A typical scenario describes how the modern financial world works. Despite earning a six-figure salary and diligently saving for two decades, a professional can feel completely lost when meeting with wealth managers. During consultations, financial jargon flew over one’s head, and the multi-page proposals read like doctoral dissertations. Wealth management seekers left each meeting more confused than when they arrived, paralyzed by complexity rather than empowered by clarity.
This scenario reflects a troubling reality that spans continents and income brackets. The wealth management industry, built to serve savers and investors, has become so mired in technical complexity that it alienates the people it claims to help. From London to Singapore to New York, ordinary investors struggle to decode financial plans requiring advanced degrees.
This disconnect has real consequences. The PwC research reports that “a quarter of US adults have no retirement savings and only 36% feel their retirement planning is on track.”
Aside from economic pressure and lack of enough financial resources, part of the cause for these is that they cannot navigate the complex and confusing maze of financial products and strategies presented to them. The result? Missed opportunities, delayed decisions, and suboptimal outcomes compound over decades.
The Complexity Trap That’s Costing Investors
Walk into most wealth management offices today, and one will encounter what industry insiders call “analysis paralysis by design.” Advisors present 20-page financial plans stuffed with Monte Carlo simulations, asset allocation matrices, and risk-adjusted return projections. While technically sophisticated, these documents often obscure rather than clarify the path forward.
Alex Angst, CKA, CFP, financial advisor and founder of wealth management company RISE Capital, witnessed this dysfunction firsthand during his 16-year career managing numerous households. “Most people cannot find 36-year-old business owners in this space because the industry has become so complex that it scares away both clients and younger advisors,” he observes.
The statistics support his assessment: the average financial advisor is 55 years old and approaching retirement, leaving clients stranded just when they need guidance most.
The complex problem extends globally. European investors face similar challenges with UCITS regulations and MiFID II compliance, creating additional layers of confusion. Asian markets grapple with cross-border investment restrictions that multiply documentation requirements. The same pattern emerges everywhere: well-intentioned regulations and sophisticated products create barriers preventing ordinary people from accessing quality financial advice.
Each consultation has its statements, fee structures, and performance metrics. Alex Angst describes how coordinating these disparate pieces into a coherent strategy becomes a full-time job that most people simply cannot manage.
The One-Page Revolution
Seeing the problem, Alex Angst has staked the challenge. His company, RISE Capital’s response to this complexity crisis, centers on radical simplification: a proprietary one-page financial plan that distills everything into actionable clarity.
This plan represents more than a marketing gimmick or process improvement. It fundamentally rethinks how financial advice should be delivered in an age where information abundance creates decision paralysis. It captures income planning, investment strategy, insurance and risk management, tax planning, and estate considerations on a single sheet that clients can understand and implement regardless of their financial background.
“We provide experience and know-how to savers making huge life changes with confidence,” Alex explains. “Simplicity helps clients put their plans into action regardless of their financial knowledge or interest level.”
The firm serves clients throughout the United States, democratizing access to sophisticated planning and fiduciary oversight, traditionally reserved for ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
The one-page approach reflects broader trends toward simplification across industries. Netflix revolutionized entertainment by making content discovery effortless. Amazon transformed commerce by reducing friction in purchasing decisions. Similarly, RISE Capital eliminates the friction preventing people from controlling their financial futures.
However, Alex clarifies that this simplification doesn’t mean dumbing down. Instead, it requires deeper expertise to distill complex concepts into their essential elements. The difference lies in presentation: instead of overwhelming clients with technical details, they focus on clear outcomes and straightforward implementation.
The results speak volumes. RISE Capital maintains a perfect five-star rating across 17 high-profile accounts, which clearly highlights how its clients appreciate the clarity-first approach, a step to make wealth management truly simple.
More Than Simplicity: Wealth Management that is Intentional
RISE Capital doesn’t just focus on simplicity. Their wealth management is also compliant and consistent. The company’s faith-based ownership adds another dimension to its simplification philosophy.
“We glorify God by serving good savers with great financial plans,” as RISE Capital’s mission says. As a proud Christian, Alex and his group add a faith and values-driven approach to give their clients accountability beyond regulatory requirements, building trust through transparent communication and aligned interests.
The firm’s focus on continuity addresses another industry pain point. While most advisors approach retirement age, Alex, at 36, offers clients decades of consistent relationship building. This long-term perspective allows for simplified planning that evolves gradually rather than requiring frequent overhauls as advisors change.
Alex adds, “We make sure our clients can rely on our plan for the long term and grow their assets from it. It is indeed simple, from the start and throughout the whole process.”
Simple Wealth Management that Works
The one-page financial management plan concept challenges fundamental assumptions about wealth management. Does sophistication require complexity? Can simplified presentations maintain fiduciary standards? Early evidence suggests clarity and comprehensiveness coexist when expertise runs deep enough to extract essential insights from complex data.
Perhaps the most telling indicator of this approach’s potential lies in client behavior. When people understand their financial plans, they implement them. When implementation occurs consistently over time, wealth grows. The math is simple, even if the underlying strategies are not.
The wealth management industry stands at an inflection point. Technology enables greater sophistication while simultaneously demanding greater simplicity. Clients possess more financial knowledge than ever before, yet feel more confused than previous generations. The firms that survive and thrive will be those that master the art of making the complex simple, not the simple complex.
The question isn’t whether the industry will embrace simplification, but whether it will do so quickly enough to serve the millions of investors currently locked out by unnecessary complexity.
Please visit RISE Capital’s website for more information on their wealth management services.
Disclosure: The views expressed are those of Alex Angst, Investment Adviser Representative of OneSeven, an SEC-registered investment adviser. They are provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Services are provided under the name RISE Capital, a DBA of OneSeven.
