Financial success and stability help people to realize their most fulfilling lives. However, financial planning, particularly for retirement years and during volatile markets, can be a daunting task. For over 44 years, Don Barry has honed his expertise to help his clients address these challenges.
With his exceptional experience and insights in the field of financial services, Barry has developed techniques for helping clients modify their behaviors for better fiscal outcomes. His service to his clients and impact on his field have earned him various awards, including being inducted as a listee of Marquis Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Finance.
To date, Barry continues his work in leading others toward a successful financial future so they may enjoy the best of what their golden years can offer.
Accruing Knowledge in Financial Services
Barry attended Wichita State University, where he earned a Bachelor of General Studies in 1988. Before graduation, he worked in financial services as a stockbroker with A. G. Edwards. Barry comments on these early years of his career.
“Everybody was looking for the secret to success. When I came into the business, I would meet you at midnight in the graveyard with a report on electric utilities if that’s what it took to get the account,” remarks Barry.
Although the broker role was considered desirable in the early 1980s, Barry soon realized that this was not where his interests lay. He eventually moved toward Financial Planning and started giving Educational Seminars. “There was a part of me that was education-driven,” Barry states.
Honing an Expertise in Financial Planning
As he accrued more knowledge of financial services, Barry shifted his focus to helping his clients plan for their long-term financial health and stability. Since he was oriented more on the conservative end of the financial scale, he naturally accrued a large base of older clients, whom he helped with their retirement plans.
In 2008, Wells Fargo became the successor to A. G. Edwards. In 2015, he and his team moved to R. W. Baird, where he continues to serve as a financial advisor with the title of managing director.
Since then, Barry has applied a wealth of experience in financial services to assist his clients by helping them with financial planning and providing behavior modification techniques that keep them on track and engaged with their plans.
“I found that most people have common goals,” Barry reflects on his years in finance. “One, not to outlive their money. Two, not to have their standard of living go down. Three, to pass assets along to beneficiaries.”
Remarking on the evolving role of technology, Barry adds, “And while technology has changed over the years, and the kinds of investments that are available, human nature hasn’t changed.”
He concludes, “Human nature continues to be the primary challenge to being a successful investor.”
Building a Legacy of Excellence
Barry has garnered various rewards for his excellent work in his field and client service. Forbes Media LLC awarded him the Best-In-State Wealth Advisor in 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2018. The Financial Times named him one of the 400 Top Financial Advisers in 2019, and he earned the Difference Makers award for Wichita in 2018, among other awards. Barry’s recognition by the Marquis Who’s Who further signifies the influence of his work.
As Barry continues to help his clients secure their future, he still eagerly plans to serve his clients in the coming years. He maintains another financial philosophy he developed during his practice: follow the love.
“At the end of the day, financial security allows people to focus their lives on other things,” Barry affirms.
With every person he helps to achieve their financial dreams and live more fulfilling lives, Barry builds upon his legacy of excellence, wisdom, and service.
