The Best Question to Ask Clients – And Yourself

By financial planning logo
February 28, 2019
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Written by: Chelsea Emery | Jeff Motske has one of the strongest ways to tease out client priorities I’ve heard in quite a while.

“What if?” Motske asks clients.

“What if one if your partner needs critical care? What if you want to move to Arizona? What if one of your kids starts a family on the other side of the country?,” the CEO of Trilogy Financial asks.

It’s deceptively simple, but an excellent method for getting at the heart of clients’ values and fears.

“These are critical questions,” Motske told me during a recent visit to Financial Planning offices in New York. “You want to ask them before things happen.”

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October 20, 2026

Trilogy Capital said it has made its largest acquisition of the year with the addition of Mountain Capital Investment Advisors.

Founded in 2011 by United States Marine Corps Veteran and former airline pilot Brandt Burns, Westminster, Colo.-based Mountain Capital serves individual, family and small business clients, with a focus on aviation professionals, according to Trilogy.

Mountain Capital's advisors, some of whom are former pilots and other aviation industry professionals, manage more than $1 billion.

In addition to investment and wealth management advice, the practice offers tax preparation and consulting services, including interview preparation for pilots and other aviation professionals, a service spearheaded by co-founder Michelle Burns, who had worked as a senior manager at United Airlines for 14 years, Trilogy said.

These services will be folded into Trilogy Tax & Consulting.

Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

The addition of Mountain Capital marks Trilogy's 11th location in Colorado, according to the firm.

Founded in 1999 and led by co-founder, President and CEO Jeff Motske, Irvine, Calif.-based Trilogy oversees more than $5 billion in advisory and brokerage assets from 10 regional offices, the company said.

See full article here.

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October 27, 2026

Irvine, California‑based Trilogy Financial launched Trilogy Tax & Consulting, an affiliated company that will provide tax preparation and consulting services for its clients.

Trilogy said the affiliate would help its advisors connect clients with tax professionals, identify tax planning opportunities and integrate tax mitigation strategies into financial plans. The firm said the services are intended for individual, family and business‑owner clients.

“We are excited to continue building out our capabilities available through our affiliated businesses with the addition of our new tax and consulting offering,” said Jeff Motske, Co‑Founder, President and CEO of Trilogy Financial. “As clients’ financial lives become increasingly complex, it is important to provide services beyond traditional investment management.”

Founded in 1999, Trilogy has 10 regional offices and more than $5 billion in advisory and brokerage assets.

In March 2024, Trilogy announced an investment by Toronto‑based private equity firm Peloton Capital Management.

“The launch of Trilogy Tax & Consulting reinforces our ongoing focus on partnership, organic growth and delivering differentiated resources to help advisors better serve clients,” Motske said. Read more here.

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