Rising Stars: Meet Chris Kandas of Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Kandas.

Hi Chris, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our story starts with our founding advisor, Wayne Kandas. Wayne started his business the old-fashioned way; through grit and always seeking to improve his craft even if that meant trailblazing. He went door-to-door & cold called to start. Many of those clients are still with us today. As he built his business, he had the opportunity to host a radio show on a local channel that was all about money. Wayne always says this is how he “got the ship off the ground”. Wayne would go on to host a 1 hour show daily during the morning rush for 19 years. Our clients dominantly came from the radio or are referrals from those radio listeners. As you can imagine, the radio crowd attracted those listening for a “hot free tip” to improve their portfolio outcomes. We pride ourselves on converting the do-it-yourselfer to a client. We accomplished this by providing great value for a reasonable price. Wayne became a CFP professional shortly before the radio. Planning has always been a cornerstone of our approach. Wayne also was an early adopter of being a discretionary wealth manager for a fee vs. commission products. He also became an expert witness when it came to annuities. Wayne was also an early adopter of investing in individual stocks. This pioneering spirit continues to inspire our team to push the envelope of what is possible to improve client outcomes. Today, Wayne is easing towards retirement while his son, Chris Kandas, is starting to continue Wayne’s legacy. Chris is a CFP professional as well as a Certified Exist Planning Advisor which highlights our commitment to business owners and their families. With Chris’s leadership, we have enhanced our financial planning to provide even better advice to our clients. We also have been early adopters of structured products. With Ameriprise, we offer a full site of product solutions to fit the financial planning needs of our clients which include a variety of tax saving strategies.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Wayne is not a college graduate. So, he had to learn much about the industry via certifications/self-teaching. This legacy of continuing education on behalf of our clients is something that is a part of our culture. We never want to stop improving. Part of my struggle has been to distill as much of his wisdom and experience into my younger, less experienced brain. Pursuing the CFP designation definitely helped. My dad said it was the hardest thing he ever did. It turned out that was an accurate statement. I started an accelerated course to get it right before COVID. I also found out we were expecting twins right before the final exam. My wife threatened me that I better pass the first time. Thankfully I did.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Besides the radio, Wayne played trumpet in the Glenn Miller band when he was younger. He also started each radio broadcast with a live trumpet performance. He continues to play trumpet and leads a Christian worship band with his electric guitar. Chris was classically trained in voice & vocal jazz. He sang with ASU during his college years. He still performs vocal Harmoney with Wayne in the Christian rock band. Chris also won an amateur cocktail contest during COVID.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
There is no substitute for hard work. If something great is going to happen, it is because we worked for it to happen. We may not start out with the best natural intelligence, but we sure can work harder to bridge the knowledge gap and excel in our craft to better our clients’ outcomes.

Pricing:

• Investment Min $100K

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/team/kandas-private-wealth-advisors/?cid=IP_local_google
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chriswkandas
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskandas