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In Episode #11 of NAPFA Nation, Zach Teutsch, managing partner at Values Added Financial, talks with podcast host Marie Swift about helping “progressives” build financial lives they feel good about. Established in 2017, his fiduciary financial planning and wealth management firm is passionate about supporting people who want to leverage their wealth to make an impact and live a joyful life.

Setting the right goals and aligning those goals with one’s values, he says, is the equivalent of setting the GPS for one’s life. The principals and staff at Values Added Financial do not shy away from being real and are known for demonstrating their own diverse and progressive values in the world. This authenticity sets the stage for attracting remarkable and diverse clients and for working in a high-trust environment.

The company also attracts and retains quality team members who share their values, freeing everyone to focus on more meaningful work and values/goals alignment. He is an active member of ACP (Alliance of Comprehensive Planners), XY Planning Network, and NAPFA (National Association of Personal Financial Advisors), three professional associations that provide methodologies, community, and resources for fiduciary financial planners.

In a nutshell:

1. Values Added Financial focuses on helping clients align their values with their financial goals. The firm has experienced significant growth over the past six years and has a team of six dedicated fiduciary advisors. They have found success by being open about their “progressive” values and attracting like-minded clients.

2. Teutsch explains the firm’s business model, which includes assets under management (AUM) plus a sliding scale financial planning fee (retainer), but acknowledges that there is no perfect pricing model.

3. He believes in hiring based on “culture add” rather than just interpersonal fit and uses an interview process that uncovers emotional intelligence, and reflects the actual work involved.

4. Teutsch talks about reasons for doing advanced work in shareholder advocacy and socially responsible investing, and says that being upfront about values liberates the advisory team and empowers them to work on issues they care about, such as racial injustice and social safety nets. He emphasizes the importance of building a team that represents diversity and brings new perspective.

Zach Teutsch

Zach Teutsch is the Founder and Managing Partner of Values Added Financial, a fiduciary financial advisory firm that focuses on supporting its clients as they seek to live more fulfilling lives by making wise financial, career, and other life decisions. As a Fee-Only, independent financial advisor, Teutsch is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice. He graduated from Brown University with honors and concentrations in Economic Sociology and Organizational Behavior.

Before he launched Values Added Financial, he developed the first national financial empowerment programs in the labor movement and reached several hundred thousand union members. After that, he joined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau where he was a subject matter expert on financial education and empowerment. He has taught investment and financial planning topics to groups all around the country and has served individual clients for 15 years. His writing has appeared in Vox, The Billfold, and Greater Greater Washington. He has taught at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Brown Alumni Association, National Labor College, Congressional Hispanic Staff Association, DC Bar Association, Tzedek DC, Jews United for Justice, The DCJCC, 6th+I, the National Havurah Institute, and for dozens of unions and union locals.

He is an active member of ACP (Alliance of Comprehensive Planners), XY Planning Network, and NAPFA (National Association of Personal Financial Advisors), three professional associations that provide methodologies, community, and resources for fiduciary financial planners.