David Andrew Brooks, CEPA® CIS® , CHRS®
President & Founder of Retire SMART, LLC SMART Wealth, LLC Tax SMART, LLC and SmartWayETFs.com
David Andrew Brooks builds authority in tax-efficient wealth planning by sharing micro-content (61% under 30 words) that educates advisors on high-net-worth strategies and industry moments. His most distinctive move is the story-opening hook, which generates 7x average engagement (235 vs 32 avg) by leading with narrative intrigue before pivoting to professional insight.
4.5/wk
59 posts in 30d
32
avg per post
4.7%
comments / total
5.3%
reposts / total
brief announcement
Sat · 9 PM CET
Voice & tone
Conversational and credentialed without being stuffy. Brooks speaks as a peer educator who name-drops collaborators (Robert Keebler, Michael Kitces) and celebrates team wins with genuine gratitude. The tone balances professional authority with accessible warmth, using phrases like 'Blessed to share' and 'Had the pleasure of educating' that signal both expertise and humility. He treats his audience as fellow practitioners, not prospects.
Signature phrases
- “Had the pleasure of educating”
- “Great group attending our Tax Mastermind”
- “Blessed to share”
- “Learned a lot as well from”
- “Bucket List Moment”
- “Moments like these remind us”
Top 3 posts, dissected
Their highest-engagement posts, broken down line by line. Steal the structure.
President Reagan, speaking to an audience of reporters, tells one of his favorite jokes about news reporting. #journalism
The Reagan anecdote hook works because it creates immediate curiosity (what's the joke?) while leveraging prestige transfer. The hashtag #journalism signals relevance to the audience's professional identity. This is a pattern interrupt in a feed of typical advisor content.
Single-line hook with hashtag anchor. No body text provided in data, but the structure is minimalist—let the story do the work. The brevity (under 30 words) forces readers to click or comment to learn more.
- Prestige transfer via named authority figure (Reagan)
- Curiosity gap (joke not revealed in headline)
- Hashtag as category signal and SEO anchor
- Conversational tone ('tells one of his favorite jokes')
No explicit CTA. The post relies on intrigue to drive comments asking for the punchline or full story.
Lead with a famous person's story or quote, not your own opinion, to generate 7x engagement and position yourself as a curator of wisdom.
Great group attending our Tax Mastermind
The hook 'Great group attending our Tax Mastermind' is a soft announcement that signals exclusivity and community without hard-selling. It works because it's humble and peer-focused rather than self-promotional.
One-line announcement with implied photo or event context. The brevity (5 words) forces visual storytelling to carry the message.
- Soft social proof ('Great group')
- Ownership signal ('our Tax Mastermind')
- Implied visual content (photo attachment)
- No hype language—just factual celebration
No explicit CTA. The post invites engagement through implied FOMO and community belonging.
Announce events and milestones with understated language and let the visual do the selling; this generates 98 engagement through authenticity, not urgency.
Had the pleasure of educating several great independent advisors from all over the country on tax planning for High Net Worth families. Learned a lot as well from Robert Keebler, CPA, PFS, MST, AEP, Distinguished, and Hilgardt Lamprecht, CFP, CKA, CExP who always bring great cont…
The hook 'Had the pleasure of educating several great independent advisors from all over the country on tax planning for High Net Worth families' positions Brooks as both teacher and student. It works because it leads with action (educating) and immediately names the audience (independent advisors) and topic (tax planning for HNW).
Multi-clause opening that stacks credentials and collaborators. The structure is: action + audience + topic + learning acknowledgment + expert names with full credentials. This builds authority through transparency and peer recognition.
- Gratitude language ('Had the pleasure')
- Specific audience naming (independent advisors, HNW families)
- Reciprocal learning admission ('Learned a lot as well')
- Credential stacking (CPA, PFS, MST, AEP, CFP, CKA, CExP)
- Institutional endorsement ('Thanks Advisors Excel')
Ends with gratitude and institutional credit, which signals humility and builds goodwill without asking for anything.
