Episodes

The job of a financial advisor and planner isn’t simply to dispense the advice, pat yourself on the back, and walk away as if your job is done. It’s to help the client follow through on your advice. Ensuring they implement and execute the items you’ve laid out that solve their problems and achieve their goals. The reality is that getting clients to actually follow through and implement the advice you give without constant follow-up is hard. There are several possible explanations. One of the mos...

Money and happiness will forever be intertwined, specifically the relationship between the two. While money may not be able to buy happiness, it can certainly influence it. When you’re working with people and their money, you have the opportunity to help them use their money in a way that accumulates happiness rather than just simply accumulating wealth. Chris Budd runs an organization focused on helping advisors and planners understand what clients actually want from their money. And, he explai...

Money decisions are never just about money. Research tells us that about 90% of all financial decisions are made emotionally, not logically. Decisions driven by our mind rather than our money. And every financial behavior, even if it appears illogical, makes perfect sense once you understand the underlying beliefs, feelings, and thoughts that accompanied the decision. These beliefs, feelings, and thoughts form your money mindset. Fortunately, Rick Kahler is one of the pioneers in this space and ...

Whether you’ve been an advisor for four days or four decades, you know that your client’s success has just as much to do with their mind as their money. It’s simply not enough to run through Monte Carlo simulations and construct diversified portfolios. And you know it’s critical for you to be able to understand your client’s psychology and behaviors around money. But, the challenge lies in knowing how to apply psychology to real-life client scenarios. Fortunately, Dr. Brad Klontz is one of the f...

Trust is the foundation of success in financial advice. Research has found that trust is the #1 characteristic clients look for in a financial advisor. But how can you quickly instill trust into the conversation with a prospective client? How can you consistently build trust throughout your relationship with a current client so they refer more and follow your advice? Mary Schmid will explain how to conduct conversations that quickly and consistently build trust with clients and prospects. Here’s...

Every single advisor and planner recognizes the importance of the human side when working with people and their money. And every single advisor and planner wants practical, tangible ways to embed it in their practice. After exploring the human side of money with 50 of the brightest minds on behavior, psychology, communication, and money, I wanted to help make it as practical as possible. Consider this the training that every advisor needs but never received in any training, designation, or certi...

Most financial advisors do a great job focusing on WHAT clients want to achieve (Goals) and HOW to achieve it (Financial Planning). But the best advice focuses first and foremost on WHY. It focuses on the client’s values, purpose, intentions (what’s truly most important in their lives). And everything flows from there. A financial plan without a “Why” is merely data on a page. A portfolio without a “Why” is merely a list of investments. Starting with “Why” infuses life into the financial plannin...

What’s the point of tripling your net worth if you still dread getting out of bed every morning? That’s why financial advice at the highest level focuses on more than the accumulation of money. It focuses on the alignment of money with what’s most important in the client’s life. It’s what Dr. Preston Cherry calls “Life Money Balance.” It’s at the core of his planning process, and he joined the show to walk us through how he helps his clients achieve life and money balance. We discuss: Why “stat...

It’s the most storied rivalry in finance. The current self versus the future self. The very nature of financial planning work with clients is heavily focused on the future. Yet, the current self often calls the shots when it comes to financial decisions. In a profession so heavily focused on the future, the key to improving client’s behaviors, decisions, and outcomes starts by addressing the most storied rivalry in finance. By striking a balance between their current self and future self. Fortun...

You’ve likely heard of emotional intelligence (EQ). Intellectual intelligence (IQ) is important. But, EQ is crucial. Especially when you work with emotional human beings on the emotionally charged topic of money. But, how can advisors and planners seamlessly incorporate EQ principles into their practice? Beverly Flaxington, Human Behavior Coach®, best-selling author, and international speaker joined the show to break down human behavior and how advisors can apply EQ principles. We discuss: The ...

Most trainings, certifications, and designations financial advisors receive fail to teach the difference between crunching numbers and working with emotional human beings on the emotionally charged topic of money. Working with human beings requires a completely different skill set centered on building trust, uncovering values and emotions around money, and changing behavior. A skill set that sits at the core of financial therapy. And, fortunately, Dr. Kristy Archuleta is the foremost authority o...

This is Part II of the conversation. It’s a continuation of the previous episode (Episode 49). I highly recommend listening to Part I before diving into this one! Dr. Meghaan Lurtz joined the show to explain the keys to unlocking the superpower of questions with prospects and clients. We discuss: The secrets to asking great questions that get great responses Two types of questions designed to instill and build trust Two types of questions designed to elicit information by getting the person to ...

For financial advisors and planners to do their job at the highest level requires the ability to do two things: Uncover someone’s personal, intimate financial details Unearth someone’s values, emotions, hopes, dreams, and fears about their money and their life Most people don’t talk about one of those things with anyone else in their life. And almost NO ONE talks about both with the same person without being under the influence of something! That’s why the best financial advisors are masters a...

This is Part II of a two-part conversation. It’s a continuation of Episode 47. I would highly recommend listening to that episode before diving into this one!* When Bill Bachrach started his career as a financial advisor, he was in his mid-20s trying to convince wealthy people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s to leave their current advisor and entrust him with their life savings. He knew he needed to do something different that would stand out and inspire his prospective clients. So, he spent countles...

When Bill Bachrach started his career as a financial advisor, he was in his mid-20s trying to convince wealthy people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s to leave their current advisor and entrust him with their life savings. He knew he needed to do something different that would stand out and inspire his prospective clients. So, he spent countless hours refining and developing a process that eventually became known as “values-based financial planning.” For the last 34 years, he’s been teaching advisors ...

In an industry that praises the relentless pursuit of growth, Jeremy Walter chose to pursue “enough.” He chose to optimize for satisfaction rather than revenue. But, as Jeremy learned, even crafting a business with intention has its own set of challenges when you’ve been preached “grow, grow, grow” your whole career. Jeremy shares his journey to building his current advisory business, his process for having “off the balance sheet” conversations with clients, and how he uses his one-page financia...

The best conversations with clients and prospective clients have two things in common: 1) They create trust and connection that allows the person to open up and share information with you that they’ve likely never shared before 2) They unearth valuable information and stories about the person that provides insights to help them align their money with the life they want to live. Ultimately, they place the life of the client at the center of the conversation. In this episode, Mitch Anthony shares ...

How many times have you created a goal and vision for your advisory business only to fall short? You came up with the plan to make it happen, but you miss your growth goals while still working too many hours to fully enjoy your life outside of the business. That’s because most people focus first on the plan (the strategy and tactics) instead of their mindset. Stephanie Bogan works with advisors to master their mindset, think differently about what’s even possible, and accelerate your business to...

How many times have you created a goal and vision for your advisory business only to fall short? You came up with the plan to make it happen, but you miss your growth goals while still working too many hours to fully enjoy your life outside of the business. That’s because most people focus first on the plan (the strategy and tactics) instead of their mindset. Stephanie Bogan works with advisors to master their mindset, think differently about what’s even possible, and accelerate your business to...

Meetings are the single most important component of your entire business. Whether it’s a client or a prospective client, it’s the meetings where things actually happen. Meetings are where prospects become clients (or don’t). Dan Smaida, a “Meeting Execution Specialist”, has consulted with over 10,000 advisors on how to use behavioral science and a consultative process to create more persuasive and engaging meetings. We discuss: The most common mistake Dan sees in a discovery meeting and the ide...

Ever wondered why your clients and prospective clients have failed to take action on your advice despite the fact you’ve shown them exactly how to accomplish their financial goals? This episode is all about developing the skills and techniques to deliver advice that clients actually follow through on. Financial coaching “works to narrow the gap between what people know and what they do; it illuminates through thoughtful questioning what gets in the way of meeting life goals.” Saundra Davis has d...

With the future of our profession continuing to shift towards the human side of advice and the CFP Board’s announcement earlier this year that they added “The Psychology of Financial Planning” as a principal knowledge topic, it’s becoming crucial for advisors to start familiarizing themselves with this aspect of the business. At the same time, it’s too much to think that advisors and planners are all going to become experts in financial therapy, financial coaching, life planning, etc. on top of...

Change and transition are a constant and pivotal part of our clients’ lives. And it’s these moments that can shape both the future of their life and their money. However, successfully guiding clients through the changes and transitions of life requires more than sound technical knowledge and advice. Susan Bradley coaches advisors around the world on how to navigate change and joined the show to help advisors understand the dynamics of change, the psychology of transitions, and the skill set advi...

Carl Richards has a mantra for financial advisors that he says changes everything once you can fully internalize it: “Financial advisors are guides in a changing landscape. Not the defenders of an outdated map.” It’s no longer enough for advisors to build a detailed financial plan or construct a portfolio. It’s about building trust and connection with clients, unearthing their values and emotions around money, and changing their behavior for the better. It’s about the human side of advice. We di...