Except RIA websites are usually…bland.

Stuffy.

Jargon-riddled.

And, in turn, off-putting from a user’s perspective.

That’s why I’ve started a new series: Random RIA Reviews. Each month, I’ll pick a random RIA and review their site and content through a marketing lens, highlighting what’s working, what could be stronger, and what you can take away for your own digital marketing efforts.

Up first: Great Oak Capital Partners, out of South Easton, Massachusetts. (Yes, this is completely random. I used a random state and city generator and started blindly scrolling through search engine results.)

Let’s dive in.

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Firm Background: Great Oak Capital

Offices: 2 (Massachusetts and Florida)

Team Size: 6

AUM: ~$390M

Clients: 562

Client Types: Predominantly individuals, but also a few pension and profit sharing plans

Website

Initial Impressions

People form opinions in seconds, if not instantaneously. So a home page carries the onerous responsibility of making a lasting first impression.

Great Oak’s homepage is succinct. Its sole purpose is defining what it does (fiduciary, fee-only wealth management) and what that means.

It’s a clean, no-nonsense approach.

Area to Improve: What Now?

From a UX perspective, the homepage (and the site as a whole) is missing CTAs that drive visitors through the journey — either to book a meeting or learn more about the firm and its services.

You can see this in the hero above and the screenshot below. Great Oak breaks down what fiduciary fee-only wealth management is, but there’s no next step in the sequence. We hit the end of the page. Which leaves me wondering, what now?

I’d like to see buttons added to drive to other pages, like the planning process, team, and/or contact pages.

One admittedly nitpicky ding: they use en dashes, not em dashes. En dashes are for numerical ranges (e.g., 5–10 or 1990–1999).

Strength: Clever Logo and Graphics

Great Oak has a minimalist theme, with the right touch of creative visuals (e.g., their logo, the below process cycle) and zero stock photography. *applause*

Granted, outside of their team page, they also don’t have pictures of any people period — which is something you generally should include to humanize your branding. But still, they make it work.

Strength: Fee Transparency and Education

I’ve seen firms explain the difference between fee-only and fee-based. I’ve seen fiduciaries explain the downsides of commission-based firms, and I’ve seen plenty of content on the hidden costs of investment management, such as tax drag, turnover, sequence of returns risk, and even biases/poor decisions.

But I haven’t seen a firm consolidate all of these onto one page that’s dedicated to the cost of advisory services. For any prospect that’s hesitant about the value of fees for services rendered (which is the majority of prospects), this is a strong page that positions the firm well.

Even though it’s long, it’s still organized clearly and has a sidebar with jumplinks. And, again, great graphic design choice.

Area to Improve: Don’t Just Tell, Show Holistic Services

While their Planning Process page states that their approach is holistic (i.e., integrates investments, estate planning, budgeting, insurance, and taxes), there’s room to expand on this with more depth or concrete examples.

Most of the copy highlights aspects of investments, but not much on these other facets of wealth. A prospect may unconsciously decouple the idea of “holistic” wealth management from their services since there aren’t any specifics here.

We see this again on the FAQs page (image below). One approach would be to dedicate individual child pages that would live underneath the Planning Process or a new “Our Services” parent page. Another would be to simply expand on these services on the existing page.

Area to Improve: Generic Contact Page

Not that it needs to be truly one of a kind. But this feels like the standard, templated contact page that we’d find on any type of site (personal or commercial). I appreciate when firms have built-in Calendly interfaces for scheduling meetings, as well as some context as to what clients can expect (e.g., a complimentary 30-minute meeting, easygoing conversation, no strings attached).

Looking at two of the larger RIAs, Creative Planning and Mercer Advisors, we can see that they prioritize this all-important step in the prospect’s journey. (Even so, both could do better jobs of explaining what to expect, or “what’s in it for me?”)

Creative Planning Menu Navigation (Schedule a Meeting)

Mercer Advisors Contact Page

Content

Last but certainly not least, the firm’s blog page, which is titled “Learn.”

Strength + Area of Improvement: Straightforward (But Hard to Read) Hero

Personally, I’m not a fan of white text on a dark background, especially with an all-caps font. Still, a direct, no-frills hero and CTA is a refreshing sight. Well done.

Also, I signed up for email alerts — it’s framed as just that, alerts, but I expected a confirmation email or the start of a nurture sequence. Nothing yet. It could indicate they don’t have a newsletter or nurture sequence, which would be a major area of improvement.

Area to Improve: Page Organization and Presentation

The content archives sidebar is organized by date, not by topic (e.g., tax planning, social security optimization) — a missed opportunity. Readers aren’t going to take the time to click through random months to find relevant materials. Content production is consistent though (monthly).

Only the four latest posts are featured with preview text. Even so, the preview text is just the opening 150 words or so of the article — this section should instead be framed to succinctly explain what’s inside and “WIIFM” (what’s in it for me, as the reader).

Strength: Digestible, FAQ-Style Post Example

Frequently “Oaked” Questions — another clever spin. This FAQ-style content has very digestible formatting. Straight and to the point. Likely addresses the concerns of many clients simultaneously.

Strength: Down-to-Earth, Humanized Brand Voice

Fortuitously, for a random RIA, this is an excellent example of down-to-earth, reader-centric language. Great Oak has done a commendable job at branding themselves in this manner. Here’s a snippet from “Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Actually, Don’t.” that illustrates their brevity and humor.

Area to Improve: Missing Deeper Content

Greek Oak has a mix of content formats (e.g., personal essays, market updates, FAQs), but it seems to be missing deeper dives into specific planning areas and client pain points.

For instance, if I search “social security” or “tax planning,” no results contain these terms in the title. And after scanning through the articles that do populate, they’re only coming up because the search term happens to be briefly referenced somewhere on the page.

Takeaways

Without question, Great Oak nails authenticity and brand tone, but has some missed opportunities in terms of UX and deeper content. A few tweaks and stronger service framing could push their site to the next level.

Let’s go over a few key takeaways:

Avoid Stock Photos, When Possible

Replace stock photos with real pictures, even if it’s just shots of your team around the office. Or, you could lean into cohesive graphic designs like Great Oak.

Lean Into Personality

The "Frequently Oaked Questions" section is clever. Their writing voice is humorous and playful, while still maintaining professionalism. Find places where you can inject voice and humanize your brand.

Make Your Value Clear

While Great Oak has a relatable tone, the service explanation could be expanded. Don’t assume visitors know what you do. Add specificity around process, pricing, or results.

Create a Process or Journey Map

Never assume someone will intuitively know where to go next. Put yourself in a prospect’s shoes — open up your home page and assess whether there’s an obvious sequence through your site, like a tour guide walking you through an exhibit.

Take friction out of the equation.

Don’t Underestimate Content Strategy

Comprehensive insights help convey comprehensive expertise and services. Beyond market commentary, add educational content (like guides, FAQs, or insights) to help nurture visitors and move them through your funnel.

Know a firm you'd love to see reviewed next — maybe even your own? Hit reply and let me know.

Until next time,

—Carter

Financial Copywriter | Founder of Assets Under Marketing

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe:

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But that’d be a waste of time — you’re a financial advisor, I don’t need to sell you on planning, it’s one of your core services. You probably believe (rightly) that investors who don’t have a plan are exposing themselves to unnecessary risk and a directionless portfolio.

And yet, if I had to guess, you probably don’t have a marketing plan. 😬

According to Broadridge, only 3 in 10 advisors have a defined marketing strategy, even though advisors with a plan bring on 50% more clients than those without one.

Perhaps a tiny voice in the back of your mind is whispering, “Well, that’s just one survey…”

Fair point. Then I’ll direct you to Schwab’s 2024 Benchmarking Study: Firms that document their ideal client persona, value proposition, and marketing plan attract 67% more new clients and new client assets than those that don’t.

