In a duo set of ‘double act’ articles with paraplanner-turned-advisers, both Ross Webster and Will Kelly at Apogee Wealth Management, had worries that clients wouldn’t take them seriously because of their ages. Here’s what happened instead and why young paraplanners shouldn’t let age hold them back.
We’ve all done it – pictured the adviser stereotype. Someone older, experienced, maybe with greying hair and a long career behind them. Ross had definitely pictured it this way.
He shared:
“I was nervous people wouldn’t take me seriously because I wasn’t 40 or 50, that they’d see me as too young.”
It’s a worry that comes up again and again with aspiring advisers, but one that rarely plays out in reality.
Clients care about how you show up, not your age
Ross was surprised by how quickly this fear faded once he started meeting clients. In his words:
“There’s been one comment about my age, and it wasn’t negative. Every other meeting has shown it’s not an issue at all.”
He went on to say that what clients care about is whether you’re listening to them, whether you’re explaining things clearly and if you’re taking their circumstances seriously.
None of those things are tied to age, they’re tied to how you engage in the moment with your clients.
Experience can grow quicker than age
Will echoed Ross’ points. He began advising at 22 and initially had the same concerns:
“I was living at home, no mortgage, I’d not experienced half of the things that clients had.”
However, experience can develop rapidly once you start the adviser pathway. The first few meetings feel big, and then suddenly they don’t. You start to adapt to each and every new situation, you learn from each of them. That’s where the growth happens and you find your adviser voice – you own voice.
Confidence comes from knowledge, not birth year
Ross described how technical knowledge helped him feel legitimate in the room:
“Doing the exams gave me a foundation. Even though I’m young, I can confidently talk to clients knowing I’m telling them the right thing.”
Clients pick up on clarity and competence, it’s what makes them feel safe. Those qualities build trust faster than numbers of years attained.
Your age is not a limitation
Both Ross and Will have found that their age has allowed them to connect more easily with clients because of what they have on their side.
They’ve brought and continue to bring fresh thinking, the ability to explain things simply where they have had to break them down in recent years for themselves, and unwavering enthusiasm and energy which has been positively received in their client interactions.
The key message from this story is clear. Age is rarely an obstacle, but fear of age, fear of your own age, can be.
If you’re holding back because you think you’re too young, let Ross and Will’s journeys be your reassurance. The worry is likely to live mostly in your own head, as opposed to the client’s.
Main image: andy-tyler-cbPIFDK7NqE-unsplash
