Practice Management – The Flexible Advisor: Recent Episodes
Laura Gregg and David Partain
How can financial advisors embrace generative AI?
Today on The Flexible Advisor, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome Darren Tedesco, President of Advisor360°, to explore generative AI’s impact on the financial services industry. They talk about how most advisors see AI as an opportunity, not a threat, with the potential to serve more clients efficiently. However, data quality and compliance are significant concerns. Darren highlights AI’s current use in client communication and process automation, and its capacity to aid in making decisions that involve processing large amounts of data.
Darren discusses:
- Overview of Advisor360°, a wealth tech company
- Generative AI’s impact on the financial services industry
- Findings of Advisor360°’s research study on AI
- Current use of AI in client communication and task automation
- The potential of AI to help advisors serve more households
- Challenges and compliance issues in adopting AI for advisors
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- Connected Wealth Data Hub | Advisor360°
Connect With Darren Tedesco:
- Advisor360°
- Darren Tedesco’s LinkedIn
- Darren Tedesco’s blog posts on AI
Connect With Laura Gregg:
Connect With David Partain:
About Our Guest:
Darren Tedesco, President, Advisor360°
Darren is one of Advisor360°’s founders and is responsible for guiding the vision of the platform, technology strategy, and company direction. Darren focuses on elevating the customer experience through the application of new technologies to solve client pain points. He has been part of the software development since its inception, bringing together the thinkers, creators, and visionaries that help power our clients’ productivity, profitability, and growth.
Darren began his career at Commonwealth Financial Network in 1994, starting as a member of the finance team and transitioning to the company’s newly formed technology department in 2000 where he became Managing Principal of Innovation and Strategy. He regularly speaks at conferences and is often quoted in industry publications for his FinTech expertise in the financial advisor community. Darren received his MBA from Bryant University and a BS from the University of Connecticut.
Understanding the variety of health care plans available to consumers, the nuances of cost and coverage, and Medicare’s inexplicable geographic variations, is no small feat. Yet, when it comes to estimating healthcare expenses, advisors have had few, if any, solutions at their disposal.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Christine Simone, CEO of Caribou Wealth, about the challenge of integrating health care costs into a holistic financial plan as well as new resources and support available to advisors.
Christine discusses:
- The growing need to integrate health care into the planning process
- Optimizing key milestones to address clients’ evolving health care concerns
- Opportunities to engage the next generation in the health care conversation
- Health care planning as a differentiator in the advisory marketplace
- A new tool to identify optimal health insurance options
- And more
Resources:
- Northern Trust Asset Management
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- WealthManagement.com’s Ten to Watch in 2024
Connect With Christine Simone:
- Caribou Wealth
- Christine Simone’s LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
Connect With David Partain:
About Our Guest:
Although she’s years away from her own retirement, Christine Simone is obsessed with helping current and future retirees plan for and optimize their healthcare costs. She’s held notable leadership positions within the health care industry working with key stakeholders from payers to providers to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, Christine is the CEO of Caribou Wealth, a software solution for the finance industry.
Amid the Great Wealth Transfer, advisors are seeing a paradigm shift in the way clients are approaching their wealth and legacy strategies. In the second of a two-part series with Nikè Anani, Director of Next Generation for Northern Trust Wealth Management, The Flexible Advisor podcast looks at some ways in which advisors can help satisfy the objectives of a new, Rising Generation.
Nikè discusses:
- Incorporating the values and the aspirations of both the grantor and the recipients in wealth transfer planning
- How you can help to empower Rising Generation clients
- The benefits of facilitating open, cross-generational communication
- Alternative trust structures that may better align with your clients’ evolving priorities
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- Northern Trust 2024 Wealth Planning Outlook – Rethink Tomorrow
- Northern Trust’s Statement of Intent Workbook
- Wealth 3.0 by James Grubman PhD, Dennis T. Jaffe PhD, and Kristin Keffeler MAPP
Connect With Nikè Anani:
- Northern Trust
Connect With Laura Gregg:
Connect With David Partain:
About Our Guest:
Nikè Anani is the Director of Next Gen Advisory for Northern Trust Wealth Management. In her role, she prepares next-generation family members for the complexities of wealth ownership. Her personal experience as a second-generation owner and family office founder is the inspiration behind her passion for helping other next gens find their voice and become successful stewards.
