You're A Financial Planner; Now What?

The financial planner’s career path is often thought of as very linear: go to school, get your CFP certification, begin working for a firm and work your way up, or start your own. However, you can’t plan for everything, and sometimes you’re introduced to opportunities you don’t expect.  Like many of our other guests on YAFPNW, Katie Seay, CFP®, proves that life as a financial planner so often takes you in a different direction. In our latest episode, Katie talked to Hannah about what makes The Trust Company unique, how her career has evolved, the importance of firm culture, and more. From Atlanta to Manhattan  Katie went to the University of Georgia, initially as an international affairs major. When she came across family financial planning, her curiosity was piqued. She fell in love with the program and the work, and began working at Ayco in Atlanta, a Goldman Sachs company. After marrying her husband, Katie moved to Manhattan, Kansas, which was a big cultural change from Atlanta. However, it brought her to

What does the future of financial planning look like? In our latest YAFPNW episode, Nathan Gehring, CFP®, talks about it with Hannah — as well as “slow financial planning,” providing value to clients, and how we’ll have to keep up with a rapidly evolving world.

Louis Barajas, CFP®, has 30+ years of experience in the profession. As a business and wealth manager, author, and a national speaker to boot, he had lots of insight to share in our newest episode of YAFPNW. Alexandria and Louis discuss his background, the profession, his pro bono work, and much more.

Diane Bourdo, CFP®, is the president of The Humphreys Group, a women-owned and women-operated wealth management firm. A proud feminist, as she states in her Twitter bio, Diane is passionate about the role of women in the profession, as well as the perception of women and money.  In our latest episode of YAFPNW, Matt speaks to Diane about why those perceptions of women and money in our society need to change, the power of listening, how her firm serves clients, and much more. The myth of women and money “I've always considered myself a feminist even when I was a very young girl,” said Diane. “And so being the head of a firm that has always had a focus on women has been a bit of a no-brainer.” Diane’s firm has always targeted women who were recently divorced or inherited, “the whole women-in-transition before it was really a thing,” as she put it. Why? Our culture’s ideas of what it means to be good with money, successful with money, are tired and outdated. They’re also not accurate, and they need to change.

Roger Ma is a CFP®, revenue intelligence analyst at Google, and author. He’s also worked as an investment banker and dabbled in real estate. In our latest episode of YAFPNW, Hannah and Roger discuss blending personal finances and careers, the inspiration for his book, working multiple jobs, and more.

Are you a good listener? If your answer is “yes,” our latest guest on YAFPNW can help you become an even better one. Sandi Bragar, CFP®, discusses how deep listening and asking the right questions are some of the most important skills you’ll use in the profession.

Sonya Dreizler is a financial services consultant, author, and impact investing speaker. In our latest episode of YAFPNW, Sonya discusses how she got into sustainable and impact investing, what they mean, and what inspired her Do Better series in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

What do you do when the job opportunities out there aren’t quite right for you? If you’re investment advisor Nina O’Neal, it’s simple: create your own. In this latest episode of YAFPNW, Nina shares how she got into financial planning, what makes a successful partnership, the reality of work/life balance, and more.

Carl Richards of New York Times Sketch Guy fame needs no introduction. As a former financial planner and current columnist, author, and speaker, Carl had lots to share with Hannah about what the “real work” in our profession, the beauty of simplicity, and why we need to focus on understanding problems rather than offering solutions.

We get to regularly speak with diverse financial planners who hail from all corners of the United States. This week, we were lucky to talk with Kate Holmes, global advocate, CFP®, international speaker, and podcast host about what financial planning looks like worldwide.

This week, we welcomed back Roger Whitney, award-winning podcaster and CFP® who serves retirees. We talked about the three phases of his retirement planning experience, as well as the Retirement Answer Man podcast and his membership community, Rock Retirement Club.

The doctor is in! We welcomed financial psychologist and CFP® Dr. Brad Klontz back for another episode of YAFPNW. This time, we discussed the power of communication and emotion, money scripts, and using social media to spread the truth about money.

Less than 1% of financial advisors are both CFA Charterholders and Certified Financial Planners. Keith Beverly, managing partner and CIO of Grid 202 Partners, is part of that 1%. Tune in to this episode as Keith shares his professional journey, insight into his firm, and his initiative to support advisors entering the profession.

What does it take to be a standout job candidate? Cooper Grady, CFP®, Director of Financial Planning at Apollon Wealth Management, had tons of practical advice to share with new planners navigating the hiring process.

Go big or go home. Dream big. But what if you’re not the “dreamer” type? Good news: you can still reach your goals. We talk to Meg Bartelt, CFP® and president of Flow Financial Planning, about how she built her firm through hard work, self-care, an awesome online presence, and more.

FPA Fall Residency is a week-long program that takes place in Denver In this episode of YAFPNW, I caught up with my teammates from Residency to discuss our individual experiences and the big takeaways from the program.

The financial planning profession is vast and deep. How can you find the right firm for you? This week on YAFPNW, we talked to a group of panelists about how understanding the unique cultures and traditions in each financial planning “tribe” will benefit your career search.

Could you take 100 days off a year and still meet your career and financial goals? Benjamin Brandt, CFP®, podcast host, and president/founder of Capital City Wealth Management, is living that dream. In this episode of YAFPNW, Benjamin discusses his successful podcast, marketing tactics, and how running a lifestyle practice works.

Ready to be inspired? This week on YAFPNW, we talk to Soraya Morris, lead trainer at financial planning software firm Envestnet MoneyGuide and jill-of-all-trades. Soraya and I talked about what she does at Envestnet MoneyGuide, her education and career journey, and what you can usually find her doing when she’s not working.

How can we better the profession through fintech without losing our human selves in the process? This week we talk to Jason Wenk, founder and CEO of digital brokerage platform Altruist, about doing just that.