When announcing speaking or teaching moments, name your collaborators with full credentials and admit what you learned; this builds trust and generates 88 engagement through peer-to-peer positioning.
What drives their engagement
Story-opening hooks with curiosity gaps (Reagan joke, 235 avg engagement) and credential stacking that invites peer recognition drive comments. Readers engage when they want to ask for the full story or validate the named experts.
Milestone moments (NYSE visit, growth announcements) and prestige collaborations (Michael Kitces) drive reposts because they signal market relevance and allow sharers to borrow credibility.
Low savability signal. Brooks optimizes for reach and conversation, not reference material. His micro-content (61% under 30 words) is designed for immediate engagement, not long-term value extraction.
Content pillars
Tax Strategy Education
35%Tactical tax planning insights for high-net-worth families and independent advisors, often tied to real client wins or mastermind sessions.
Industry Storytelling
25%Anecdotes and historical references (Reagan joke, NYSE visit) that humanize finance and build cultural credibility with advisors.
Thought Leader Collaboration
20%Name-tagged posts celebrating partnerships with recognized experts (Keebler, Kitces, Lamprecht) to amplify authority through association.
Team Milestones
15%Celebrate company growth moments and team achievements with gratitude language to build internal culture and external relatability.
Event Recaps
5%Quick summaries of mastermind attendance, speaking engagements, and conference moments that signal active market participation.
Hook patterns
Story Opening with Authority Figure
Reference a famous person or historical moment + specific detail about what they said/did + hashtag anchor
“President Reagan, speaking to an audience of reporters, tells one of his favorite jokes about news reporting. #journalism”
→ Curiosity gap (what's the joke?) combined with prestige transfer (Reagan) stops scroll and generates 235 avg engagement.
Gratitude + Credential Stack
Opening phrase of appreciation + list of named experts with full credentials + specific topic taught
“Had the pleasure of educating several great independent advisors from all over the country on tax planning for High Net Worth families. Learned a lot as well from Robert Keebler, CPA, PFS, MST, AEP, Distinguished, and Hilgardt Lamprecht, CFP, CKA, CExP”
→ Dual credibility (teaching AND learning from recognized names) signals peer-level expertise and builds trust through transparency.
Milestone Emoji + Bucket List Framing
Emoji location pin + 'Bucket List Moment' + iconic institution name + emotional reflection
“📍 Bucket List Moment — This year, the Retire SMART team had the incredible privilege of visiting the New York Stock Exchange! 🏛️”
→ Combines visual anchor (emoji), aspirational language (bucket list), and prestige location to trigger engagement and shares.
Blessed + Collaboration Announcement
Opening with 'Blessed to' + share/collaborate + named high-profile person or outlet
“Blessed to share our growth story with Michael Kitces.”
→ Gratitude language disarms skepticism while name-dropping a recognized authority figure creates FOMO and credibility transfer.
Event Attendance + Humble Brag
Great group + event name + learning acknowledgment
“Great group attending our Tax Mastermind”
→ Positions the creator as convener and learner simultaneously, avoiding pure self-promotion while signaling market influence.
Top-performing hooks
“President Reagan, speaking to an audience of reporters, tells one of his favorite jokes about news reporting. #journalism”
→ The post leverages nostalgia and a recognizable historical figure to create intrigue, while the vague reference to a joke invites audience curiosity and comment speculation, driving engagement through
“Great group attending our Tax Mastermind”
“Had the pleasure of educating several great independent advisors from all over the country on tax planning for High Net Worth families. Learned a lot as well from Robert Keebler, CPA, PFS, MST, AEP, Distinguished, and Hilgardt Lamprecht, CFP, CKA, CE”
“📍 Bucket List Moment — This year, the Retire SMART team had the incredible privilege of visiting the New York Stock Exchange! 🏛️”
“Blessed to share our growth story with Michael Kitces.”
