Beyond Buy-and-Hold: Adam Koós on Technical Analysis and Building Lasting Wealth

The Retirement Fiduciary Podcast

Adam Koós joins fellow CMT David Keller to share his journey from aspiring trauma surgeon to founding Libertas Wealth Management Group and launching Adrenaline Advisor Consulting.

Adam opens up about starting his career just before 9/11, how market crashes pushed him toward technical analysis, and why he uses sports and weather analogies to help clients understand investing. From building financial plans that manage both money and emotions, to teaching advisors how to grow thriving practices, Adam offers a candid look at lessons learned over two decades in the industry.

Episode Timestamps: 01:00 – Adam’s background: Ohio State, trauma surgery dreams, and the pivot to finance 07:00 – Starting at a brokerage firm just before 9/11 09:00 – Why Adam embraced technical analysis after the early 2000s crash 12:00 – The “NFL playoff teams” analogy for investing 15:00 – Tornado sirens, trend following, and managing risk 18:00 – Dealing with investor emotions and building confidence 20:00 – Why every client needs a financial plan, not just portfolio management 23:00 – The three charts Adam always shares with clients 27:00 – Stoplight charts, seasonality, and short-term signals 31:00 – Balancing strong uptrends with seasonal weakness 33:00 – Mistakes early in Adam’s practice and lessons learned 34:00 – The story of coaching another advisor to $7M in new AUM in 14 weeks 36:00 – How Adrenaline Advisor Consulting helps advisors grow faster

Key Takeaways: 💡 Technical analysis gives advisors and investors a framework beyond buy-and-hold.💡 Use analogies to simplify complex financial concepts for clients.💡 A financial plan is essential - investments alone aren’t enough.💡 Trend following is about investing in the “playoff teams” and avoiding the laggards.💡 Advisors should give clients as little data as they need, but no more.💡 Balancing strategic and tactical models prevents rigidity in portfolio design.💡 Helping advisors build repeatable systems multiplies the impact of good advice.

Key Quotes from Adam Koós: 🗣 “Investing is like betting on the playoff teams, not trying to pick the Super Bowl winner.”🗣 “You don’t have to be in the market all the time - sometimes the locker room is the safest place.”🗣 “Clients don’t want acronyms; they want analogies they can understand.”🗣 “The two things clients want to know: Am I okay? And do you have my back?”🗣 “Give clients as little information as they need, but no more.”

Connect with Adam Koós and Libertas Wealth Management: LinkedIn: Adam Koós Website: www.libertaswealth.com

Follow Libertas on Social Media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/libertaswealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertas.wealth Threads: https://www.threads.net/@libertas.wealth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/libertas-wealth Twitter/X: https://x.com/LibertasWM TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@libertaswealthmanagement YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@libertaswealth

About Adam Koós: Adam Koos, CFP®, CMT® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and one of only 2,600+ Chartered Market Technicians (CMT) worldwide, as well as a Certified Financial Technician (CFTe®). Named by Columbus Business First as one of their 20 People to Know in Finance, Adam is also a Forty Under 40 recipient, ranked among Investopedia’s Top 100 Most Influential Advisers, and winner of the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethical Enterprising. He is president and portfolio manager at Libertas Wealth Management Group, Inc., and founder of Adrenaline Advisor Consulting, helping other advisors grow thriving practices.