You're A Financial Planner; Now What?

Thomas Kopelman is the founder of The Long Game blog and podcast, and a financial advisor at RLS Wealth. Named one of Business Insider’s Top 23 Financial Advisors for Millennials in 2020, he speaks with Matt Fizell, CFP®, about why he left a wirehouse role to take a chance on building his own brand. In this episode, you’ll hear what Thomas has learned about content marketing that can help you build the career you really want.

Garrett Philbin AFC®, CMC® is the founder of Be Awesome, Not Broke. He provides financial coaching, which is a distinct service from traditional advising that focuses on helping people get out of debt and start the journey toward mastering their money. He sat down with Hannah Moore, CFP®, to talk about how coaching differs from advising, why it matters in the profession, and how the skills and model of financial coaching can benefit any practice.

The Foundation for Financial Planning has been expanding access to pro bono planning for over 25 years, helping people in need benefit from quality financial advice. Through their Pro Bono for Cancer Campaign, they’ve partnered with the FPA National and Family Reach to provide free financial planning to help families cope with the extraordinary financial burdens that come with a cancer diagnosis. In this episode, Hannah Moore, CFP®, spoke to Raven, a client of Family Reach, Robert Sharer, the volunteer advisor who worked with her, and members of all three of the collaborating agencies about their mission, outcomes, and how you can get involved to give back through pro bono work.

Ric Edelman is the co-founder of Edelman Financial Engines, the host of Ric Edelman Radio, and co-founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals. He sat down with Hannah Moore, CFP®, to discuss what advisors need to know about the game-changing impacts of bitcoin and blockchain technology.

Matthew Ricks, MBA, CFP®, is the founder of Haystack Financial Planning, a firm that serves people with disabilities and special needs. Matthew spoke with Matt Fizell, CFP®, about how he took control of his career, started his own firm, and niched down in an area where his interests and experience met with great demand.

Maddi Napier, CFP®, MBA, FSRI, QKA, knows how hard it is for many of us to hone our leadership skills. Hannah Moore, CFP®, sat down with Maddi to find out where she gets her confidence in managing people, what makes a great leader, and how the rest of us can be more comfortable and effective when we’re at the helm.

Pam Capalad, CFP®, AFC®, is the founder and CEO of Brunch and Budget, a virtual financial planning firm. At Budget and Brunch, Pam provides affordable, high quality financial advice and works to break down financial barriers for people of color. She spoke with Hannah Moore, CFP®, about how her team provided powerful outreach during the COVID pandemic, and how showing up and paying attention can help change lives and right wrongs in the financial system.

Subscription fees are intended to make financial planning more accessible to clients while creating more predictable and scalable income for a firm. But how do they play out in real life? To find out, Hannah Moore, CFP®, sat down with three planners from around the country who provide different types of subscription services through their firms.

Brendan Frazier is the founder of Wired Planning and The Human Side of Money Podcast. He sat down with Hannah Moore, CFP®, to discuss the controversy around behavioral finance and the unavoidable role it plays in every client interaction. They also discuss how we can all develop better behavioral coaching skills for mutually satisfying client relationships.

Jared Machen, CFP®, co-founded Brownlee Wealth Management after building a successful practice as a virtual paraplanner. He spoke with Matt Fizell, CFP®, about the surprising opportunities available on the paraplanning career path and how it gave him the breadth of knowledge to eventually open his own RIA with confidence.

Natalie Taylor, CFP®, BFA™, runs an RIA and consults with fintech companies through her own business, Natalie Taylor Consulting. She spoke with Hannah Moore, CFP®, about what finance apps do better for the average customer, what human advisors provide that can’t be replaced, and what the profession can learn from fintech to make financial planning services more client-centric and impactful.

Succession planning within a firm is complicated, with a lot riding on it for both generations. To give us a glimpse into what makes or breaks a succession plan, Hannah Moore, CFP®, sat down with two young planners who are in the thick of it. Kevin Cassidy, CFP®, is the Next Gen director at FPA Houston and is in the midst of succession at Veritas Wealth Management. Brooklyn Brock, CFP®, CEPA®, ChFC®, CKA®, is the founder of Ellevate, a financial planning firm for advisors that specializes in exit coaching. Together, Kevin and Brooklyn share what they’ve learned about the pitfalls that crop up and approaches that work when you’re taking the reins of an established company.

Every new planner wants to move up quickly through the ranks, but it can be hard to do so when they don’t get the attention or experience they need. Matt Granksi, CFA®, is an example of what’s possible, though, rising from analyst to President at Miracle Mile Advisors before his 28th birthday. Up next, Matt tells Hannah Moore, CFP®, how he got noticed and how his approach to his career helped him solve problems for his clients and team. Find out what it took for Matt to grow his firm to a multi-billion dollar business by focusing on premium client service, innovative systems, and empowering NextGen talent.

Jeremy Walter, CFP®, CKA®, is the founder of Fident Financial, where he specializes in value-led financial planning. He sat down with Matt Fizell, CFP®, to talk about how his family and Christian values led the way for his business. He shares how this unique business approach has allowed him to help people in a way that feels meaningful, without compromising on his faith or life.

Hannah Moore, CFP®, sat down with three up-and-coming planners who are growing their careers in different ways. Christopher Stroup, MBA, is a career changer who went from oilfield engineering to wealth advising at Abacus Wealth Partners. Kurtis Rohlf found financial planning after piloting several service industry start-ups, and Riley Saunders, CFP®, crafted his own role as an internal processes expert at Cassaday and Company. These three share how they explored new opportunities and leveraged their strengths to forge a career just for them.

Hannah Moore, CFP®, is the owner of Guiding Wealth and an active force in the FPA’s work to educate, empower, and inspire new financial planners. Hannah spoke with Stephanie Trexler, CFP®, in an Ask Me Anything session at the FPA Michigan Student Success Summit. She shared the secret sauce behind FPA’s Virtual Externship Program and her excitement about the next generation of planners. You’ll also hear Hannah’s thoughts on the one indispensable skill she believes that up-and-coming financial professionals should cultivate for success.

Marina Hernández, EA, CFP®, CEPA™, is the co-founder of Swiss American Wealth Advisors. She also works through The Crossborder Planner and Crossborder Academy to provide U.S. expats and immigrants with free financial education and planning. Marina spoke with Matt Fizell, CFP®, about forging your career path in an unpredictable world, and the interesting tax and financial planning needs of Americans living overseas. Hear more of Marina’s thoughts by listening to the episode — including how planners, firms, and the next generation can create meaningful diversity and inclusion in the profession.

Pamela Rodriguez, CFP®, is the founder of Fulfilled Finances. She spoke with Alexandria Davis about the fulfilling (and exhausting) journey of building a business while raising a baby and how a specialized university program paved the way for her firm. They also discuss what the profession can do better to support women and families.

Chad Chubb is a CFP®, CSLP®, and the lead advisor and founder of Wealth Keel. His firm specializes in simplifying the complex financial lives of Gen X and Gen Y physicians. Chad talked with Matt Fizell, CFP®, about starting his own firm at an astonishingly early point in his career, the privileges that made it possible, and his advice to young advisors wondering how to find their own path.

Stephanie McCullough is the founder and CEO of Sofia Financial and co-host of the Take Back Retirement Podcast. She talked with Matt Fizell, CFP®, about building confidence in your work when you’re not a traditional advisor, what the financial planning conversation is lacking for women, and how to find and connect to the parts of the industry that excite you.