Guest: Connor Sung, CFP®, Director, Financial Planning at eMoney Advisor.

In a Nutshell: It's been about seven months since I asked ChatGPT if I could retire without running out of money. Since then, the intersection of financial psychology and technology continues to advance rapidly -- not just in how advisors use AI, but in how they're improving their people skills and learning to meet clients and prospects where they are to deliver the advice that they need. These advancements on both the tech and human sides of financial advice are improving the client experience and coaching folks towards better financial outcomes.

On today's show, Connor Sung discusses how platforms like eMoney are evolving to support more nuanced and individualized planning conversations and redefining what "success" means for clients.

Guest: James Conole, CFP®, Founder of Root Financial Partners and star of a very successful YouTube channel with over 61,000 subscribers.

In a Nutshell: When prospects watch your YouTube videos, read your newsletters, listen to your podcasts, and click on your website, within seconds they should think, "These guys are reading my mind!" Understanding the information your audience wants is key to making content that appeals to both your ideal client and the complex algorithms that determine who gets shown your content.

On today's show, James Conole explains how he coordinated his YouTube channel, podcast, and website to create a lead-generating machine that in 12 months has attracted nearly 700 prospects with at least $500,000 of investable assets and generated $120 million in new AUM.

Guest: John Wernz, one of the top marketers on the planet. John was the Chief Marketing Officer of Wealth Enhancement Group (WEG) (listen to my podcast with WEG CEO Jeff Dekko) as that company grew rapidly through some sophisticated organic marketing programs. He’s currently Executive-in-Residence at Great Hill Partners, Executive Director and Board Member at Datalign Advisory, and Board Advisor at Testimonial IQ.

In a Nutshell: Before recording this episode, I prompted ChatGPT-4 to “Play the role of a financial advisor marketing expert. Lay out a detailed marketing strategy for a $5 million annual revenue RIA firm that wants to grow 20% per year.”

The results were … pretty good!

But effective marketing requires more than blindly following a GPT-generated plan —  you have to target, personalize, and differentiate your message to reach your intended audience and turn clicks into clients through both marketing AND sales.

On today’s show, John Wernz and I use the GPT-4 marketing plan as a springboard to discuss all aspects of the marketing process and identify actionable ways for you to improve every step of your marketing program.

Guest: Jon Dauphiné, Esq. is the CEO of the Foundation for Financial Planning, the U.S.'s leading 501(c)(3) charity devoted to expanding access to pro bono financial planning for people in need. Dave Mantell, CFP®, CFA is a Managing Partner and wealth advisor at Stabler Wealth Management in Bellevue, WA.

In a Nutshell: In fields like medicine, law, and education, pro bono work is an established part of the professional culture. My guests today are at the forefront of a movement to build an infrastructure for pro bono financial planning so that folks who can't afford to work with an advisor can gain access to the essential services we provide.

On today's show, Jon Dauphiné and Dave Mantell explain how the Foundation for Financial Planning connects advisors to the resources they need to make a huge impact on people's lives and their communities. We also discuss how more advisors and -- hopefully -- conference organizers can get involved in building out this important network.

Guest: Dr. Preston Cherry, AFC®, CFT-I™, CFP®, Ph.D., the Founder and President of Concurrent Financial Planning, a comprehensive financial planning firm serving households and business owners across generations. Dr. Cherry is also Head of the Financial Planning Program and Director of the Charles Schwab Center for Personal Financial Planning at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. On top of that, he's a co-founder and Chief Evangelist at Practice Intel.

In a Nutshell: There's a significant disconnect in our industry between what folks say they want from an advisor and what advisors are actually delivering. To close that gap, advisors may need to start quantifying their relationships to clients so that they can track, measure, and manage more than just return on investment.

On today's show, Dr. Preston Cherry returns to discuss Practice Intel's "Relationship Quality Index" and how he's helping the next generation of advisors prepare to deliver comprehensive planning.

Guest: Manisha Thakor, MBA, CFA, CFP®, a national thought leader and personal finance expert with more than 25 years of experience working in the worlds of personal finance and investing. She's also the author of a great new book, MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your "Enough."