An accomplished speaker and author on wealth and values transfer strategies, Nikè is the host of “The Connected Generation” podcast and the author of “Lifetime to Legacy: A New Vision for Multigenerational Family Businesses.”
Nikè earned an economics degree from University College London, is a chartered accountant, and has a certificate in Family Business and Family Wealth Advising from Family Firm Institute. She is a board member of YPO’s Global Family Business Networks, where she champions initiatives to support education and peer learning of the next generation.
The emerging generation of adults — particularly family business owners — are grappling
with challenges and responsibilities their parents did not. In this episode, Laura Gregg speaks
with Nikè Anani, Director of Next Generation at Northern Trust Wealth Management. Based
on personal experience running her own enterprising family office and finding her joy and
purpose in consulting with rising gen people like herself. Nike identifies strategies you can use
to help empower these clients for ownership and leadership roles. See how targeted
communication can uncover key generational differences, deepen trust, and retain and grow
assets.
Nikè discusses:
- How the dynamics of her family helped her create the path she’s on today
- What differentiates “rising generation” from “next generation”
- The unique experiences and concerns facing the rising generation
- How to deepen trust with these clients to retain and grow assets
- Key aspects of a productive family meeting
- And more
Resources:
- The Connected Generation with Nike Anani
- Lifetime to Legacy by Nikè Anani
- The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
- Northern Trust 2024 Wealth Planning Outlook – Rethink Tomorrow
Connect With Nikè Anani:
- Northern Trust
Connect With Laura Gregg:
Connect With David Partain:
About Our Guest:
Nikè Anani is the Director of Next Gen Advisory for Northern Trust Wealth
Management. In her role, she prepares next-generation family members for the
complexities of wealth ownership. Her personal experience as a second-generation
owner and family office founder is the inspiration behind her passion for helping
other next gens find their voice and become successful stewards.
An accomplished speaker and author on wealth and values transfer strategies, Nikè
is the host of “The Connected Generation” podcast and the author of “Lifetime to
Legacy: A New Vision for Multigenerational Family Businesses.”
Nikè earned an economics degree from University College London, is a chartered
accountant, and has a certificate in Family Business and Family Wealth Advising
from Family Firm Institute. She is a board member of YPO’s Global Family Business
Networks, where she champions initiatives to support education and peer learning
of the next generation.
How generative AI could transform your practice.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with John Prendergast, co-
founder and CEO of Blueleaf. John puts the strengths (and shortcomings) of
generative AI into context for advisors – and suggests how this “lazy intern” should
be managed.
John discusses:
● What generative AI is, how it evolved, and what it’s capable of
● Some concerns and potential risks associated with generative AI in financial
services
● Why advisors need to learn about generative AI before using it with clients
● And more
Resources:
● FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
● The Augmented Advisor
● How Financial Advisors Are Leveraging Outsourcing And What The SEC Has
To Say About It
● The New York Times: Artificial Intelligence
● ChatGPT
● The Imitation Game
Connect With John Prendergast:
● Blueleaf
● LinkedIn: John Prendergast
Connect With Laura Gregg:
● lg79@nrts.com
● Laura Gregg’s LinkedIn
Connect With David Partain:
● dbp2@ntrs.com
● David Partain’s LinkedIn
About Our Guest:
John Prendergast is the co-founder and CEO of Blueleaf and is an active startup
advisor. He is also an experienced entrepreneur and senior executive. As part of 6
founding teams, he has led the product management, marketing, and finance
functions. His background in banking and wealth management has shaped the
vision for Blueleaf.
