Episodes

What helps a financial planning career move forward when confidence is still catching up? In this conference edition of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® bring listeners into conversations at FPA Gather in Dallas about finding mentors, building relationships, and taking the next career step. Guests include senior financial planner and tax practice manager Blake Pinion CFP®, EA , firm partner C.J. Miller CFP®, RMA®, CPWA®, and students, career c...

The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast opens season five with a candid career conversation featuring Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA, Alison Miller, CFP®, and Executive Producer Jadah Riley. Rather than a traditional guest interview, the team reflects on lessons from season four and shares what they are learning as their own careers continue to evolve. For early-career advisors focused on financial planning career growth, this episode gets practical about landing a first financial planning job, building a...

In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with Andrew Mirolli, CEPA® Co-Founder and Head of Client Services at buyAUM.com, to explore one of the financial planning profession’s biggest opportunities: RIA succession planning. Andrew explains how early-career financial planners can position themselves to become trusted successors, build more valuable advisory practices, and earn the confidence of senior advisors. The con...

Taxes influence virtually every financial planning recommendation, yet many advisors hesitate to make tax planning part of their client experience. In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP®welcome Stephen Jarvis, CPA, founder of Retirement Tax Services, for an in-depth conversation about bridging the gap between financial planners and tax professionals. Stephen explains why every advisor should incorporate tax awareness into the...

In this episode of The Blueprint | An FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® welcome Seth Streeter, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer of Mission Wealth, for an inspiring conversation about what it truly means to help clients build wealth. Drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey and decades of experience serving clients, Seth explains why the future of financial planning extends far beyond investment management. He introduces his powerful 12 Dimensions o...

In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® welcome Nichole Graham CFP®, CDFA Financial Analyst at Wellspring Divorce Advisors and Financial Advisor at Regista Financial Strategies. Nichole shares how trusting her intuition transformed her career, allowing her to embrace remote work, contract opportunities, and a rewarding specialization in divorce financial planning. She opens up about moving across the country, building communit...

In this inspiring episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with entrepreneur and financial planner Chris Wise CFP®, founder of Wise Capital Partners, to discuss building a modern financial planning firm that prioritizes both wealth and well-being. Chris shares his journey from growing up in a financial planning family to forging his own path, returning to transform the family business, and leading through extraordinary persona...

What if financial planning wasn’t just about accumulating wealth — but helping clients intentionally design their lives? In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with Breanna Rae Blaney, CEO and Founder of Anya Institute and creator of the Integrative Wealth Advisor Certification and host of the Human Evolution Podcast. Breanna shares why financial planners occupy one of the most influential seats in a client’s life — ...

What does it take to build a successful career in financial planning while staying grounded in purpose, relationships, and service? In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP welcome legendary CFP exam educator and financial advisor Brett Danko, CFP® for a powerful conversation on entrepreneurship, resilience, mentorship, and the evolving future of financial planning. Brett opens up about his journey from launching his own RIA and...

In this special Career Changers edition of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with Emily Green and Wilson Lou to unpack what it really takes to transition into financial planning from entirely different industries.  From engineering burnout to healthcare and entrepreneurship pivots, Emily and Wilson share honest insights into navigating uncertainty, overcoming imposter syndrome, and building a meaningful career in financial planni...

In this special episode of The Blueprint | An FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with industry pioneer and thought leader Michael Kitces for a masterclass on building a successful career in financial planning. From the impact of AI on entry-level roles to the real path toward partnership, Kitces delivers practical, no-nonsense advice for early-career advisors navigating a rapidly evolving profession. Whether you're just starting out or positioning...

n this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with Patrick Marcinko, CFP® Lead Advisor at Bogert Wealth, to explore what it truly takes to grow into a confident, client-facing financial planner.  Patrick shares how early-career advisors can overcome imposter syndrome through preparation, repetition, and intentional learning. From shadowing experienced advisors to navigating real-life client complexities, this episode highli...

In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP® , EA and Alison Miller, CFP® sit down with Lillian Turner, CFP® , RLP® , CSLP® founder of Daring Greatly Wealth and 2026 Chair of the FPA NexGen committee. Lillian shares her path from financial scarcity and an unconventional start in the profession to launching her own firm, developing a life-planning-centered approach, and leading the next generation of financial planners.  This conversation explores what it r...

