Making Business Personal

How FORM Wealth Uses their Advising Model to Create Long-Lasting Client Relationships

Written By Tricia Carzoli

“FORM is about relationships,” FORM Wealth Advisors Chief of Staff Kim Cochenour says. “Our goal is to help each of our clients live the best life they can afford.”

Founders Tyson Ray CFP® and Luke Kuchenberg CFP® grew up in Walworth County holding strong Midwest values, and they sought to take a different approach to wealth management, making the process less intimidating and more personal. The partners created an advising model that would set them apart—and FORM has been developing relationships and guiding clients for 25 years as one of the most trusted wealth management companies in the area.

“There is nothing more personal or more intimate than finances,” FORM Wealth Advisors Chief of Staff Kim Cochenour said. “We take a total relationship approach with each of our clients.”

FORM is an acronym that stands for family, occupation, recreation, and mission. The team has created its TR Process ™—a method that puts relationships at the center of planning, investing, care, and service–and has guided their clients to retirement for more than two
decades. “At FORM,” Cochenour said, “our financial advisors take time to get to know each and every client personally. We know their likes, their big life achievements, their hopes, and their goals. We celebrate with them. We encourage them. It is a great privilege to know that our clients trust us to help them into retirement and then refer their family and friends to us.”

The company, which has locations in Lake Geneva, Kenosha, and Middleton, understands that every client’s goals are different. FORM assists clients from the very early stages of seeking advice to guiding them in setting the stage for retirement to being stewards of their legacy. “Our team really shines when we walk a client through those ten years or so prior to retirement so they are confident that they can retire and achieve some of those life goals,” Cochenour explained. They excel at assessing portfolios, helping with income planning, evaluating incoming wealth, and helping clients into retirement. “We look at where they are, what they hope to achieve, what is important to them, how they can live the very best life they can afford, and when they can do that,” she said. “We want to be able to give them permission to enjoy their dreams—and for them not to be afraid.”

The biggest reason everyone should have a wealth advisor is to help protect them from making financial mistakes based on fears cultivated by the media or the ebb and flow of markets, Cochenour explained. FORM offers a free intake tool on its website along with an FAQ pulldown so potential clients can decide if FORM is right for them. “We work best with clients who want to cultivate a relationship,” Cochenour continued. “Because of our business model, our clients are often looking for an advisor who wants to know about who they are and what they are looking to do, who works with them, and who truly cares about them and has their best interest in mind.

“We’ve had clients who save and save and keep working,” she said. “And it is an honor when we can tell them… ‘This is what you said you’d like to do. I think it is time to buy that first-class ticket.’” When clients choose FORM, they know that whether they bring financial concerns or a lifetime of savings to the table, they will have an advisor who will create a plan specific to their needs— no matter where they are in the retirement process.

FORM relationships are built through in-person meetings over coffee, tea, or pop in a stress-free office, but they are also strengthened via Zoom or phone. When people call the office, it is a person that is heard on the other end. Each of their advisors have direct lines.
Their advisors document everything, so, if an advisor ever changes positions, clients can be assured that their history is retained. “We know what our clients’ favorite drinks are, we know if there has been a loss of a family member, we know their family, their hobbies, and their pets,” Cochenour said. “When big goals are achieved, our clients often send us photos—and we celebrate alongside them, often finding a well-suited frame to honor their life event or sending a note or making that phone call.”

And, when FORM is there to walk through life’s most tender moments, you can be sure that they do so with grace, compassion, and care. “Our clients are our family,” Cochenour said. “For 25 years, we have worked to get to know every aspect of their life so we can help them live the best life they can afford. Not everyone wants to travel after retirement. Some want to create a 529 Plan for their grandchildren, some have philanthropy at heart. Many are helping aging parents, and some are dealing with their own health issues. We walk through it all alongside them. That is what makes FORM different. We are invested in people—and the people and legacy they care about.”