Helping clients address multiple objectives can be fraught with any number of misconceptions, ingrained assumptions, and fears. Laura Gregg and David Partain talked with Sarah Newcomb, Ph.D., founder of The Thrive Financial Empowerment Center, to talk about balancing the desire to finance children’s higher education with the need to work toward a secure retirement. Leaning into core tenets of behavioral investing, Sarah helps to clarify some of the psychological hurdles parents face in this situation and shares practical strategies to help advisors add value to the decision-making process.
Listen in as Dr. Newcomb discusses:
● Common preconceptions that may not serve the client or the children.
● Key points that can shift the narrative in the advisor/client dialogue
● The importance of including the child in the college finance discussion
● The opportunity for parents to model financial problem-solving
● How behavioral investing concepts are becoming core competencies in the advisory industry
● And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- Ep 20: Coaching Clients in Volatile Times – With Morningstar’s Dr. Sarah Newcomb
- A Personal Note To All The Single Parents And Caretakers Trying To Make Ends Meet
- Wealth 3.0: The Future of Family Wealth Advising
Connect With Sarah Newcomb:
- Thrive Financial
- Sarah Newcomb’s LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s LinkedIn
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s LinkedIn
About Our Guest:
Sarah Newcomb, Ph.D. is a behavioral economist and Founder of the Thrive Financial Empowerment Center. Through writing, speaking, and coaching, she teaches people of all stripes to build lives they love with the resources they have. As a subject matter expert, Dr. Newcomb has worked with corporate behavioral science teams at HelloWallet, Morningstar, and Edward Jones, where she helps financial advisors understand and respond to aspects of psychology that affect financial decisions. In all her roles, Sarah aims to adapt the findings of academic research to practical use in the financial lives of ordinary people, and to ground innovative approaches to financial advice in well-established psychological theory.
Many advisors have yet to move beyond a vague idea of what a succession plan might look like, let alone formalizing one. While the concept of succession should be considered in every stage of your business, it becomes critical in the later stages.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Linda Willis, founder and CEO of Career Management Advisors Consulting (CMA) about the importance of succession planning and how to start the process. Linda discusses key considerations, timeframes and the price of procrastination.
Linda discusses:
- Why many advisors avoid actively creating their exit strategies
- The importance of an emergency exit strategy at every stage of a practice.
- How far in advance of your exit the planning should begin
- Starting the process
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- The Key to Gaining Wallet Share: Understanding How Clients Think
- Ep 98: Your Personal Brand: Capitalize on Your Strengths – With Susan Danzig
Connect With Linda Willis:
- Career Management Advisors
- Linda Willis’ LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Linda Willis is a top-performing, outcome-driven financial services professional. With a proven track record of leading global financial services businesses, she has held senior positions at major financial institutions and distinguished herself as an astute business leader and tenacious and accomplished recruiter of top talent. A former securities litigator with experience in corporate and employment law, Linda built a business career at global investment firms as well as launched and scaled her own independent RIA. Linda’s experience across the landscape of the financial services industry, coupled with her proficiency as a skilled negotiator and over-all business manager, ensures superior results for clients seeking an M&A, succession or transition advisor. A graduate of Mercer University with a J.D., LAW, Linda has completed advanced educational and leadership programs at both Harvard University as well as the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her thought leadership and insightful counsel provide CMA clients with a comprehensive and holistic engagement.
As The Flexible Advisor marks its 100th episode, content marketing strategist Matt Halloran joins hosts Laura Gregg and David Partain to discuss the podcast’s genesis, evolving scope, and most impactful topics.
Originally focusing on proprietary research, The Flexible Advisor has become a dynamic forum exploring multiple aspects of many topics concerning financial advisors and planners
In this episode, Laura, David, and Matt discuss:
- How The Flexible Advisor has come to be one of the top podcasts in the financial services industry.
- How COVID became an unlikely catalyst for the platform’s development
- Notable guests and topics
- And more!
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- Special Episode 18 – Serving Medical Professionals During COVID-19 –– With Lauren Oschman
- Episode 21- Strategies for Advancing Racial Equity and Diversity – With Connie Lindsey
- Episode 24- Leadership and Diversity –– With Shundrawn Thomas
- Episode 45- Women and Financial Wellness – With Heather Ettinger
- Episode 46- Why Advisors Should Consider Outsourcing Investment Management — With Paul Binnion
- Episode 48- How to Achieve Advisor Wellness and Prevent Burnout — With Dr. Jack Singer
- Episode 49- Conquering Stress: Harnessing the Power of Your Anxiety — With Dr. Chloe Carmichael
- Episode 55- Consumer Preferences In Hiring a Financial Planner — With Dr. Miranda Reiter, CFP®, Texas Tech University
- Episode 57- Guiding Suddenly Single Women – With Steph Wagner
- Episode 58- Disrupting With Purpose — With Dana Wilson
- Episode 62- Developing and Retaining Next Gen Talent — With Yonhee Gordon
- Episode 67- GenX. They Need You. Now. – With Michael Labos
- Episode 68- I’m Not a Therapist! When Clients Bring Up Emotional Issues – With Dr. Chloe Carmichael
- Episode 73- Use ESG as a GPS Tool, Not a Moral Compass — With Jeff Gitterman
- Episode 75- ESG Investing: “This is where people are” – With Jon Hale
- Episode 84- Why Settle for “Satisfied” Clients? — Brendan Frazier on the Value of Emotional Connection
- Episode 85- The New Rules Of Growing Wallet Shares With Barnaby Riedel, PhD
Connect With Matt Halloran:
- Matt Halloran’s LinkedIn
- Matt Halloran’s Twitter
- ProudMouth
- PodRocket Influence Academy
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Matt Halloran is a co-founder of ProudMouth, the world’s leading influence accelerator for financial advisors.
An in-demand speaker, he’s appeared on over 1,000 podcasts. As well, Matt is the host of ProudMouth’s Top Advisor Marketing Podcast, where he and industry leaders empower advisors to become trusted, recognized authorities.
Matt is the author of “The Social Media Handbook for Financial Advisors,” the first social media book for financial services.
Limited access and chronic under-saving continue to leave many Americans ill-equipped for retirement. New legislation may have a meaningful impact in getting more people access and saving in workplace sponsored retirement plans.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain are joined by Lee Freitag, former practice lead of the Retirement Solutions Group at Northern Trust Asset Management to discuss how Secure Act 2.0 stands to benefit individuals as well as small plan sponsors and administrators.
Lee discusses:
- Five key provisions addressing issues such as accessibility, portability, and penalty relief for emergency expenses.
- How Secure Act 2.0 helps individuals balance student loan debt and retirement plan contributions.
- The latest on the treatment of catch-up contributions
- Important provisions to help part-time workers access employer-sponsored retirement plans
- Penalty relief for distributions related to emergency expenses
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Lee Freitag:
- LinkedIn: Lee Freitag
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- LinkedIn: Laura Gregg
Connect With David Partain:
- LinkedIn: David Partain
About Our Guest:
Lee Freitag is the Practice Lead of Retirement Solutions at Northern Trust Asset Management. He is responsible for the development and distribution of investment solutions and research content designed for the institutional and intermediary retirement markets And, as our regular listeners know, David and I have been conducting investor research for many years, but Lee, I think your tenure as a research leader may eclipse us!
Lee is a return guest to The Flexible Advisor. He joined us early in the pandemic to speak about the Secure Act, so I’m thrilled he’s back to educate us on the revised legislation.
Creating a distinct personal brand may be the most important (and underestimated) thing you can do to attract ideal clients and enhance your practice.
In this podcast episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain invite Susan Danzig, a certified business development coach, to discuss how your brand can help clients and prospects understand who you are and what you can provide.
