The 2020 IA25: Bill Crager

Bill Crager became CEO of Envestnet in March. He led the firm on an interim basis following the death of leader Jud Bergman in October; the two started the firm together in 1999. Earlier, Crager headed Envestnet Wealth Solutions.

Top Advice

Be present — send an article, make a phone call, check in. That small touch goes such a long way. What I have found in the calls and connections I’m making is that we are sharing something extraordinary.

Something very human. The conversations are about family, health and outlook, and are appreciated.

Everyone is locked in their hunkered-down world. Conversations from outside these spaces are incredibly welcome and meaningful.

We’ve made a trial of MyBlocks by MoneyGuide available to all advisors as a tool to send to clients to help them answer their top questions about their finances. We’ve seen that these engagements often lead to important financial planning conversations.

Biggest Challenge

Now, more than ever, our biggest responsibility is to help our clients navigate this market environment.

We have been responding to higher-than-ever volumes in an entirely new work environment; as our employees around the world are working from home, we are handling service requests, managing day-to-day operations and continuing to enhance our technology.

Our business continuity planning has enabled us to continue to support our clients and partners with the same level of service they have come to expect.

These have been extraordinary days. There are more to come. We are focused on being there for our clients each and every day.