Managing finances and investments can be a complicated affair in the modern age. From navigating the web of laws and regulations around investments, to identifying the most profitable opportunities, to understanding the tax structures involved, every step of the process can be overwhelming. This is why individuals and businesses alike turn to investment professionals and finance experts to guide their decisions and ensure future gains.
Joey Miller is one such expert. Be it from his home in New Braunfels, TX, or at speaking events around the country, Miller has made financial guidance his professional calling card over the last twenty years. His extensive experience in trading and investment has been leveraged in multiple roles, including but not limited to economic advisor, keynote speaker, real estate assets partner, options trader, fund manager, and due diligence officer.
Joey Miller holds series 22, 63, and 65 securities licenses, and travels frequently across the United States to personally meet with clients and leverage his prudent financial management and risk mitigation investment strategies. His trips frequently involve him conducting due diligence on prospective investments for his clients, and his focus on upholding regulatory standards is a consistent boon to those he assists.
Adaptable And Balanced Investment Advising
The world has changed significantly in the last twenty years, and the financial landscape of the United States is no exception. Joey Miller’s investment career has had to evolve over the years to match the changing environment, but that adaptability isn’t new to him. After anticipating a downturn in the milling industry, he left a seemingly-secure position at a mill and moved across the country to begin his investing education. History proved the validity of the decision.
“I remember a couple years later the mill I previously worked out shut down and displaced hundreds of employees,” Miller says. “I was very happy with my decision. That was the early days, and the business thrived and I never looked back.”
When it comes to investment advising, Miller has seen the same cyclical trend be proven time and again: some catalyst comes and shakes up the market, and then the market corrects for it. These catalysts can be obvious, like the 2008 crisis, or come as a shock, like the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is always some set of assets that draw attention. In Miller’s view, the best response is a balanced one. In his own words, “The asset class that looks brilliant today can have you scratching your head tomorrow. There is rarely a one size fits all answer for anybody. We like a more even balance with equities, real estate, tax advantaged investments, and even commodities.”
Joey Miller knows that he must be as adaptable and flexible as the financial landscape that informs his professional career, and as such dedicates a significant amount of time to ongoing education. The interconnected complexities of financial structures, laws, taxes, and entities require a mindset of continuous learning, and Miller prioritizes reading various industry publications, networking with peers, and continuously researching new opportunities to stay up to date.
“The only constant is change,” Miller says.
Patience, Resilience, and Communication
As a financial advisor, clients are choosing to trust Joey Miller with the planning and allocation of their company assets—even during stressful periods of market volatility. Miller builds and maintains that trust through his rigid adherence to his professional values and dedication to his clients’ success. The secret? Resilience and (in his own words) over-communication. During periods of uncertainty, Miller can be often heard saying, “My crystal ball broke a long time ago.” There are no perfect predictions, but there are solid, proven strategies built upon a diversified portfolio, patience, and rationality.
Communication is critical, especially when it comes to clients’ assets and concerns. Even—or perhaps especially—when there’s bad news, Miller chooses to discuss things early and in detail. “Nobody likes a surprise,” he says. The earlier a problem can be discussed, and a strategy to address it composed, the sooner the clients’ fears can be soothed and problems solved. This professional bias towards communication and patience is a major component of Joey Miller’s professional success.
“Demonstrating patience and making yourself available when a client needs you is important,” he says. “You don’t want them left frustrated.”
Mentorship, Teaching, and Parenting
Joey Miller has built his career on teaching clients about investments and guiding them through the shifting financial landscape, taking on the role of a financial mentor in times both good and bad. Over his career, and his more recent experience as a parent of four children, the theme of mentorship and teaching has been a constant and recurring force in his life. As a result, Miller has been able to take lessons learned as a parent and apply them to his career, and vice versa.
“No job is harder than parenting,” he explains. “You can have all these plans for your children, but they ultimately choose their own path. In a similar sense, investing and dealing with people with needs and their own emotions teaches you to be patient, and helps you steer them in a direction while navigating what the market—or the world—throws at you.”
While Miller’s job is to mentor and guide clients, that doesn’t mean the mentorship mentality is limited to those relationships. Collaboration, mentorship, and humility are all critical to success, in Miller’s eyes. He says, “There’s an old adage that says if you want to go far, go with strong partners,” and has made a point of doing so throughout his career. A teacher that refuses to learn is a poor teacher, especially when there are endless opportunities for new learning to be found.
“Being humble and learning from those around you will not only keep your ego in check, but show you that there is so much to learn if you will simply surround yourself with knowledgeable people,” Miller says. “Never stop learning, and always try to find people who have great skills in the field you are in.”
By Chris Bates