Susan discusses:
- The value of establishing a market niche in today’s environment
- How personal and corporate branding can work in tandem
- Using your personal interests to connect with your ideal clients
- Why taking stock of who you serve, how you stand out, and what you offer is an ongoing process
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- Financial Advisor Success Quiz
Connect With Susan Danzig:
- LinkedIn: Susan Danzig
- Susan Danzig, LLC
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Susan Danzig has been consulting with financial services professionals since 1997. She helps her clients understand and clarify their true value, define their specialization and create effective marketing strategies. Susan’s specialty is brand refinement, messaging and strategic marketing to enhance a business’s market value for growth and sale.
Susan is a graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder, a Certified Business Development Coach and a Certified Master Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner. A strong contributor to the financial services community, Susan has served as a National Board Member of the Financial Planning Association.
We know that internal biases form specific client personas which, in turn, shape a person’s approach to making financial decisions. Financial professionals can use those biases as a “nudge” rather than an obstacle to build more productive client relationships. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Patrick Fagan, Chief Scientific Officer at … Continue reading Ep 97: The Art of the Nudge – With Patrick Fagan →
The rapid expansion of social media and artificial intelligence within the financial services space holds undeniable implications for the advisor/client dynamic – particularly when it comes to young investors. Ryan George, Chief Marketing Officer at Docupace, shares insights from his firm’s recent white paper — Five Ways to Capitalize on the Changing Attitudes of American … Continue reading Ep 96: Reaching and Retaining Next-Generation Investors – with Ryan George →
Why pay a financial advisor for services available on a host of digital platforms? Today’s clients expect more from a paid financial professional than a diversified investment portfolio. They appreciate advice, but they expect a plan. In this episode, Laura Gregg speaks with Chazz Logue, Regional Director and Business Development Team Lead of Advice and … Continue reading Ep 95: Clients Want More Than Advice; They Want A Plan – With Chazz Logue →
The new generation of investors includes a growing and influential population: childless/child-free clients. They present a distinctly unique set of priorities, objectives, concerns, and expectations.
In this episode, Pamela Lucina, President of the Northern Trust Institute and Head of Trust and Advisory Practice, talks with Laura Gregg and David Partain about this demographic, and why advisors should recognize and rethink some long-standing biases and assumptions.
Pamela discusses:
- How unconscious biases can undermine client conversations, particularly with women
- Rephrasing discovery questions for more productive conversations
- Key considerations when estate planning for clients without children
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- Wealth Management.com I Advising Childless and Child-free Clients
- Pew Research
Connect With Pamela Lucina:
- Pamela Lucina’s LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Pamela Lucina is the President of The Northern Trust Institute, Chief Fiduciary Officer and Trust & Advisory Practice Executive. She leads a national team of trust and estate professionals to help clients achieve their goals through the use of world-class tools and techniques, with an eye toward the human element of wealth and family dynamics. She is a recognized leader and speaker within the trust and estate legal community and a strong advocate for women in the industry.
Clients who feel engaged in the planning process are more likely to have a positive experience. But how do you better engage clients in the process?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Brad Connors, CEO of iWealth. Brad talks about iWealth’s proprietary software, FDC Plan on Purpose, which helps advisors demonstrate their value and elevate the client experience through client meetings that begin with visualization rather than investment portfolio reviews.
Brad discusses:
- Why so many clients are unprepared for retirement (it’s not about money)
- The power of visuals when talking with clients
- How a two-page document can elevate your practice
- How FDC Plan on Purpose can complement an existing tech stack
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
- “Fish Don’t Clap: Planning For A Purposeful Retirement” by Brad Connors
- FDC Plan on Purpose
- Strategic Coach
- Riskalyze
- e-Money
- MoneyGuidePro
- The Key to Gaining Wallet Share: Understanding How Clients Think
- Ep 66: Supporting Executive Clients With Their Tomorrow Story — With Elisa Spain
Connect With CEO, iWealth Companies:
- iWealth
- LinkedIn: Brad Connors
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Brad Connors is the founder and CEO of iWealth and the founder of the FDC Plan on Purpose tool for advisors. Brad is also the author of “Fish Don’t Clap: Planning For A Purposeful Retirement” and has been advising individuals, corporations, and institutional investors for over 29 years. His work has been recognized by many and he has received numerous awards including LPL Financial’s “2019 Chairman’s Award” and Investment Centers of America Inc.’s “2014 Spirit of ICA” Award. Brad has been named a Twin Cities Five Star Wealth Manager Award Winner every year from 2012 to 2018, and one of the 2007 Top 50 Bank Advisors in the Nation by Bank Investment Consultant Magazine.
