John Woolley – Managing Director, Wealth Management
The economy is experiencing fluctuations, creating an unpredictable landscape. However, TPG’s John Woolley and his team provide steady leadership and strategic guidance to help navigate these changes with confidence. Stay prepared and trust in their expertise to manage the challenges ahead.
What are some of the challenges you, your team, and your clients have faced over the past year?
I think it’s trying to separate the “noise” from the realities of the markets. It’s always a concern – sometimes the noise is really loud, and that makes the job harder. So you work to separate the emotion from the noise, as well. The continued rise of fraud and scams is also affecting our clients. It’s more important than ever that we at TPG reinforce our role as trusted advisors. We know we’re doing our jobs when we get calls about scams and phishing.
What are your department’s goals for 2025?
We are continuing to use technology to assist us in becoming more efficient, with the end goal of having even more time to spend with clients. For example, AI notetakers are not new – this tool allows us to focus on clients more and on our day-to-day business. [Instead of taking notes ourselves,] we can really listen and hear the nuance from our clients. We’re part of a beta program for a start-up called Mili that is designed for financial services. [From the website: Mili securely transforms wealth advisors’ client meetings into organized notes and follow-ups instantly.]
How does TPG lead the way for our clients or within the industry?
We continue to value technology to scale and serve clients more efficiently. We are ranked in the top quartile on Charles Schwab’s tech scorecard in terms of streamlining our processes. We also are continuing the processes we had in place before COVID – a flexible work environment attracts both clients and talent, while fewer touchpoints mean fewer errors. Nothing frustrates clients more than simple errors.
How is your team moving the needle on TPG’s goal to “make the complicated easy”?
Thanks to innovations in AI, we are now able to automate repetitive background work, which frees up time to spend in human, one-on-one conversations with our clients. These advancements are allowing us more time to form relationships and develop trust with our clients.
For several years now, you have filmed quarterly commentaries, which are available for anyone to watch. Where do you see those progressing?
These commentaries are valuable, but topics that are important to our clients go beyond investments – for example, fraud issues or behavioral finance topics, instead of just investing. This year, we look to have a balance of both timeless and timely topics – to talk about some of the current-temperature issues.
What are you excited about in your career?
I’m excited about our commitment to serving clients in a team structure. The team-building is rewarding – clients can connect with two or three or even four people about their accounts. We have continuity and are able to share the workload where necessary. We are constantly developing the attributes of a high-functioning team, because the only constant is change.
Finally, our core values are deeply ingrained in everything we do at TPG. Which core value is currently resonating with you?
It’s to be curious. You need it to thrive in this industry.
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For questions about our Wealth Management division or becoming a TPG client, check in with John at jwoolley@tpgrp.com.
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