It Still Takes a Village

"It takes a Village." I heard that my whole life. By intention, Village Financial Services LLC lives up to its name. We are a working, sharing, growing community — all moving ahead together for the better good of everyone in the world of financial advising.

I am not a gatekeeper. In an industry where expertise is typically hoarded as a competitive advantage, I give mine away and always have. My LinkedIn is essentially a public training manual for Schwab Advisor Center. I share platform tips, paperwork updates, and operational insights openly — for free — for anyone who needs them. Financial advisors share my content with their CSAs, and even firms who will never be Village clients become better stewards to their clients because of it.

The belief behind it is simple: a rising tide lifts all boats. The more people doing this work well, the better the industry gets for everyone in its ecosystem, especially the end client, which is what this has always been about for me.

Most people's financial future is shaped by someone they never see. Not the advisor. Like a duck gliding across the water, the financial advisor is the frontlin, and Village is the driving force underneath, accelerating them forward. Processing paperwork. Managing calendars. Following up on the transfer that didn't go through. Making sure the client who just lost their spouse is not waiting weeks for a callback. Anticipating what advisors and their clients need before they have to ask.

Financial planning is a trust business. Trust is built in the small moments. In the little actions. Hospitality is how you show up in those moments, and my background in hospitality developed a deep appreciation for what it means to make someone feel genuinely cared for. Not processed. Not managed. Seen.

That standard breathes oxygen into every level of Village. The way we communicate with clients. The way we help our clients communicate with theirs. The way we prepare for meetings before anyone asks. The way our team works together. The way we treat every interaction as an opportunity to make someone's day easier instead of just completing a task.

We are intentional in everything: how we hire — carefully weighing skills, knowledge, and mission alignment; how we qualify and prepare clients to onboard — we are perfectly okay going slow to grow, and we won't place a CSA with a client until she is fully trained and tested to serve them; how we market — laser-focused where our content does the most good, not for the farthest reach. We promote everyone. Our staff. Our clients. Their ideas. Our partners.

When you do good work, good words travel fast and clients find you.

Our value is accelerating. Deep platform expertise. Open-handed with knowledge. Hospitality as a professional standard. Careful curation and thoughtful training of every member of our team.

That combination didn't exist anywhere in this space, so we built it. A system where everybody gives and receives good work.

Everybody grows. Everybody wins.

It still takes a Village.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Village Financial Services do?

Village Financial Services is an operational partner for independent RIAs that custody at Schwab and Altruist. Village provides Fractional Client Service Associates (FCSAs) who handle paperwork, account maintenance, money movement, calendars, and client follow-up, along with Holistiplan implementation and Advyzon CRM consulting.

What is an operational partner for an RIA?

An operational partner is an outside team that runs the behind-the-scenes work of an advisory firm so the advisor can focus on clients. At Village that includes processing paperwork, following up on transfers, managing calendars, and preparing for meetings before anyone has to ask.

How does hospitality apply to client service at a financial advisory firm?

Financial planning is a trust business, and trust gets built in small moments like a quick callback or a transfer that gets followed up before the client notices. Village's founder comes from a hospitality background, and the firm treats hospitality as a professional standard for how CSAs communicate with advisors and how they help advisors communicate with their clients.

How does Village train its Client Service Associates?

Village hires carefully for skills, knowledge, and mission alignment, and does not place a CSA with a client until she is fully trained and tested to serve that firm. Village would rather grow slowly than place someone who isn't ready.

Where can I find free Schwab Advisor Center tips for CSAs?

Olivia Allen, founder of Village Financial Services, shares Schwab Advisor Center tips, paperwork updates, and operational insights on LinkedIn for free. Many advisors pass that content along to their CSAs, including firms that are not Village clients.

Why is it called Village Financial Services?

The name comes from the saying "It takes a village." Village is built as a working, sharing community where knowledge is given away instead of hoarded, on the belief that the more people doing this work well, the better the industry gets for everyone, especially the end client.