It’s not just you. Most advisors face the same challenge. Your client base is broadening and diversifying. You need to provide more sophisticated, more personalized solutions but where do you find the right resources?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Lacy Garcia, Founder and CEO of Willow, an award-winning financial technology and guidance platform. Her mission: To equip advisors with practical resources to engage with women and an overall rapidly changing wealth demographic.
Lacy discusses:
- The New Majority investor and their growing wealth ownership
- How advisors can address the unique needs of their changing client base
- Tactical solutions that can be put in place quickly
- How coaching from Willow can help advisors create a meaningful client experience
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Lacy Garcia:
- Willow
- LinkedIn: Lacy Garcia
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Lacy Garcia is the founder and CEO of Willow. Willow is an award-winning financial technology and guidance platform that helps financial institutions better engage and serve women and the new majority of investors. Lacy and Willow have been featured on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Wealth Management, and more. Most recently, Lacy has appeared on the Today Show on NBC to help explain some important financial concepts and applications.
Building a practice from scratch after years in a large-team environment may not be easy, but it can be immensely rewarding.
In this episode, we invited Kaysian Gordon, Founder and Wealth Advisor at Kaysi Gordon Financial Planning, to talk about how she came to that decision, and the lessons she has learned that can benefit any advisor no matter what their career plan.
Kaysian discusses:
- Her professional journey leading up to her decision to step out on her own.
- How she integrated her personal passion and professional skills.
- Her philosophy for investing and life
- Practical advice for those who choose to run their own business
- And more!
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Kaysian Gordon:
- Kaysian Gordon’s LinkedIn
- Kaysi Gordon Financial Planning
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Kaysian Gordon is a Valley Stream, NY fee-only financial planner. Kaysi Gordon Financial Planning provides comprehensive and objective financial planning and investment management to help women of faith who are going through transitions organize, grow, and protect their assets through life’s changes. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Kaysian Gordon is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
It’s True: GRIT can be a game-changer.
In this episode, Austin Hatch – a motivational speaker, athlete, and remarkable survivor—shares his inspiring journey and lessons that can help others respond to unexpected circumstances. Tune in for Austin’s powerful story and learn how the G.R.I.T. framework can help managers adapt to today’s challenges.
Austin discusses:
- Helping others as a driving motivation
- How the G.R.I.T. framework can help managers in the current economic market
- The power and importance of leading by example
- More insights and lessons from Austin’s experiences
Resources:
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Austin Hatch:
- Austin-Hatch.com
- Austin Hatch’s Linkedin
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Austin Hatch survived two plane crashes that claimed the lives of his entire immediate family. He suffered severe injuries that nearly took his life. When Austin woke from a 2-month-long coma, he had to re-learn basic life skills. The road to recovery was tough, but he found a way to push forward and fulfill his dream of joining the University of Michigan basketball team. Austin is now a motivational speaker with a poignant message about G.R.I.T. and how we can all thrive in the midst of adversity.
What has changed in the advisor landscape? What are advisors doing differently?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Michelle Lynn, Global Head of Data Science and Insights at Bloomberg Media Organization about the research she leads on the state of the advisor landscape. Michelle explains why Bloomberg supports this long-running study and discusses highlights from its findings and what it means for advisors.
Michelle discusses:
- The genesis and focus of Bloomberg research on advisory issues
- Soft skills as a differentiator
- Why diversity is increasingly important
- The necessity – and challenge – of work/life balance
- And more
Resources:
- Bloomberg Media, The Financial Advisor Study
- The New Rules of Growing Wallet Share (FlexShares Research)
- The Race to Scalability (FlexShares Research)
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Michelle Lynn:
- Bloomberg Media Organization
- Michelle Lynn’s LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Michelle Lynn is the Global Head of Data Science and Insights at Bloomberg. She is responsible for all the data research and planning teams globally and provides insights and intelligence to drive solutions for clients.