Two studies. Same result.

A documented marketing plan isn’t optional if you want growth. But creating one can feel like its own hurdle because (a) it sounds time-consuming and (b) most advisors don’t have much free time to begin with or know where to start.

Time to fix that.

The One-Page Plan (That You’ll Actually Use)

Let’s start small, literally. Because something is far better than nothing — and in most cases, simpler is better.

Think of this as a one-page financial plan you might build for a client. It’s not meant to capture everything, but it gets the most important information down on paper: structure, concrete direction, and a reminder of what the client is working toward.

A one-page marketing plan can do the same. Before you can build your plan, though, you need a simple mental model to map it to: the marketing funnel.

The marketing funnel

Most activities fall into one of three stages: Attract → Nurture → Convert

1. Attract: How people first discover you (e.g., LinkedIn posts, SEO, ads, referrals, partnerships)

2. Nurture: How you build trust and demonstrate value (e.g., newsletters, videos, webinars, guides, lead magnets)

3. Convert: How you turn interest into action (e.g., consults, onboarding calls, remarketing)

Most advisors unintentionally overcommit to one area and ignore the rest. However, without a dedicated and intentional approach to each stage, you’re either shouting into the void or leaving interested prospects hanging.

Prospects may find you through any number of channels, and the actual content that nurtures and resonates will likely vary as well. So it can help to visualize this as an actual funnel:

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of examples. Also, in many cases, marketing assets fit into more than one phase (e.g., a prospect finding you through one of your videos).

Now, let’s explore the one-page plan.

What should go into a one-page plan?

Below is a sample layout you can use as a starting point.

As always, we’ll walk through this exercise from the fictitious perspective of AUM Advisors, assuming that:

• We have a general idea of our long-term vision and one-year marketing goal

• We have fairly standard core services, but haven’t quite articulated our value proposition or unique differentiator.

• We know our audience

• We take a DIY approach to marketing, and it’s generally sporadic

• We’re unsure what metrics are important

• We’re unsure about next steps.

This month’s prompt sequence doubles as self-assessment. By asking ChatGPT for a list of targeted questions, you can start to contextualize your practice’s marketing situation: what’s working, what’s not working, what you know, what you’re unsure about, and so on.

As you’ll see, we have a relatively deep backstory for AUM Advisors. I encourage you to dedicate at least 15 minutes to answering these questions — the more detail/insight, the better.

We'll build on this next month, including ways to tighten up your value prop.

Until next time,

—Carter

Financial Copywriter | Founder of Assets Under Marketing

P.S. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe:

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They regurgitate general market updates. They bury readers in jargon. They read like a Series 7 textbook, instead of a conversation.

A forgettable (or even unreadable) newsletter does nothing for business development. If anything, it’s a drain on precious time and resources.

However, with a few tweaks and some down-to-earth touches, newsletters can be a firestarter.

According to a Dow Jones study, 42% of investors say their advisor could add more value simply by sharing content personalized to their interests, goals, and life events — yet only 4 in 10 advisors are actually doing it.

Long story short: you have an opportunity to differentiate.

Let’s unpack common newsletter mistakes and explore how to turn yours into a low-lift, high-impact connection point.

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The 3 Most Common Newsletter Mistakes Advisors Make

Generic Market Recaps

To avoid any misinterpretation, let me set something straight first — sharing your thoughts on market movements is not a waste of time. It demonstrates your expertise and authority on technical subject matter. As an investor, I would want to see that my advisor is on top of things.

Just reciting what happened though, well, that’s another story. Here’s a prime example:

🥱

While this particular firm’s assessment may be accurate and comprehensive, it fails to take the perspective of the reader into account. In other words, if I’m reading this, I’m asking:

What are the implications for my portfolio?

How does this impact me?

Why should I care?

The Great Wall of Text

Most people (not just advisors) are guilty of paving the Great Wall of Text every time they write. This approach condenses everything someone has to say about a topic into a horse-pill-sized block of text that’s neither easy nor desirable to read.

