RIA Spotlight: Cortlin De Maine, Wealth Advisor at De Maine Wealth Management
Michael:
Cortlin, good afternoon. Thanks so much for joining me today representing De Maine Wealth Management. It’s good to reconnect with you. You were an intern with AdvizorPro a few years back, and we always knew you wanted to become an advisor yourself, kind of following in your father’s footsteps. So thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We look forward to learning more about you and your journey so far.
Cortlin:
Yeah, thanks for inviting me, Michael. Super happy we got to reconnect, and I feel like this was all meant to be. It’s about five years in the making of our relationship, so it’s nice to reconnect at this point.
Michael:
Yeah. Yeah. Amen. Well, Cortlin, to start off, I’d love to hear a little bit about De Maine Wealth Management—what kind of clients you typically serve and just a little bit about your practice.
Cortlin:
Absolutely. My dad started De Maine Wealth Management about 20 years ago. He’s been in the business for about 25 years. He worked with some big firms, learned a lot from them, and then felt the calling to go independent. So he joined forces with LPL and started De Maine Wealth Management in Suwanee. That was a little over 20 years ago.
I joined the firm earlier this year. I had a background, as you mentioned, with AdvizorPro and other software firms, and then moved into the wealth management space with a large firm in Atlanta before joining him.
Our client base is pretty diverse—spread across the country, though primarily in the Southeast, especially the Atlanta area. It’s a mix of personalities, ages, and demographics. Our primary focus is business owners, pre-retirees, and retirees. My personal focus leans more toward younger clients—young professionals and young families just starting out in their lives and careers. At the end of the day, we work with people who mesh well with us.
Michael:
Interesting. Tell me a little bit about the younger clients you serve. Not just where they are on the timeline to retirement—which, of course, affects their ability to tolerate risk—but how is it working with the younger demographic versus those who are more established?
Cortlin:
Sure. I think the younger demographic focus came about because I am part of that younger demographic. It was a natural transition. Working with younger clients is exciting because they have so much more time before they hit retirement, whether that’s 50, 60, or later.
Given that they’re young, in the prime of their careers, and building their families, there’s a lot of time to do the work now so they don’t have to worry later. It’s rewarding to help people visualize their goals 20, 30 years in the future and help them get there.
That said, it’s also great working with those who’ve built up a nest egg and are ready to retire. But in many cases, what they’ve accumulated is what they have, and there’s less room to change the outcome. With younger clients, we have decades to adjust habits, spending, and income to improve their long-term situation. That makes the work so exciting and meaningful.
Michael:
That makes sense. So you grew up in a household where your father was a financial advisor. You had an example to look up to, and you got to see the ins and outs of the profession. What was it like growing up and seeing that from the outside? And what drew you to become a financial advisor yourself?
Cortlin:
It’s funny growing up with a father as a financial advisor because it was always in the background. Whether it was CNBC on the TV or dinner table conversations, finances were a regular topic. Naturally, it sparked an interest in me. The more you talk about these things, the more they become part of who you are.
A few factors drew me to wealth management as a career. First, the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives—helping those who feel confused or overwhelmed understand how to achieve their goals. That’s incredibly rewarding.
Second, the entrepreneurial aspect. Watching my dad build his business—seeing both the struggles and the successes—was inspiring.
Lastly, I’m very relationship-oriented, and this career is all about building long-term relationships. I also love the alignment of interests in this field: we do better when our clients do better. That’s unique and very motivating.
Michael:
We did a webinar recently about trends in the advisor space, and one topic was the aging advisor population. The average advisor is older, and there’s a growing need for younger advisors to step in as the older generation retires. Could you talk about how you’ve prepared yourself to become the advisor you are today?
Cortlin:
Absolutely. My previous roles at various companies, including AdvizorPro, helped prepare me for this. Having my dad in the space gave me early exposure and confirmed my interest, but I took several steps to build my foundation.
One key experience was working in business development for software companies. While what I do now isn’t sales in the traditional sense, the skills I developed—relationship-building, communication, and problem-solving—have been invaluable in growing my practice.
Michael:
Talk to me about the technology De Maine Wealth Management uses to serve clients. What are some mission-critical tools in your practice?
Cortlin:
Because of our partnership with LPL, we have access to a wide variety of tools right off the bat, which was great for me since I didn’t have to build anything from scratch.
One big change I implemented was switching our CRM to Wealthbox. Our old system worked but wasn’t ideal, especially since my dad and I work in different locations. Wealthbox has been a game changer with its task management, notes, and calendar features—it’s a day-to-day driver for us.
For financial planning, I’ve always been an eMoney guy. It’s what I used in my previous role, and I call it the Ferrari of financial planning tools. It’s highly customizable and helps us build comprehensive plans.
On the portfolio management side, we’re evaluating tools like Morningstar and YCharts. While we have what we need now, we’re always open to optimizing.
Michael:
Thanks for sharing. What are De Maine Wealth Management’s growth plans? Are you looking to expand, and if so, how?
Cortlin:
My dad likes to say I’m the “growth element” of the firm. Growth is definitely a big focus for us.
I’m building my network and putting myself out there in the community. Moving to Jacksonville from Atlanta meant starting from scratch, so I’m working on connecting with people and letting them know how I can help.
We’ve also started using referral network programs like Ramsey SmartVestor Pro. It’s new for us, but I’ve heard great things about it from other advisors, so I’m excited to see how it works.
I’m also leveraging the business development skills I gained earlier in my career, like cold calling and email marketing. Growth requires a multi-pronged approach, and we’re hitting it from all angles.
Michael:
How does De Maine Wealth Management approach investments and asset allocation decisions?
Cortlin:
It’s all about the individual or family. We don’t have cookie-cutter strategies—everything is personalized based on the client’s situation, timeline, goals, and risk tolerance.
We build resilient, long-term portfolios that align with the client’s financial plan. Financial planning is the backbone of everything we do—it drives our portfolio management decisions and ensures the two are integrated for long-term success.
Michael:
You mentioned earlier that you’re studying for the CFP. How’s that process going?
Cortlin:
The CFP is definitely a big task—it’s a comprehensive education program, and there’s a lot to learn. I’m currently working through the coursework.
For younger advisors, starting early on certifications is hugely beneficial. For instance, I took my SIE exam while still in school, so when I graduated, I could go straight to my Series 7 and Series 66. Starting early gives you a big advantage.
The CFP itself covers a wide range of topics and is always evolving with changes in tax laws and investments, so there’s always something new to learn. It’s a great foundational certification for acting in clients’ best interests.
Michael:
Great. Well, good luck with the rest of your studying and the exam.
Cortlin:
Thank you.
Michael:
Cortlin, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me. It was great to catch up, and congratulations on all the fantastic work you’re doing with De Maine Wealth Management.
Cortlin:
Thanks, Michael. It was great catching up with you too, and I’m glad we got to talk about all this fun stuff.
Michael:
Thanks, Cortlin.