Are you familiar with the SEC’s 206(4) proposal? Will you be compliant?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain are joined by Paul Binnion of Hanlon Investment Management to consider the intent and potential impact of the proposal.
If you outsource certain investment functions or have been evaluating third-party service providers, join us to learn more.
Paul discusses:
- Core aspects of the proposed rule, and how it may affect financial advisors
- How advisors’ due diligence responsibilities may be affected
- What to consider when selecting a third-party solutions provider
- Why deeper client relationships will likely become even more important
- And more
Resources:
- Outsourcing by Investment Advisers, Securities and Exchange Commission, Proposed Rule 206(4) – PDF
- Ep 46: The Race to Scalability — With Paul Binnion, Hanlon Investment Management
- FlexShares Race To Scalability Research
- FlexShares The New Rules in Growing Wallet Share
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Paul Binnion:
- Hanlon Investment Management
- Paul Binnion’s LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Paul Binnion is the Chief Revenue Officer at Hanlon Investment Management. Paul is responsible for leading the overall direction of the firm’s distribution strategy while overseeing the sales, key accounts, and marketing teams in their efforts to build collaborative partnerships with successful financial advisors. Paul has more than 30 years of experience developing best practices with financial partners and specializes in building and motivating teams to help deliver successful outcomes to financial advisors and their clients.
How can your favorite pastime — running, cooking, travel… whatever — boost your performance, increase job satisfaction, build a stronger team culture?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Regina Huber, the CEO and founder of Transform Your Performance, about the powerful connection between our hobbies and our professional lives.
Regina discusses:
- Her personal experience of integrating her passion into her career
- How the lessons and skills derived from passionate pursuits can serve our professional pursuits
- What business leaders can do to invite passion into the workplace
- And more
Resources:
- Why you should bring your biggest passion (even if seemingly unrelated) to your career & leadership and what it can do for you by Regina Huber
- Speak Up, Stand Out and Shine by Regina Huber
- Speak Up, Stand Out and Shine on Huffington Post
- Career Growth Strategies LinkedIn Newsletter by Regina Huber
- FlexShares Funds In Focus Podcast
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With Regina Huber:
- Transform Your Performance
- LinkedIn: Regina Huber
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Regina Huber is the CEO and founder of a coaching, speaking, and training business, Transform Your Performance. Through her firm, she drives transformational leadership and coaches value-driven, open-minded leaders to implement a powerful new business consciousness paradigm, so they can effectively build trust, increase their influence, and impact and create more human-centered workplaces. Regina believes doing so will result in higher employee engagement and more fulfilling work for employees. She is also fluent in multiple languages and has worked globally during her career on 5 continents, getting her start in Germany. Regina is also a prolific writer and is a published author of multiple books and articles on courageous leadership. Her latest book, Speak Up, Stand Out and Shine, was featured in the Huffington Post.
Just as people look online to check a restaurant or service provider before making a reservation or appointment, prospects and referrals are probably vetting you (among others) to determine whether to contact you. Who are they seeing?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain dive into the world of digital marketing and personal branding with April Rudin, founder and president of the Rudin Group. April shares four tips to make your digital presence more interesting and effective.
April discusses:
- Why personal branding is more important than ever
- How a personal dimension can set you apart
- The value of professional input
- Why to make a social pivot to B2B
- And more
Resources:
- FlexShares Funds In Focus Podcast
- FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds
Connect With April Rudin:
- TheRudinGroup.com
- April Rudin’s LinkedIn
Connect With Laura Gregg:
- Laura Gregg’s Linkedin
Connect With David Partain:
- David Partain’s Linkedin
About Our Guest:
Founder and President of The Rudin Group, April J. Rudin is widely acknowledged as a top marketing strategist for the financial services and wealth-management sectors. Distinguished by her ability to forecast and leverage critical trends and her expertise in digital and traditional media, she leads a firm that designs bespoke marketing campaigns for some of the world’s leading wealth management firms, fintech, and family offices; campaigns that strengthen their brand value and drive client acquisition. April is recognized by IBM as an “Influencer” in wealth management and fintech and is a regularly-featured source of expert commentary to international news and business outlets, trade publications, and broadcast media.
