Talk about career transformations…
For years and years Charlie Hodge was a favorite voice and personality on Austin radio waves and comedy stages, building a relationship as one of the funniest and relatable media personalities out there. But the man born Andrew Westerkom has in recent years shed his well-worn stage name and turned to the world of personal finance, working as a licensed financial adviser to help clients achieve their wealth and retirement goals.
He calls it “funny man to money man,” and Westerkom has joined on with his father at RBC Wealth Management to build his business by helping many of the people who trusted him as a radio personality to bring humor and enjoyment to their day. Both professions rely on the gift of gab, he said, with financial advisers asking the right questions to help clients define their money plans for the short- and long term.
“You keep talking and have conversations to learn what the needs are, then find a way to solve those,” he said.
The key to success in the financial services world is similar to most other fields: building a trustworthy reputation and following through on your commitments. And, of course, another requirement as someone working in a highly regulated industry is knowing all the distinct rules that need to be followed, while always putting the client’s needs ahead of his own.
“If you say you’re going to do something, you do it. You have to stand by what you say and what you believe in, and I feel like that was always the avenue for my success. It’s like having a code or trusting people who have a credo. It’s about networking and talking. People have aged with me and there are similar things in their life.”