“Wrapping up an amazing 3 days with some great Advisors from across the country here to learn advanced tax planning. #TaxMastermind”
→ The post establishes credibility by showcasing participation in an exclusive professional development event with peers, while the hashtag #TaxMastermind creates community identity and signals expertis
“We’re thrilled to announce the grand opening of our Lincoln office, located at 7321 Plaza CT, Suite 102, Lincoln, NE 68516!”
“✨ It’s Official — Our 1st Annual Awards Gala was a showstopper. ✨”
“Making some great connections here at Future Proof and ETF.com at the ETF Oasis”
“Enjoyed being a guest today on Mornings with Maria on #foxbusiness”
→ The post leverages third-party credibility (Fox Business appearance) to establish authority and attract attention from professional networks. The simplicity and direct link create low friction for int
What works
- Story-opening hooks with prestige figures generate 7x average engagement (235 vs 32 avg). Lead with Reagan, Kitces, or historical moments, not your opinion.
- Micro-content dominance: 61% of posts are under 30 words and match the 32 avg engagement rate. Brevity forces visual storytelling and comment-driven discovery.
- Credential stacking with named collaborators (Robert Keebler CPA PFS MST AEP, Hilgardt Lamprecht CFP CKA CExP) builds authority through association and generates peer validation in comments.
- Gratitude language ('Had the pleasure,' 'Blessed to share,' 'Learned a lot as well') disarms skepticism and positions Brooks as a learner, not just a teacher. This drives 88-98 engagement on event recaps.
- Saturday 8 PM UTC posting window outperforms other times, suggesting weekend professional reflection is peak engagement time for this advisor audience.
- Soft announcements without hard CTAs (e.g., 'Great group attending our Tax Mastermind') generate authentic engagement because they signal community belonging rather than sales intent.
Steal this for your own LinkedIn
- Start your next post with a famous person's story or quote, not your own insight. Lead with curiosity (what did they say?) and let comments reveal the full narrative.
- Cut your post to under 30 words and let a photo or video carry 70% of the message. Brevity forces your audience to engage to understand the full context.
- When announcing a speaking gig or event, name your collaborators with full credentials and admit what you learned from them. This builds peer-level trust and generates comments from people who recognize the names.
- Post on Saturday evenings (around 8 PM UTC) instead of Monday mornings. Your audience is reflecting on the week, not reacting to Monday urgency.
- Use gratitude language ('Had the pleasure,' 'Blessed to') at the start of announcements instead of self-promotional language. This shifts the frame from 'look at me' to 'look at us' and drives authentic engagement.
- Stack emojis and milestone language ('Bucket List Moment,' 📍) for team wins and company milestones. This signals prestige and aspiration without sounding desperate for engagement.
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Posting patterns
Extremely consistent: 4.5 posts per week across 59 posts in 90 days, with all 59 posts occurring in the last 30 days, indicating daily or near-daily posting discipline.
Saturday at 8 PM UTC performs best, suggesting Brooks targets advisors during weekend wind-down or evening reflection time when they're more likely to engage with professional content.
Micro-content under 30 words (61% of posts, 32 avg engagement) is the dominant format. Medium-length posts (80-180 words, 24% of posts, 36 avg engagement) perform slightly better but require more effort. Long-form (180-350 words) underperforms at 14 avg engagement, indicating the audience prefers quick hits over deep dives.
Engagement by day
Content mix
avg 32 engagements per post
avg 7 engagements per post
avg 11 engagements per post
avg 42 engagements per post
Brooks' format mix (61% micro, 24% medium, 14% short, 2% long) reflects an audience of busy advisors who scroll during downtime and prefer quick insights over deep reads. The heavy micro-content focus combined with story-opening hooks creates a pattern interrupt in the feed, while credential stacking and collaboration announcements build authority without requiring long-form thought leadership. This mix maximizes reach (short posts post more frequently) while maintaining credibility (named experts and event recaps signal active market participation).
