4 advisor strategies for vacationing without clients

July 3, 2025 10:33 AM

As summer and the July 4 holiday approaches, financial advisors might be ready to step away from their desks for a few days.

But this year has been volatile for investments, and advisors are often expected to be on call should a nervous client have questions, especially when millions of dollars may be on the line.

So, how do financial advisors take some much-needed time off and balance those issues, especially if they're working as a solo advisor without backup?

We asked advisors how they juggle the personal and professional life from sandy beaches and cozy getaways. Scroll down for their answers.

‘Your procrastination is not my emergency’

Nathan Sebesta, the solo advisor and owner at Access Wealth Strategies, said that some clients might ask financial advisors on vacation to edit their portfolios — despite having months beforehand to do that.

"[Advisors] have tried to get them to do this for a long time and they're procrastinating. All of a sudden, it's an emergency while you're on a beach," he said. "It's always a frustrating time. Your procrastination is not my emergency."

To better manage situations like this, he said solo advisors could separate clients into A, B and C tiers. He said A and B tier clients regularly contact him, and C tier clients often ignore his calls.

Sebesta said that he once had to draw the line while attending a conference, when a client who had been out of touch suddenly reached out to cancel a policy.

"I was like 'OK, I will submit it as soon as you get it to me, but I'm not the one processing it. It may take a few weeks for them to process it. It's kind of out of our control," Sebesta said. "We can't be everything to everybody."

You probably don’t need to notify clients in advance

Plan meetings with clients around your schedule, said Tyson Sprick, a partner at Caliber Wealth Management.

If financial advisors typically meet with clients twice a year, there's no need to notify clients in advance about going away for a week. However, financial advisors should notify their clients if they are going to be away for more than three weeks.

"We have most of those things covered with the clients from our review meetings," Sprick said. "So I don't feel the need to say 'hey, I'm going to be gone this week."

‘Teamwork makes dream work’

It's important to coordinate with your team members, said Brad Pistole, the president of Trinity Insurance and Finance. He said that his clients contact his firm using the Nextiva communication app, which sends messages to his staff after hours or when he's on vacation. Through this app, his staff can also communicate with each other to identify the best person to handle different situations.

"We have an office policy that whoever gets it, address that," he said. "That takes the pressure off me having to take phone calls while I'm on vacation because I can see what's going on and determine if this is really an emergency or not."

Most of the time, it’s not an emergency

Pistole said that most of the time, clients' requests are not emergencies. He added that advisors should explain to clients when they meet what should be considered an emergency.

"When we are delivering either paperwork to them for their account, their annuity paperwork, life insurance brokerage statements, we tell them 'this is what we want you to know regarding when to contact us," he said. "But outside that, if it's a change of address, that's not as big a rush."

If it involves major life changes, such as a birth, death and divorce, financial advisors should handle the issues as soon as possible.