For Stephen and Janet Zorko, what started as a quiet act of love for their family has evolved into a thriving business rooted in integrity. Now 23 years later with their daughter Laura Zorko Gentzkow on board and a multigenerational client family, Integrity Wealth Management is a reminder that the most enduring businesses are the most personal ones.
What has surprised you most about working together as a family?
It was not necessarily a surprise, but the ability for us to each manage our workload with little disagreement is a huge plus when working so closely with family! We are each independent thinkers but often think alike. We also divide our workload and responsibilities to cater to each of our strengths.
Wealth management can feel very data-driven. How do you help clients feel that personal, family-oriented side of the business?
We try to establish a close relationship with all of our clients and get to know them on a personal level to fully understand their goals, whether it be traveling during retirement or building savings for a new home. Understanding our clients and their respective goals comes well before the numbers and data piece. A lot of our clients are friends, family, old colleagues, and neighbors … our client base has grown as a result of personal referrals from those longstanding clients. This helps us build relationships and get to know clients on a deeper level.
What values have you insisted on protecting as the business has grown?
Our reputation and our relationship with our clients are critical to us. We are a fiduciary to all of our clients, where we must always put their interests before our own. We pride ourselves with having integrity, which is why 20+ years ago, we included that word in the name of the business.
What’s it like watching Laura and this next generation bring new ideas into something you’ve built?
Seeing the level of maturity with the benefit of Laura’s prior experience has been positive and refreshing. To know she is at a point where she is fully committed to the company is gratifying. This gives us confidence that our clients will be in good hands once we decide to scale back.
Speaking of, what does the future look like for IWM?
Our expectation is that Laura will ultimately take over and own the business once we decide to fully retire. We feel this is in the best interest of our clients. Those who know us know that even in retirement, we will always be available to assist and consult with the business ... as this isn’t only work, but genuine interest in the success of the company. Our clients will always be a priority.
When future generations look back on this chapter of the firm’s story, what do you hope they say about the way your family worked and built business together?
We hope they recognize the integrity and the hard work that went into building the business. Coming into the business as a second generation was easier in the sense that financial literacy was taught at an early age … those decisions that we help our clients with were already well versed. We want to continue to teach financial literacy to the younger generations of our family and our clients. We want future generations to understand the benefits of starting early and compounding so that they can enjoy financial freedom as well.
www.iwmcfp.net | 118 Cedar Woods Drive, Loveland | 513.633.8370