Here’s a real example:

Pop quiz: What was the 10-year Treasury’s rate at the time of this example’s writing?

Answer: Who knows, because no one’s reading that.

Instead of competing to see who can build the tallest, most eye-straining tower, aim for climbable retaining walls with a healthy amount of white space. There’s nothing wrong with two- or even one-line paragraphs.

They stand out and are easier to read.

Impersonal CTAs

In the movie Pulp Fiction, Mia (Uma Thurman) asks Vincent Vega (John Travolta), “When in conversation, do you listen, or do you just wait to talk?”

That line has stuck with me ever since I first saw the classic Tarantino film.

It’s easy to forget that, while you are the one initiating the dialogue, a newsletter is in fact a conversation.

With that in mind, what’s wrong with this visual?

For starters, option overload.

More importantly, they’re firm-focused — read OUR blog, watch OUR videos, you get the idea. The reader just spent a lot of time listening to the firm speak, now they’re pushed to do even more listening.

Instead, why not encourage conversation — like you would in reality — by asking a question?

“Any concerns about the current market’s impact on your own situation?“

“Do you have any questions? We’re a quick email or call away if you do.”

Even a simple, “What’s on your mind?”, can go a long way not only to build trust and engagement but also to proliferate prime content ideas. If a client asks a question about tariffs, you can spotlight the Q&A in a future edition of your newsletter.

Chances are, if one person is wondering something, others are too.

Get People Reading (and Replying)

If most advisor newsletters could be mistaken for textbooks, your goal should be the opposite: make readers feel like they’re reading a personal letter.

Clear. Concise. Human.

And you don’t have to water down your insights to accomplish this.

Start by reframing your newsletter as a conversation starter. Speak to real questions, real concerns, and real goals. Then invite readers to participate — ask what’s on their mind, welcome their feedback, and let them know anything they say will be anonymized.

To help you do so, I’ve created a step-by-step prompt sequence that does the heavy lifting for you. The topic is likely top of mind for many people these days: the One Big Beautiful Bill’s impact on student loans.

And here’s the result.

Until next time,

Carter

Financial Copywriter | Founder of Assets Under Marketing

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe:

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“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” — Mike Tyson

Volatility feels a lot like that punch.

Jarring.

Disorienting

Physiologically painful.

Except advisors know it’s precisely in these tumultuous periods that their guidance is most appreciated, because volatility tends to amplify what clients value most: knowing someone is in their corner.

That’s why this month’s issue highlights a simple but often overlooked tool for reinforcing relationships: timely, relevant content that speaks directly to what clients are thinking. And feeling.

Featured Content Idea of the Month: How Investors Can Take Advantage of Volatility

Why tackle this topic right now? Because volatility is everywhere.

Between retaliatory tariffs, inflation concerns, and recession chatter, investors are understandably nervous. Market uncertainty isn't going anywhere soon, but that doesn't mean investors should sit on the sidelines. Instead, advisors should help clients understand that volatility can present valuable opportunities.

This month's content idea positions you as a steady, proactive guide — exactly what anxious investors need.

Below, I’ve outlined a structured prompt sequence that you can copy and paste directly into ChatGPT (or your preferred AI platform). This is designed to help you efficiently produce a clear and actionable article for clients and prospects.

AI Prompt Sequence

You’ll hear me say this every time, but the initial prompt sets the stage: the more input you provide, the better the output. You might also consider attaching examples of content that you’d like ChatGPT to emulate, whether that’s for certain angles, topic depth, and/or writing style.

Prompt #1

Act as: Expert copywriter and content strategist for the Firm

Firm: AUM Advisors, an independent fee-only advisory firm

Project: Blog Post (which we will prefer to as post 001)

Style: Professional but high readability

Tone: Evocative, experienced, informative, clever, affable

Topic: How Investors Can Take Advantage of Volatility

Context: Recent market conditions have been notably volatile, driven by geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and economic uncertainty. Clients are expressing anxiety about short-term portfolio performance and potential long-term impacts.

