Ike Poplin, awarded the 2022 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, joins Millennium Private Wealth, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network
From having a real person answer every phone call to creating a “unique difference” for each of his clients, Ike Poplin is devoted to providing a comprehensive investment-planning experience unlike any other.
Poplin won’t take a cookie-cutter approach to his clients’ needs. That’s why, under his guidance, The Poplin Financial Strategies Group is becoming part of Millennium Private Wealth, a Wells Fargo Advisors Group.
Poplin said the move will give his firm the independence it needs to tailor offerings to each client’s goals. It also gives him the ability to differentiate his business from others in the field.
“It’s about maintaining independence — we are uniquely different, and we have been for years,” he said. “We’ve been here for 27 years, and my father before that started in 1957. Becoming more independent helps us continue to be uniquely different and enhance our uniqueness.”
For example, Poplin rejects the ubiquitous automated phone-answering systems in favor of the personal touch.
“In today’s world, if you look at the cookie-cutter approach most organizations are going to, they’re like answering the telephone: ‘Press 1 for this,’” he notes. “We answer every single phone call. That’s unique and different, and we want to preserve that.”
Poplin explained that being independent allows him another unique advantage: the ability to tap into a large and diverse pool of talented experts to ensure each client’s individual needs are met.
“It allows us to bring in people like certified financial planners onto our team, adding depth and resources as we move forward,” he said. “We partner with experienced tax attorneys and accountants because experience matters. Becoming independent allows us to preserve our business model of providing these unique services to each of our clients.”
Experience matters throughout the business, Poplin says, and he points out that the firm’s “client service and administrative professionals in Greenville average 25 years of experience each.”
While the move provides Poplin with the flexibility he wants to best serve the needs of his clients, the firm will retain its longstanding affiliation with Wells Fargo.
“Wells will still hold the assets – no one’s account numbers will change,” he said. “In this business, strength and stability are critical, so we will continue to rely on the stability of Wells Fargo custodying assets. This is a bridge between the strength and stability of Wells Fargo and our mindset of independence.”
Poplin describes the firm’s approach as holistic, beginning with each client’s specific goals.
“You’ve got to understand the goals and how much risk does the client need to take to achieve those goals. It’s a bottom-up approach in a top-down world,” he added.
The move began in mid-December and Poplin said he anticipates his business will be fully integrated with Millennium Private Wealth in 2023. As part of the change, the firm is moving from its Court Street offices to a new location at 148 River St., Suite 120.
