Gratitude

I am writing this on December 2, 2025.  For all I know, you may be reading this in 2026.  But my goal is the same – to thank you for placing your trust in Majestic Financial.  We have grown so much as a firm and as individuals over the past 5 years, and I wanted to share my view of this growth with you.

When we formed this firm and opened our doors in April of 2021, we were coming out of a pandemic and the world was still a little off kilter.  Brandon convinced me to take a leap of faith with him.  With 4 of us (out of the original 6 employees) coming from another firm, we wanted to create a company that did things a little differently than we were able to before.  The name, Majestic Financial, came from a vacation to Alaska with the colors and designs from the brain of Josh Budlong.  The staff were all personally recruited by Brandon and me. 

Originally, we were all going to be based in one location – the current Plainwell office.  However, an opportunity to open a second office in the same Hastings location that Brandon had worked out of for 8 years was too good to pass up, and suddenly we had two offices.  Isiah, Alyx and Becky joined us shortly after we opened our doors, with Leon and Jaime following a month later.  Just after Thanksgiving of 2021, we had our first open house – even though we had over 200 clients by then.

As I look back to the beginning of Majestic Financials’ life (yes, to me it is a living, breathing life form), I am amazed at how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.  We chose to affiliate with Raymond James Financial Services because we believe in their platform, and they allow us freedom and flexibility to do what is right for our clients.  Almost 5 years later, I don’t regret this decision and have great respect for the people I work with at RJFS.  I now do our compliance in accordance with RJFS and we take our fiduciary responsibilities seriously.

When we added our first clients, our portfolios were very similar to the firm we had left.  We used a lot of mutual funds, ETF’s and some individual stocks.  But we created Majestic Financial to expand our offerings, and so we applied and were granted discretionary authority for those clients that want us to manage their portfolios without having to call for every trade.  Kendra and I began to open options accounts for clients where appropriate, while Brandon and I spent hours learning about structured investments (not available where we came from) and how different annuities could help clients.

Gradually our portfolios changed – while the changes are dramatic, they didn’t completely change overnight.  Faith Based portfolios run by Brandon show just how differently our clients’ money can be invested.  Same for our personnel.  We have had 3 different summer interns, and one of them became a full-time employee.  Kendra became an advisor, Mark went from a client to an advisor, and Max is studying for his Series 66.  Leon opened our third location in downtown Kalamazoo, and we added Trey, Cobey, Evan and Andrew to the team.

All these changes are encouraging to me.  They mean more people are asking to become clients, and that means we are doing things right.  But the most meaningful change was the original one – the reason we formed Majestic Financial is now clearer to our clients than ever before.  When Brandon dreamed of Majestic Financial, he dreamed of being a part of a team that made a difference in clients’ lives – not just the pocketbooks of home office partners.  While it took time for the entire firm to get to know all of our clients, we believe we are living that dream today.

When we meet with clients, there is always more than one advisor that is a part of the plan.  You the client may not interact with multiple advisors every time, but trust me when I say that your goals, risk profile and portfolio are being evaluated by a team of professionals, not just one person in between Christmas shopping on Amazon.  When we sit down with clients or prospective clients, it is often 3 or 4 of us meeting the person/couple together.  We do this to make sure that more than just one person at Majestic is aware of your goals, needs, and the strategies we are using to achieve success for you.  We want our clients to be comfortable talking to any one of the advisors when something is needed.  That doesn’t mean that Brandon isn’t “your guy,” but what if “your guy” has the day off to chase chickens in Plainwell (a true and long story)?  Sean, Mark or Kendra can make sure your financial needs are taken care of. 

So, to go back to the beginning, thank you for placing your trust in me, Brandon and Leon.  But also, thank you for allowing that trust to grow into a relationship with the entire firm.  Being a part of a team is a great feeling when our clients are at the center of the team.
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I hope you have/had a wonderful Holiday Season.
 
Written by Sean Budlong, CFP®, AAMS, Chief Executive Officer, Majestic Financial, Financial Consultant, RJFS

*Disclosures: Any opinions are those of Sean Budlong and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected, including diversification and asset allocation. Every investor's situation is unique and you should consider your investment goals, risk tolerance and time horizon before making any investment. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation. There is no guarantee that these statements, opinions or forecasts provided herein will prove to be correct. This information is not intended as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security referred to herein.