In a Nutshell: Society trains us to believe that the answer to all of our problems is More: more stuff, more clicks, more Likes, and, of course, more money. But financial advisors know that the connection between true happiness and money is a lot more complicated than that. Shifting your focus from improving clients' return on investment to improving their Return on Life can help folks find that healthy balance between what they have, what they want, and what's really important.

On today's show, Manisha Thakor and I have a wide-ranging conversation about the meaning of money in our life and how it can evolve over time, Manisha's personal journey to "enough," and how to find joy in living simply.

Guest: Louis Barajas, an author, speaker, CFP®, an the CEO and founder of International Private Wealth Advisors, where he serves as a wealth manager for influential Latin celebrities, athletes, executives, and other high-net-worth individuals in the entertainment and sports industries. Louis also serves as the founder and CEO of Business Management Lab, where he provides comprehensive business management services for iconic Latin artists.

In a Nutshell: As a financial advisor, you've probably learned that it's very difficult to help someone who isn't ready to accept your help. But advisors also need to work on the skills that will help them meet clients and prospects where they are in life. That emotional intelligence becomes even more important as our industry continues to improve its diversity and broaden the impact that we can have on a wider variety of people.

On today's show, Louis Barajas discusses how the desire to make a difference in his own community transformed how he felt about financial services. He also shares experiences that taught him more effective ways to reach people and improve their lives.

Guest: John Furey, Founder and Managing Partner of Advisor Growth Strategies. John also created the Alliance for Registered Investment Advisors, a think tank including seven of the most successful firms that are dedicated to improving the RIA industry through a culture of continuous learning and sharing.

In a Nutshell: The large RIA firms and the private equity investors that fund them are creating a new financial advisory landscape: a handful of really big firms and thousands of really small firms. Some of these firms are growing organically, many more are only growing at the rate of market returns. Carving out a place for your firm is going to require a new level of clarity around both strategic planning and how you communicate what makes you unique to your team, clients, and prospects.

On today's show, John Furey and I discuss how large firms are impacting the evolution of financial advisory and how individual advisors and RIA CEOs should prepare themselves for the future.

Guest: Tim Gerend, Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer for Northwestern Mutual.

In a Nutshell: You can't turn a tanker around in the Panama Canal. Instead, insurance giant Northwestern Mutual is carving a new lane for itself by adding wealth management to the services its 20,000 advisors, leaders, and team members offer nationwide. With this unique combination of advice, products, services,  and technology, Northwestern believes it can compete on client experience while also attracting the next generation of independent advisors into the fold.

On today's show, Tim Gerend and I discuss the five components of Northwestern Mutual's client experience, how the firm recruits and train advisors to hit the ground running, the importance of diversity, and how Tim thinks the financial advisor profession will evolve over the coming years.

Guest: Cheryl Strauss Einhorn. Cheryl is the creator of The AREA Method, an evidence-based decision making system that uniquely controls for and counters cognitive bias to expand knowledge while improving judgment. She developed AREA during her two decades as an award-winning investigative journalist, writing for publications including The New York Times, Foreign Policy Magazine, Barron's, and Harvard Business Review. She's also the author of three books, including Problem Solver: Maximizing Your Strengths to Make Better Decisions.

In a Nutshell: Rather than making decisions by gut feel or pure instinct, Cheryl presents a well-researched framework that helps you make better decisions when the stakes are high.

On today's show, Cheryl Strauss Einhorn explains the AREA Method and the five "problem solver profiles" that will help you determine your most effective course of action when making big decisions.

Guest: Mark McGrath, CFP®, an advisor with Sweeney Bride Strategic Wealth Advisory in Squamish, British Columbia.

In a Nutshell: Back in March, I saw a tweet from Mark that had gone viral. In it, he shared a very personal story about the hidden challenges of retirement that really struck a chord. As I write this, Mark's tweet has racked up 3,034 retweets, 900 quotes, 17.6K likes, 5,401 bookmarks, and an incredible 5.2 million views. We talk about that powerful story and how Mark uses social media to connect to his community and turn clicks into new clients.

Guest: Jason Pereira, Partner & Senior Financial Consultant at Woodgate Financial Inc. in Toronto. Jason is a financial planner, writer, speaker, teacher, and podcast host with 20 years of experience in finance, practice management, and fintech.

