Behind the Scenes with President Eric Unger
Working to make lives better now and into the future: Building a lasting firm for you, our clients, has long been at Affiance’s core. I believe some financial planning businesses are unprepared to last beyond the career of the founder. There are many reasons why, and they stem from not making transition planning a priority, an inability to create or stick to a plan, gaps in management, or not being able to establish career paths that grow and retain the next generation. I am proud to say that Affiance is not one of those businesses. We have extensively planned, prepared for, and executed strategies to build a lasting firm. 

Planning takes years, not months: In sixteen years with Affiance, I’ve learned firsthand that formalizing business operations, growing and retaining key people, and establishing top-quality departments that deliver an exceptional financial planning service takes careful planning with a long-term focus. Back in 2012, we started laying the foundation for implementing a new business operating system through EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System®. Looking back on this time, it’s clear now that this was the catalyst that put in motion a transformational vision-building decade where we implemented a powerful, practical system for building a lasting business.

Looking ahead to the next 10 years, we remain committed to elevating our delivery of financial planning services and to better help you work toward achieving your personal and professional goals with organization, structure, and purpose. To ensure this commitment, we will continue to focus on six components of organization:
  1. Ensuring all of Affiance is on the same page with our vision for the future and how we will get there.
  2. Putting the right people in the right roles to be successful.
  3. Improving data management so that we continue to make data driven decisions, can verify results, and ensure accountability.
  4. Understanding how we identify issues and ensuring an environment to solve them.
  5. Identifying and documenting core processes and ensuring everyone follows them.
  6. Executing our business plan with focus, accountability, and discipline so that we are making continuous progress toward objectives.

Affiance has a vision and a plan to achieve it: Creating a lasting firm has taken shape because it’s been a priority – we have prepared plans and we have stuck with them. We have also grown and retained a deep team of advisors and leaders. A large reason for our optimism about the future comes from knowing we have 25 people committed to one vision. As a firm we go to great lengths to ensure everyone knows where we have been, where we are at, and where we are about to go as a company.

In 2022, Andy Fishman and Steve Lear executed an important step for establishing a lasting firm when they expanded the partnership to include myself and six additional members. I know I speak for all new members when I say that we are honored to be partners, but more importantly, we are proud to continue building a lasting firm for you, our clients.  

Respectfully, 
Eric Unger, Partner, President, Chief Compliance Officer
Team Updates and Information
Congrats Brendan
Congratulations to Partner and Financial Planner Brendan Halleron and his new fiancée, Kayla! 

Brendan proposed Labor Day weekend at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Learn more about the new student loan forgiveness plan, including eight important questions to ask.

Congrats to Michael Fishman and Ryan Smith
Congratulations to Michael Fishman, Client Account Specialist, who recently passed the Series 66 exam.

Another congratulations to Ryan Smith, Trader/Analyst, who recently passed the SIE® exam.

Thank you both for your hard work and dedication.
Steve Lear Speaks at Great Plains Forum
Founding Partner and Financial Planner Steve Lear spoke at the 4th Annual Private Wealth Great Plains Forum on July 27.

This conference for Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) discussed asset allocation and protection, equity markets, fixed income, alternative investments, as well as succession planning and an outlook of the financial markets and the global economy. 
Meet Our Team
Three of our new partners took some time to discuss their careers at Affiance Financial. Watch the videos below to learn more about Megan Pace, our Director of Client Support, Eric Unger, our President and Chief Compliance Officer, and Marcia Zappa, our Director of Marketing and Business Development. 
Supporting Our Community
Affiance Financial is proud to support a variety of organizations in our community. This summer our team took part in the Minnesota JCC Fore! the Kids golf benefit and the M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital Champions for Children golf tournament.

Our team also attended the Achieving Cures Together Growing Hope Gala where Partner and Financial Planner Brendan Halleron was the emcee.
In Case You Missed It:
It’s that time of year again – time for kids to go back to school. Your school shopping is complete...

When helping our clients prepare for retirement, every situation looks a little different... 

Many of our clients have real estate investments or own the underlying property that their business sits atop...

Thanks for reading!

Your Affiance Financial Team

(952) 544-9818
Advisory services offered through Affiance Financial, a Registered Investment Adviser. Securities and advisory services offered by Registered Representatives and Investment Advisor Representatives through Private Client Services. Member FINRA, SIPC. Affiance Financial and Private Client Services are unaffiliated entities.
The content referenced in this newsletter, directly or indirectly, is no guarantee that any advice presented will be profitable, suitable for your individual situation, or prove successful. Due to various factors, including changing conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this newsletter serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Affiance Financial. Please remember to contact Affiance Financial if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives. Affiance Financial does not serve as an accountant and does not prepare tax returns.