Trent Von Ahsen uses the term “capital” often when talking about the new investment firm he’s founded with two other advisors. But, he says, there’s a key differentiating factor with Cedar Point Capital Partners – it’s not solely about the financial bottom line. “We don’t really use wealth management in our day-to-day lingo,” Mr. Von […]
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Trent Von Ahsen uses the term “capital” often when talking about the new investment firm he’s founded with two other advisors.
But, he says, there’s a key differentiating factor with Cedar Point Capital Partners – it’s not solely about the financial bottom line.
“We don’t really use wealth management in our day-to-day lingo,” Mr. Von Ahsen said. “We’ve called ourselves Cedar Point Capital Partners. The idea there is that we recognize as people evolve and they move toward a better version of themselves, it’s not just financial assets that matter. It’s social capital; it’s human capital. It’s an encompassment of all the things that people have, their experiences, and it also filters down into how they make decisions on those financial assets. So we’re trying to build a firm that looks at everything – not only your income and your assets, but also your aspirations, what makes you tick.”
Cedar Point Capital Partners began operations on Feb. 2, with Mr. Von Ahsen being joined by partners David Ernst and Bridget Davis. Collectively, the three have nearly 50 years of financial planning experience, most recently with United Iowa Financial.
Cedar Point Capital Partners will operate as a fee-only fiduciary firm, Mr. Von Ahsen said, with all three partners certified as accredited investment fiduciaries, meaning they are committed to working solely in their clients’ best interests.
“We don’t want the potential conflicts of interest that are sometimes associated with the broker-dealer,” he said. “We’re trying to separate ourselves from the transactional part of the financial industry and purely be paid by our clients … sales charge, commissions, those types of words are very common in the financial world, and we just think that’s not for us. That’s not what we want for our clients.”
Breaking away as an independent wealth management firm also provides Cedar Point an opportunity to choose the tools that will best serve their clients’ needs, Mr. Von Ahsen said.
“It allows us to contract with the best of breed vendors,” he said. “We’re not constrained to what one brokerage platform says we can use for our investments. It’s very exciting because it feels like I get to pick my all-star lineup. We’re trying to build a tech stack that is top-to-bottom great for everyone, and it makes the entire process more efficient.”
Cedar Point is also emphasizing full transparency with its client relationships.
“I think the marketplace for financial advice has been stuck in the 1970s and ‘80s,” he said. “It’s been a very old-school relationship. Some things about that are good, but the transparency around how somebody is paid, what’s good and bad – I think that’s important for people to know and ask questions because you’re only going to get better advice from it. Our fee schedule is going to be published on our website. Everybody in our firm is going to pay the same fee schedule, because ultimately, we don’t want to say that the $10 million client gets more attention from us because they have more money than the $10,000 client.”
Cedar Point’s partners have deep roots in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor region and have become recognized community leaders. Mr. Ernst was born and raised in Cedar Rapids and has served as a high school football coach at Kennedy High School for more than 30 years, while Mr. Von Ahsen and Ms. Davis were both raised on farms in rural Williamsburg before attending schools in the region.
It’s that local connection that Mr. Von Ahsen says Cedar Point hopes to bring to its client relationships.
“We’re trying to make sure our clients are empowered to live their best financial lives,” he said. “Let them realize the ambitions they have and follow their dreams because ultimately, confidence that comes from a relationship with somebody like us provides that type of realization.”
Cedar Point will operate from the same offices used by United Iowa Financial, at 329 12th Ave. SE, Ste. 106, but the company has a new phone number: (319) 582-6800. For more information, visit the company’s website at cedarpointcap.com.