In a Nutshell: The rise of generative AI like ChatGPT, Bard, Midjourney, and Dall-E is creating a new series of challenges and opportunities for advisors. First-mover advisors, like Jason, are integrating this fast-moving technology into their practices so they can grow more profitably and free up more time for human-to-human interaction that no technology can ever replicate. Listen in as Jason and I discuss how you can take advantage of AI instead of being taken advantage of by AI.

Guest: Danielle Howard, a Certified Financial Planner and the Founder of Wealth By Design, a boutique wealth services firm that works with individuals and families that value a holistic financial approach to the fall season of life. Danielle is also the author of Your Financial Revolution: Time To Recognize, Revitalize & Release Your Financial Power.

In a Nutshell: Living a rich, full life goes well beyond how much money someone has. On this episode, Danielle Howard and I discuss how advisors who put their clients' lives ahead of their money can help them break free of the limiting beliefs, delusions, and scripts around money that can prevent them from enjoying the journey, especially in retirement.

Guest: ChatGPT, a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations and complete a variety of other mind-blowing things. This artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI was released in November 2022 and has been upgraded since then.

In a Nutshell: With all the excitement and interest around artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT, I thought it was time I did an episode on AI. And as I looked around for potential guests, I thought, why not go directly to the source and interview ChatGPT. So I connected ChatGPT to a text-to-speech AI from ElevenLabs named Rachel. She was gracious enough to answer my questions and give me a snippet of what AI is capable of.

Guest: Dan Haylett, Director, Head of Growth & Financial Planner at TFP Financial Planning in Essex, England.

In a Nutshell: My business partner, Mitch Anthony, calls it "Life-Centered Financial Planning." Dan Haylett's firm uses the term "human-focused financial planning." However you describe the process, the fundamentals are the same: a growing movement of financial advisors putting people first and prioritizing the relationships they build with their clients over time. On today's show, Dan and I discuss what that level of personalized service looks like, how it's priced, and how he's built a team to support every client on their journey to retirement.

Guest: Amit Dogra, President and COO of tru Independence. tru offers an open architecture platform that provides a full suite of services that advisors need to manage and grow their business effectively.

In a Nutshell: In 2022, I crunched the numbers from Charles Schwab’s 2022 RIA Benchmarking Study and spotted an alarming trend: net organic revenue growth is almost non-existent in our industry. Solving that problem isn’t just a matter of running a better marketing campaign or asking clients for more referrals. It requires an understanding that every facet of your organization is interconnected and must be thoughtfully designed to support and reinforce your ultimate aim.

Amit Dogra and I discuss:

• Six specific areas that leaders need to focus on to build a highly functional, growth-minded firm.
• The relationship between total client experience and organic growth.
• Using your Why Story to enhance your culture and deepen your connection to employees and clients.
• The question tru Independence is asking itself as it redefines its purpose.
• How leaders and entrepreneurs should think about their responsibilities when it comes to driving growth.
• Why it’s worth investing in relationships even if there isn’t a direct “dollars and cents” ROI.
• Why Amit believes advisor technology is heading toward what he calls “experience as a service” that’s part of a “single source code” instead of best of breed or integrated but separate applications.
• Building excellent service around your team’s unique skillsets.
• How Amit fosters a curious spirit that helps him see the big picture and connect some surprising dots.

Resources Related to This Episode

• Elliot Weissbluth on building $30 billion RIA HighTower Amit chuckled when I mentioned Elliot’s habit of “firing” himself at the end of every year — turns out he encouraged people who worked for him to do the same!
• Elliot Weissbluth on management: Fire yourself every year I dug into Elliot’s methods and philosophy a little deeper in this article I wrote for InvestmentNews.
• Deconstructing Amazon’s Massive Growth by Working Backwards with Bill Carr Amit is an admirer of Amazon’s leadership principles, and I talked to one of the company’s key executives about the insights, stories, and secrets that propelled Amazon to the top.
• Building an Interconnected Technology Future Ainslie Simmonds, President of Pershing X, talked to me about how an interconnected suite of financial applications could help advisors spend more time doing what they do best: delivering human-to-human interactions.
• The Digital Money Advisor Podcast Amit says you don’t have to believe in Bitcoin. But you do have to have an informed opinion when your clients come to you with questions. In this year-long podcast series, I talked to leading thinkers in the crypto space.

