Today we’d like to introduce you to Ujae Kang.
Hi Ujae, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I accidentally found myself in the financial planning career when I lost my job as an actuary in 2008, starting at a large financial services company called Ameriprise Financial. However, I quickly discovered that I genuinely enjoyed being a financial advisor.
After about three and a half years working for Ameriprise, I left to help manage an institutional-level investment portfolio at a large insurance company. While I valued that experience, I grew to miss my clients, many of whom I had become friends with. Therefore, after roughly eight years helping manage the insurance company’s portfolio, my wife and I decided to start our own independent financial planning and investment management firm to serve families and individuals directly.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The uncertainty of growing a new business caused considerable anxiety for the first one to two years. I frequently received offers from headhunters to return to stable, well-paying positions similar to my former role at an insurance company. However, my wife remained determined to stick with our business plan, and gradually, our business has continued to grow.
We’ve been impressed with UAK Diversified Wealth Advisors, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My wife and I run a comprehensive financial planning firm, providing what is often described as full-service wealth management. While a core function is managing our clients’ investment portfolios—including IRAs, brokerage accounts, and other savings—our relationship typically expands beyond asset management.
We build and maintain well-structured portfolios designed to support each client’s unique financial and life goals. Because we oversee these critical assets, our partnership naturally evolves to include guidance on broader financial affairs. As a result, we provide complementary services at no additional cost to our clients, including holistic financial planning, projection reporting, tax analysis, and strategic advice for major life transactions such as real estate purchases or business decisions, as well as guidance on complex benefit packages for executive-level employees.
Ultimately, our goal extends beyond simply growing the portfolio; we strive to empower clients to make thoughtful decisions that allow them to use their wealth to live fulfilling lives, especially during retirement.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Saint Paul, Minnesota, and its surrounding suburbs are consistently ranked among the best places in the US to live and work. While the state is famous for its long, cold winters, the summers are delightful and highly cherished by residents. With temperatures typically ranging between 75 and 95 degrees, the period from late spring through early fall offers ideal conditions for outdoor activities.
Although the pleasant weather comes at the cost of a challenging winter, Minnesota provides unique opportunities for those who embrace the cold. The state truly offers year-round outdoor adventures, from summer boating and hiking to winter activities like snowmobiling, skiing, ice fishing, and sledding.
Pricing:
- Our standard advisory fee is 0.8% annually on the assets we directly manage. To construct portfolios, we primarily use low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which have internal expense ratios averaging only about 0.05%. This results in a transparent, all-inclusive cost to our clients of approximately 0.85%. We offer tiered fee breaks for larger portfolios. For example, assets between $1 million and $5 million are charged a reduced annualized rate of 0.6%. For a total cost comparable to that of many typical mutual funds, we provide personalized financial advice and in-depth analysis as complementary services, offering significantly more hands-on guidance for your investment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://uakdiversified.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uakdiversified/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ujaeaugustinekang/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pianist2/