Season 4 of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast kicks off with a powerful theme: Ignite. Hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Alison Miller, CFP® explore how early-career financial planners can ignite their professional growth by leaning into discomfort, developing their voice, and building community within the profession. In this episode, the team discusses the pivotal habits and mindset shifts that helped accelerate their own careers—from volunteering with the Financial Planning Association (FP...

What does it really take to build a meaningful career in financial planning—and why does passion usually show up after the hard work? In this reflective Season 3 finale of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA and Deshawn Peterson, CFP® turn the mic inward. Deshawn shares lessons from two years as a podcast host, exploring how consistency, discipline, and intentional effort compound into professional growth, stronger relationships, and long-term fulfillment. This epi...

In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP, EA and Deshawn Peterson, CFP sit down with Ian Mueller, a senior at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), to explore what early-career financial planners can learn from real-world experience—long before passing the CFP® exam. Ian shares how getting involved in FPA leadership as a student helped him build a national network, land multiple internships, and compete at the highest level in the FPA Financial Planning Cha...

In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP, EA and Deshawn Peterson, CFP sit down with Matt Goren, PhD, CFP®, Chief Strategy Officer at Danko Education and a leading voice in CFP® exam education. Matt shares how his background in social psychology and financial education has reshaped how future advisors should prepare for the CFP® exam — and why traditional, lecture-heavy study methods are failing today’s younger candidates. With the average age of CFP® cand...

Early in your career, choosing (or staying with) the wrong firm can be the biggest source of hidden risk. In this conversation, Mike Zarrelli, CFP, EA and Deshawn Peterson, CFP talk with Alanah Phillips, MBA—entrepreneur, career-change success story, advisor advocate, recruiter, coach, podcast host, and “industry troublemaker”—about how Next Gen advisors can build careers that are both profitable and aligned. Alanah unpacks the true landscape of the industry—banks, wires, IBDs, RIAs, and “pseudo...

In this Blueprint | FPA NexGen episode hosts Mike Zarelli, EA, CFP® and Deshawn Peterson, CFP® bring you inside FPA Annual 2025 in Las Vegas to capture the voices shaping a profession that’s still young — and being built in real time. From students and career changers to firm owners, AI innovators, legacy-planning founders, and CFP Board leadership, this episode reveals what the next generation is learning, questioning, and creating as financial planning evolves. What You’ll Learn Why financial ...

James Conole, CFP®, founder & CEO of Root Financial Partners and host of the Root Ready podcast, joins hosts Mike Zarelli, CFP®, EA and Deshawn Peterson, CFP® to unpack the habits and frameworks behind his leap from being fired at 28 to leading a team of nearly 60. We dig into time-blocking, OKRs, and the “hungry, humble, human” hiring filter—plus how content and empathy compound faster than cold calls. What You’ll Learn How to design your week with time blocking that actually holds A simple OKR...

Early-career advisors often ask: How do I grow faster without burning out? In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarelli, CFP® and Deshawn Peterson, CFP® sit down with Julie Penwell, CFP®, Financial Advisor at Wealthspire Advisors, to unpack how she’s navigated growth, adaptability, and brand-building in the modern advisory profession. Julie shares how leaning into community, embracing M&A transitions, and showing up authentically on social media helped her accelerat...

In this Blueprint | FPA Nex Gen episode, Haley Ellis, CFP® and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor, joins hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, and Deshawn Peterson, CFP®, to share how she successfully transitioned from a client-facing financial planner to Director of Operations (and on track for COO) after her firm doubled in size. She unpacks building workflows from scratch, leading through a merger, advocating for your role, and why community—FPA chapters and mastermind groups—accelerates growth. You’ll le...

From Orlando’s FPA NextGen Gathering 2025, CFP® professionals Deshawn Peterson, Alison Miller, and Mike Zarrelli capture the stories, lessons, and energy of this year’s event. This milestone year marks the 25th anniversary of FPA, and the energy at Gathering has never been stronger. In this special episode of The Blueprint: An FPA NextGen Podcast, we bring you conversations with attendees ranging from first-timers to industry veterans who’ve built multi-decade careers. From stories of career cha...

Season 3 of The Blueprint & FPA NexGen® Podcast launches with fresh energy, new voices, and a stronger focus on the next generation of financial planners. Hosts Deshawn Peterson and Mike Zarrelli are joined by new co-hosts Alison Miller, CFP®, and executive producer Jadah Riley, expanding the conversation and perspectives shaping the future of our profession. Alison, a Wealth Advisor and second-generation planner, shares her unique career path—how she went from considering dentistry to finding h...