The Botsford Group grows client base despite market turmoil - Houston Business Journal:

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Erin Botsford may be a graduat of the School ofHard Knocks, but she’s spent her career trying to help others avoifd the financial pitfalls that nearly devastated her Her company, The Botsford specializes in financial planning that allows clients to enjoy a comfortablwe lifestyle regardless of what’s happening with the “I have 350 clients who are all out playinhg golf,” she said. “Aned to my knowledge, not one of my clientds is worried abouthis future.” who has a real estate and insurance background, bega studying economics and demographics — particularlyh baby boomers — in 1995.
Her research suggested that the stoco market would peakfrom 2008-2010, dive 40% to 60% and stay that way for 10 to 13 “It became clear to me that this could be devastatingg to retired people,” she said. “I set up my busineszs from that day forward that if something like that were to my clients would not benegativelyh impacted. I’ve worked hard to achieves that. Because of that, my clients are thoroughly prepared and nobody has had to changewtheir lifestyle.” Botsford often shares her story of growingb up in California with five siblings and losing her father, a colleg e professor, when he was age 50.
His $10,0090 life insurance didn’t go far, and the family quickly slipped from middle class into When shewas 16, Botsford was charge d with involuntary manslaughter for a traffic accident in whichu her car collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the driver’xs death. Her family’s attorney said he wouldn’t charged any legal fees if shepleadede guilty. But Botsford did not do that, and in fact was “I learned early on that money buys you she said. Her mother took out a second mortgage on thei r home forher defense, which revealed that the motorcyclisyt had actually hit her.
“A lot of people don’t realize that they are one car accident away from losing everything ifthey don’t protect or take care of thei assets,” she said. “In Texas there are a lot of good and easy ways to protec tyour money. Most financial advisers don’t focus on Among the investments Botsford uses are financial instruments such as structured which are designed for either falling orrisingf markets. Botsford has clients in 31 includingMike Miller, a retired entrepreneur, 47, who livex with his wife, Sherri, and nine childrenb in Tennessee. Miller suffered a setbacmk after he pulledabouty $2.
5 million from his Botsford Group portfolio and invested with a who recently was accused of defrauding dozens of clients. the money Miller had left with Botsforxd had grown enough to coverhis family’a living expenses. “Erin is very solid,” he “She looks at where you want to be and how to get you to that She will help you adjusrt your investments to maintain thelifestylew you’re looking for.” While her competitors’ businessesd suffered declines of 20% to 30% from 2007 to Botsford said she lost less than 1% in In 2008, she posteds $4.5 million in revenue and has more than $500 millionb under management.
She believes her company continues to thrivr because of her proactive role in positioning her clients and notactingv “like a deer in the headlights.” “Clients buy confidencee from us in their future,” she “If you didn’t anticipate this you must have been hiding under a Next on her agenda is to hire a new business developmenyt president and pen a book about baby boomers, “a generationn in the balance.
” Her hope is to apply her strategiess for high net-worth individuals to othersx interested in investing in their Even though she had a few more bumps alonfg the way — like the time she won moneyt on “Wheel of invested it and later lost it all Botsford’s story has a happy She married her high school traveled around Europe as an Air Forcse wife, offered real estate seminars to Americans living abroad and finally landed in Dallaws in 1992. Her company employs 16 peopl e and has officesin N.J., and Atlanta, and she’s excite d about its growth possibilities. “We’re in a real positionb of strength,” she said.
“kI want to be a dominant player inthe