Guest: Leslie Y. Tabor, Director of Business Consulting and Education at Charles Schwab Advisor Services.

In a Nutshell: Most successful RIA leaders have been very intentional about hiring top talent in this competitive jobs market. But the best of the best are now being just as intentional about diversifying their talent to create a more dynamic culture capable of delivering more value to clients.

Leslie Tabor explains how Charles Schwab is helping RIAs build diverse cultures based on four pillars:

1. Cultivating an inclusive workplace culture.
2. Attracting, developing. and retaining a diverse workforce.
3. Serving the needs of a diverse marketplace.
4. Supporting diverse communities.

Guest: Gayle Colman, Certified Financial Planner®, Master Integral Coach®, and author of the new book The Body of Money.

In a Nutshell: Financial decisions are often framed as a tug of war between the head and the heart. But by paying attention to how the whole body expresses feelings around money, advisors can guide clients past their fears and towards a fulfilling sense of sufficiency and inner knowing.

Guest: Terry Foxworth CFP®, CLU, and his daughter, Morgan. Terry is the Managing Partner at Foxworth Advisors in Asheville, NC. Morgan is a student-athlete at Oregon State University where she is a member of the women's rowing team.

In a Nutshell: To quote Terry's firm, "Life's an adventure. Plan for it." The TransAmerica biking adventure that Terry and Morgan planned (more or less) for Morgan's last summer before college brought them closer together and taught them just how much they're capable of achieving.

Guest: Scott Holsopple, the Chief Growth Officer at Hightower, one of the top RIA firms in the country with well over $100 billion in assets under management.

In a Nutshell: How do you think about your personal and professional growth?

Guest: Ainslie Simmonds, President of Pershing X.

In a Nutshell: For decades, technology has promised productivity boosts that would shorten work weeks and increase leisure time. But despite all the computing power at the heart of a modern financial services tech stack, I don't think the typical advisor is working any less than he or she was 10 years ago. Perhaps more importantly, I don't think tech has freed the typical advisor to focus more of their time on building client relationships and delivering human advice. Instead, what tech has done is enabled financial advisors to do more analysis and deliver more data and "what ifs" to clients while also facilitating the increase in communication. The fact remains that no technology enables two humans to increase the speed at which they’re having an in-depth conversation. And ultimately, it's the human to human conversation that generates the true value in a financial advisor-client relationship.

Technology is a means to an end and Ainslie Simmonds and her team are hard at work building an interconnected suite of financial applications that will respond to your most challenging needs, so that you can spend more time focusing on helping your clients thrive and running your business your way.

Like Miracle Mile Advisors, the path from where your firm is today to where you want it to be tomorrow is not a straight line up and to the right.

You'll face fork-in-the-road moments that will define you and your firm. Antonia Burchman shares how Miracle Mile Advisors responded to their pivot points and paints a path forward for advisory firm leaders who want to grow and deliver a great client experience.

Guest: Antonia Burchman, Senior Director of Corporate Development for Miracle Mile Advisors. Antonia was one of Miracle Mile's first team members and has been with the firm as it has grown from less than $100 million in AUM to approximately $4.5 billion.

Pam Perskie is the Founder and CEO of Seven Mile Advisory, a multi-family office that works with clients who have significant financial complexity, including business owners, private equity professionals, real estate investors and operators, professional athletes, and entertainers.

Pam and I discussed how a successful multi-family office operates, the profile of clients, how her firm charges for its services, the mindset advisors need to work with wealthy (and oftentimes famous) individuals, where alternatives fit in her clients’ portfolios, and the role that technology plays in delivering exceptional service.

Andrew Kaye-Skinner is a Senior Product Trainer for Advisor Group, which is one of the country's largest independent broker dealers.

Andrew and I discussed how he taps into his theater and linguistics background to deliver effective training to financial advisors. We also touch on some adult learning theory topics that will help you get your message across whether you're training your team of advisors or preparing to speak at an event.