changes how you think about a client situation.

The relationships that continue long after the event ends.

You'll leave with practical strategies around tax planning, investments, and estate planning.

You'll learn how to navigate concentrated stock positions, complex tax situations, and the kinds of client conversations that deepen trust.

Most importantly, you'll leave with a clearer vision for how to become the advisor clients can't imagine replacing.

That's what happens when you put 100 growth-minded advisors in the same room.

Join us June 23–24 in Austin, TX.

In-person registration closes June 10.

Get your tickets here:
https://advisorscalecon.com/elevate/