The nature of financial markets is constantly changing, and investing in such a volatile market can be dangerous. A firm that has thoroughly analyzed the market and can advise businesses on their investments is what they need the most. And one such firm is Armstrong Capital.
It is an investment management firm founded by Manju Mastakar (Founder & CEO) in 2010. The firm provides oversight and strategic management of every aspect of a person’s financial activity, from asset management to financial planning, risk management to retirement planning. And its flagship product is the Goal-Based Financial Plan.
Every engagement at Armstrong Capital begins with a financial plan to comprehend all prior investments and group them according to personal objectives. In order to identify and attain all financial goals, the firm provides a systematic approach to financial planning. Each client is served by a Personal Investment Adviser and a Service Manager, who are backed by in-house research and a technological platform.
“Armstrong Capital’s bespoke services are reinforced by excellent execution, robust investment policy framework, rigorous due diligence process with a strong emphasis on long-term value creation,” says Manju.
The Mastermind Behind Armstrong’s Success And Grow
Manju began her career over 20 years ago as an intern at a CA firm, where she handled the tax returns of customers who had substantial incomes from stock trading. Later, she was tasked with auditing stock broking firms and bank branches. Before graduating, the dynamic female leader had already learned a lot about trading and investment.
After Manju graduated, a known acquaintance recommended her to join his friend’s stock broking firm. She did a lot of multitasking there, working as an assistant accountant, dealer, customer service, and many other things. Over the years, the seasoned leader worked for several banking institutions, wealth management firms, and broking firms, moving up the corporate ladder from dealer to relationship manager to wealth manager to financial adviser to regional manager.
Manju had the experience of providing advice to more than 1000 individuals, who were distributed across numerous demographics, age ranges, and mindsets. Recalling her past, she says, “I started Armstrong in 2010 initially I managed very few clients and offered Direct Equity Advisory later I added currency and commodity derivatives. In 2014 we started comprehensive financial planning & portfolio management having mutual funds at the core. Now we focus only on advice on Mutual Funds, Insurance, and Fixed Income instruments.”
Today, as CEO of Armstrong, the most significant responsibility she shoulders is to build a very robust corporate wealth management company with process and automation at its core. Manju wants the business process to be atomized and not only the transactions.
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At Armstrong, every relationship starts with a financial plan
Armstrong’s Modus Operandi
Every relationship at Armstrong begins with a financial plan. Under the leadership of Manju, the firm develops detailed plans for clients that take into account all previous investments made, their financial obligations, any surplus they have to invest, how they will spend their retirement, and how much annuity they will receive when they retire. It conducts a great deal of bottom-up research to support its white list recommendations. The firm also develops numerous innovative ways to assess the portfolio’s performance and eliminate underperforming funds. “We put in a lot of effort to build trust, and that is the essence of our business,” states Manju.
Clients First – Everything Afterwards
The seasoned professional Manju and her team do not provide any over-the-counter advice because they have always worked in their client’s best interests and have a very customer-centric approach. Every relationship begins with a financial plan because it thoroughly explains what each person wants and needs. Their solutions are based on their own judgment and study of what is best for them.
Furthermore, Manju and her team have one plan and one prospective of conserving wealth over growth. They provide research and rationale for their suggestions and heavily invest in technology to provide excellent client service. When the clients talk about them to their friends, word-of-mouth publicity brings them more customers.
Encourage Creative Thinking
According to Manju, Armstrong’s employees are the firm’s public face. She encourages peer-to-peer learning a lot since employees deal with a lot of emotions of customers. Through sharing their experiences, employees can learn from one another. The versatile leader also places a lot of emphasis on internships and has a program specifically for them. “We are open to accepting new ideas from newcomers, and we often give a chance to students who join from other profession. I believe that “To innovate, you should not have learned about it before”,” says Manju.
Role Model Impact
When asked to share who is her role model, Manju replied, “I prefer to follow people from other industries. I love reading/ Listening to biographies on Audible. I love to watch movies based on true life stories. My favorite show is “ David Rubenstein Show” where he interviews famous personalities and I get to lean a lot form their experiences.” She further adds, “My favorite books are Mark H. McCormack – What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School. Barnett Helzberg – What I learned before I sold to Warren buffet and “Yes we can” a biography of President Barak Obama.”
Words of Wisdom
The versatile female leader who established her mark in the financial market, Manju gave some bits of advice to aspiring leaders “There is no one who can teach you how to run a business, only mistakes can teach you, so keep experimenting, keep making mistakes, and the success rates will also keep moving up. Keep investing in business – some investments go bad, and some pay off, while the ones who do well pay off significantly and take care of the ones that failed.”