Assignment: Based on the provided context, provide a list of key questions to answer for the blog post; these should be from the perspective of the target audience.

Audience:

* $100K–$1M in investable assets; typically early-stage accumulators or mid-career professionals building wealth.

* Younger, dual-income households, professionals, small business owners, or mid-level executives in [REGION]

Focused on getting organized, building good financial habits, and growing wealth.

* Desire to balance paying down debt, saving for goals (home, education, retirement), and managing risk.

* Feeling unsure if they’re “doing enough” to build a solid financial foundation.

* Overwhelmed by multiple financial goals competing for attention.

* Limited time or financial literacy to confidently manage investing, insurance, or tax decisions on their own.

Notes:

• Tailor the audience overview to your firm’s ideal client profile

• Review the list of questions — tweak, remove, or add as you see fit.

Prompt #2

Considering every chat is unique, your AI companion’s response could look quite different. Either way, based on our instructions, you’ll have a list of questions to sort through. These questions will drive the depth and length of this article (I recommend aiming for 1,000 to 1,500 words).

Let's focus on [2, 4, 6, 8, and 18]. I think 4 and 6 can be addressed in the same section. I see 18 as a possible concluding section that tees up a CTA. With these in mind, provide a potential outline that addresses these questions in an optimal flow, including SEO-aware headers and header tags, section descriptions, and source-backed stats.

Screenshot has been clipped for length.

Notes:

• Review the outline. Provide specific feedback (e.g., “I’d like to recommend Roth conversions; where would this topic best fit?) and make any changes/removals.

Prompt #3

From here, we’ll start drafting the post — one section at a time.

Why? Because the more responsibility you hand off to ChatGPT (or any AI tool), the shallower the response. We don’t want rushed, surface-level commentary.

Not bad. I'll provide specific feedback as we draft each section, one at a time. Provide two unique versions of the introduction, one taking an analytical approach and one taking an empathetic approach.

Notes:

• For my feedback on this intro, you can review the full conversation (link at the end of the prompt sequence). We’ll skip ahead to the next section.

• If you want AI to reference a particular stat or angle, include it in the prompt. For example, the following JPM article includes compelling rolling annual returns data that you could ask ChatGPT to integrate.

Prompt #4

Let's proceed to the next section: H2: Why Is the Market So Volatile Right Now?

Outline feedback:

- All good, except for recent drivers, we can list: tariffs, recession fears, tech valuations, sticky inflation, and budget talks.

Based on our outline, provide a draft with the following formatting notes in mind:

* Occasionally, take advantage of white space, mixing in one-sentence paragraphs every now and then to accentuate key points.

* Use analogies and examples to simplify complex financial concepts. These shouldn’t be over the top though, to the point where they’re patronizing.

Ex: It’s easy to lose yourself in the numbers of retirement planning, but we all have to see the forest for the trees. By painting the big picture (i.e., the life you want) the finer details can fall into place.

* Mix in concise, evocative statements where appropriate.

Ex: When you look at your retirement account statements, what do your eyes immediately snap to? A dollar figure. This number looks real. It’s tangible. You can see it, monitor it, and watch it move in real time. But in reality, it’s theoretical.

* Avoid fluff or unnecessary prose.

Notes:

• In this particular prompt, we use formatting notes to guide ChatGPT’s writing style. You can (and should) tweak the formatting notes to your liking.

• In my feedback, I made a general note not to overuse conjunctions to start sentences. For example, "But the takeaway is simple" doesn't need the "but."

• I also asked ChatGPT to naturally integrate the stat into the narrative instead of using a block quote and provide a link to the source material as well.

• Be wary of stats and research. ChatGPT sometimes generates random figures without sources. In this case, it was a reliable source that I verified. I highly recommend asking ChatGPT to provide sources whenever it references a figure, or provide your own.

For the sake of space, you can review the full conversation here and take the gist of my feedback into account as you draft with ChatGPT. You’re free to take sections (or even the full draft) of my example article and use them as your starting point.

Ready-to-Use Email

Subject line: Making sense of market volatility

Body:

If recent market swings have left you feeling uneasy (maybe even queasy), you're not alone. Between headlines about tariffs, recession fears, and constant market fluctuations, it's natural to wonder: "Should I be doing something differently?"

Here's the good news: periods of volatility can offer strategic opportunities for disciplined investors. I've outlined key strategies you can use right now to confidently overcome this turbulent environment and position your portfolio to benefit from the uncertainty.

In this month's featured article, you'll learn:

• Why volatility isn't always bad news for your investments

• How market dips can help boost long-term returns

• Practical strategies, like rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting, to make volatility work in your favor

Don’t let uncertainty disrupt your plan. Find out how to take advantage of volatility.

[Read the Article]

Have questions or concerns? Reply directly to this email — I’m here to help you stay calm and confident, no matter what comes next.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Firm]

Ready-to-Use LinkedIn Post

Volatility is an opportunity.

Historically, some of the strongest investment returns and long-term value plays emerge because of uncertainty, not in spite of it.

In my latest article, I break down how you can confidently overcome volatility and strategically strengthen your portfolio, covering practical strategies like rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, and more.

👉 [Link to full article]

#investing #marketvolatility #financialplanning

Marketing Tip: Don’t Waste Precious (Digital) Real Estate

Many advisors and wealth managers overlook their email signatures. This small space may not seem like much, but why not take advantage of every square inch of digital real estate you have?

Your email signature can be a gateway to further engagement, with minimal setup and effort. By optimizing this space, you ensure that each email carries a potential touchpoint that can lead to deeper client engagement or new client inquiries.

Considerations:

• Use a standard font that matches your brand for consistency across all communications.

• Incorporate links to your professional website, LinkedIn profile, or recent publications. This makes it easy for recipients to learn more about your services or follow you on social media.

• Add a small banner or a call-to-action (CTA) in your signature that promotes a new service, upcoming webinar, or a downloadable resource (like a white paper).

• Consider adding a line about a recent award or recognition you’ve received to build credibility and make a strong impression.

Example:

Austin U. Miles | Certified Financial Planner

AUM Advisors | Tel: 555-123-4567

Visit Our Website | Connect on LinkedIn

Download Our Free Guide to Retirement Planning

[Voted Top Financial Advisor by Barron’s, 2025]

Quarterly Content Planner: Q3 2025

This section helps plan content around timely topics that resonate with your clients and prospects. Use this calendar as a guide to reduce decision fatigue and keep your communications strategic and engaging.

July: Mid-Year Financial Checkup

July is a perfect opportunity for investors to evaluate their financial goals and portfolio progress. Consider creating a brief checklist or mid-year financial “pulse check” to help clients stay proactive.

Content Idea: “Mid-year market update: Are you on track to reach your 2024 financial goals?”

Quick tip: Turn your checklist into a LinkedIn carousel post for visual engagement.

August: College Savings & Education Planning

With back-to-school season arriving, August naturally prompts families to think about education costs. Create helpful, straightforward content on funding higher education, maximizing 529 plans, or balancing education savings with retirement planning.

Content Idea: “How much should you realistically save for college and what’s the best way to do it?”

Quick tip: Share a concise infographic outlining the basics of 529 accounts on social media.

September: Retirement Readiness & Planning

National 401(k) Day falls on September 6, so it’s the ideal time to revisit retirement strategies with clients. Produce educational content that addresses common retirement uncertainties, outlines practical steps for different life stages, or highlights key retirement planning actions to consider before year-end.

Content Idea: “The 5 retirement questions every investor over 50 should ask.”

Quick tip: Host a brief retirement planning webinar and repurpose the highlights into social media posts or an email series.

Until next month — keep showing up, keep adding value.

Carter

Financial Copywriter | Founder of Assets Under Marketing