Joe McLean – How to be a Pro’s Pro - [Invest Like the Best, EP.143]

My guest this week is Joe McLean, the founder of Intersect Capital, which provides financial advisory services to a variety of clients, including a number of NBA players and other professional athletes. 

What I loved about this conversation was the weaving of sport, coaching, and finance into a cohesive whole. There’s so much to take from this discussion—from the importance of service and low self-orientation to the impact of strict standards for who you work with, to common mistakes we all tend to make with money.

Please enjoy my conversation with Joe McLean.

For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.

Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub.

Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag

Show Notes

1:18 - (First Question) – His backstory and the combination of athleticism and finance

2:43 – His time in Ireland

3:29 – Moving away from basketball and into finance

6:08 – What the Intersect business is today and his early lessons

7:55 – Most important coach/mentor

8:59 – Where the name Intersect came from

10:22 – Setting high standards early on

12:35 – Biggest mistakes he saw in his early clients

14:04 – Developing his value proposition to clients

14:24 – Michael Kitces Podcast Episode

16:57 – Process when he’s working with a client signing a new athletic contract

19:53 – The concept of a Pro’s Pro and Top 50 Reasons Professional Athletes Remain Wealthy

22:40 – Managing clients’ interest in creating businesses off their brand

24:20 – The role media plays in athletes’ long-term strategies

25:40 – Getting early clients into compliance with his strategy

28:24 – Daily maintenance role he plays with clients

32:24 – What has impressed him most from his young clients

33:36 – What makes for a great coach

34:50 – The meaning of “all in” to Joe

35:54 – His assessment of the financial services industry today

37:32 – Where his value in service came from

39:05 – Longer term vision for his business

40:33 – Unique ways he finds himself helping his clients

43:49 – Watching his client’s mentor the next generation

45:10 – Historical players and teams he personally admires

46:22 – Athletes and venture capital investing

47:38 – Who makes up his trust network

49:09 – What he’s most excited about for the future of the business

49:46 – Kindest thing anyone has done for Joe

50:24 – Biggest impact a coach had on his life

Learn More

For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. 

Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub

Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag