Open to change

PHOTO BY CHRIS RIDLEY

Simon D. Lister, Dip PFS, had a clear focus on the financial world from an early age. Following a few twists and turns, he became an independent financial advisor and found early success through long hours and hard work. Later, other advisors he met raised the bar for what was possible, and he learned that attention to detail and a disciplined approach could unlock new levels of productivity. This openness to adjust and consider new perspectives has prepared the 18-year MDRT member and business leader to join MDRT’s Executive Committee and guide the organization into the future.

Committed to finance

Lister’s focus as a teenager was divided between two passions: football and mathematics. He was skilled and committed to improvement in both until he suffered an injury at age 16. “One of the greatest things that ever happened to me was breaking my leg,” he said, noting that his studies benefited from a narrowed focus.

Putting football aside, Lister’s fascination with finance — and his father’s recent move from many years in banking to financial advising — led him to select a vocation that used his strong mathematical abilities.

At 18, Lister began a program that allowed him to earn professional actuarial qualifications while preparing reports for defined-benefit pension plans. While he enjoyed the technical work, he felt isolated and wanted to be connected to the people his work was serving. Later, employed by a bank, Lister provided financial advice to customers, but the position didn’t really fit his definition of giving advice. “Someone would come in and tell you what they wanted, and then you’d give them what they wanted,” he explained. “I wasn’t making the difference I wanted.”

Lister’s pursuit of using his technical background to provide objective, knowledgeable advice to trusting clients led him to become an independent financial advisor (IFA). This role built upon his education and qualifications, the training the bank provided, and Lister’s willingness to work hard if it meant he could make a difference in people’s lives. 

Empowering clients

As a new IFA, Lister had to build his client list from zero. He found his footing by delivering a positive experience for each client he met. If he could impress them, he was confident that he could gain referrals. “That was my biggest way of getting clients,” he said, “and it still is to this day.”

The technical knowledge Lister had developed as a pension actuary gave him confidence and a natural specialty in retirement planning. He enjoyed helping clients through this phase of life. “People can be scared of money,” he said. “For me, it’s always been about empowering clients to have confidence in what they can do in retirement, fulfilling their goals, dreams and ambitions.”

Lister had found his calling. He became a partner within the IFA firm, and he worked to build his client base and improve his production, but it all came at a cost. Lister was working long days, leaving little time for anything else. Undeterred, he believed that if he worked hard, the results would come. “I felt like I had everything to gain and nothing to lose,” he said.

Career evolution

His dedication earned him more referrals, which led to a stable client base and reliable production. While he felt successful within the firm, he had a desire to continue evolving. He also had a wife and a newborn son, so his inclination to always work harder to grow no longer fit his lifestyle. Lister was seeking new answers, and they came to him through attending an industry meeting. MDRT Past President Tony Gordon, a 48-year MDRT member, captured his attention and agreed to meet and help him take his career in a new direction. Through quarterly, in-person meetings that required Lister to drive four hours each way, he learned how to self-reflect and identify where he excelled and where he didn’t. He identified the data that mattered to him, such as how many people he met within a week, how many meetings he needed for each client to move forward with his advice and his average case size. Gordon also taught him about MDRT — Lister was already doing production at the Court of the Table level but didn’t know it. Gordon pushed him to join and insisted he attend the Annual Meeting the following year.

With careful attention to his practice data, Lister committed to a weekly appointment target and identified which cases were too small to take on. When he established specific goals, he shared them with his mentor, business partner and wife for accountability. Lister turned his love for math and problem-solving into a scorecard for his practice that enabled him to achieve Top of the Table the next year.

With a focus on a new way forward, Lister and business partner Craig D. McClurg, Cert PFS, BA (Hons), an 18-year MDRT member himself — along with Lister’s father, David James Lister, who was a seven-year MDRT member before his retirement — founded ML Financial Associates in 2011. The business that began with the three of them has grown to an independent financial advisory firm with two office locations and $390 million in assets under management.

Now with five advisors on staff, the ML client service is evolving to place the right advisor — or sometimes dual advisors — with a client based on the specialties they need. “The client’s advice journey isn’t just about me,” Lister explained. “There will be multiple people involved with formulating and delivering the financial advice.” In addition to giving the business more strength, working collaboratively in this way gives the clients more confidence, he said, ensuring each has a small team of three to five to assist them.

As managing director, Lister’s responsibility for the day-to-day running of the firm can cause him to fall back into the familiar practice of working longer hours to meet all the needs of the business. Determined to maintain the work-life balance he sought for his family, the firm hired an operations manager in 2024 who enables the business to function more efficiently and require less of his time and attention. 

Global connections

Continued growth is a big part of Lister’s future. Nearly two decades after he first sought Gordon’s advice, the two still meet regularly. Eager for input from all angles, Lister is also a member of a study group with five other MDRT members, who provide a sounding board for each other. “We share what’s going on in our business — the good and the bad,” Lister said. “Sometimes you can feel quite on your own, particularly if you’re a business owner. Are you doing the right thing? Is it going in the direction you want it to? Those kinds of self-doubts. Sometimes just being able to bounce it off someone —or know someone’s there for you or they feel the same — can be quite comforting.”

This connection to other advisors and what they’re going through as the world continues to change — such as with technology and delivering advice — is an important benefit of MDRT membership. “To have an understanding of what’s going on in their respective markets helps you be a better advisor and a more rounded individual,” he said.

Through his numerous volunteer roles within MDRT, and as an MDRT Foundation Platinum Knight-level donor and Inner Circle Society member, Lister continues to gain profession-focused ideas and advice that open his eyes to other things going on in the world. “Sometimes you can live in your own bubble if you’re not careful,” he said.

Leadership growth

Thinking back to his first Annual Meeting in 2008, Lister remembers seeing other members in attendance and thinking they look so self-assured — which was quite different than how he felt at the time. Two years later, he volunteered for the Membership Communications Division and then followed with on-site Annual Meeting roles. Those early assignments paved the way for some of Lister’s most meaningful volunteer experiences, such as leading Top of the Table, heading up the Annual Meeting Main Platform/Special Sessions Committee, and his current role overseeing the Annual Meeting Program Development Division.

As he took on new roles, Lister said, there were times when he felt a little uneasy, wondering if he was up to the challenge, but the volunteer system around him supported his efforts. “That trust and faith they have in you allows you to shine,” he said.

As the Nominee to the Executive Committee, he is focused on empowering other members to help MDRT move forward in support of its worldwide membership. “You’ve got to enable other people to run with things, even if they’re not doing it quite how you would do it yourself,” he said. “You still get the outcome that you’re looking for — even sometimes a better outcome — because of it.”

Being open to new perspectives helps Lister grow professionally. Ideas learned through MDRT have made a significant impact on his business, and this openness enables other MDRT members to contribute to the evolution of this organization. Lister is prepared to listen and learn, taking MDRT forward into the future.