What are your clients not telling you? What could you do differently to earn greater trust? In this episode, Laura Gregg talks with Barnaby Riedel, one of the architects of FlexShares’ behavioral study on growing wallet share. The findings provide a sensible groundwork to build more productive and mutually rewarding client relationships. Barnaby discusses: His … Continue reading Ep 85: The Science Behind Growing Wallet Share — With Barnaby Riedel, PhD →
Provide good numbers and exceptional service and you’ll have a satisfied client. Create a personal connection, and you may be surprised at the results. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with financial advisor Brendan Frazier, founder of Wired Planning and host of The Human Side of Money podcast. Brendan offers three simple … Continue reading Ep 84: Why Settle for “Satisfied” Clients? — Brendan Frazier on the Value of Emotional Connection →
Most advisors recognize that, when it comes to making investment decisions, a client’s emotions can derail a plan. Equipping yourself with knowledge on behavioral finance and financial personas could be the key to a more successful approach to ensuring your clients stick to their plan. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with … Continue reading Ep 83: Getting to Yes! Why You Need to Acknowledge Behavioral Finance — With Michael Pompian →
Is your firm seeking new talent? Are you a student seeking a career in wealth management? Consider introducing yourself to the growing number of Financial Planning directors at universities in your area (and beyond). In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Steve Schiestel, CFA, the Head of the Financial Planning and Wealth … Continue reading Ep 82: Back to School — With Steve Schiestel, Director of Financial Planning at MSU →
Is this too much to ask? Women just want advisors who recognize their concerns, appreciate their perspective, and respect their ability to make smart choices. Join Laura Gregg and David Partain as they talk with Dr. Barbara Provost, Founder of Purse Strings, LLC and an accomplished educational consultant to the banking and insurance industries. They discuss the often … Continue reading Ep 81: Women are Smart, Savvy, and Speaking with Their Money — With Dr. Barbara Provost →
Virtual meetings are one of the lasting impacts of Covid. While you may have mastered them when everyone was remote, now it’s time to master hybrid virtual meetings. Consider these ideas to make them more comfortable – and productive – for all involved. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Lauren Sergy, … Continue reading Ep 80: Virtual Hybrid Meetings, Actual Success – With Lauren Sergy →
What makes “The Ask” so awkward and even counterproductive? FlexShares recently surveyed high-net-worth investors across the country to better understand what drives their decision to allocate assets to and among advisors. The results are in, and they provide some valuable insight. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Beverly Flaxington, Human Behavior … Continue reading Ep 79: The Rules Have Changed! How to Get More From Clients – With Bev Flaxington →
Understanding Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) criteria points and how they relate to investment portfolios is critical for helping your clients navigate ESG issues. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Michael Young, Manager of Educational Programs at US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. They discuss ESG investing and how … Continue reading Ep 78: Expand Your ESG Investing Expertise — With Michael Young →
In this marketplace, personalized service is what separates a financial advisor from an app. Knowing your ‘niche’ and your Ideal Client may be the key to a more prosperous —and satisfying — practice. In this episode, Susan Danzig, a Certified Business Development Coach for financial advisors, joins David Partain to discuss the ‘why’ and ‘how’ … Continue reading Ep 77: “Hello, Ideal Client” — With Susan Danzig →
As sustainable investing grows in popularity, so do the misconceptions about its framework. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Kiley Miller, Director of ESG Investment Solutions at Envestnet. Kiley is a passionate leader in the ESG investment space. She shares how she is working to help advisors better understand underlying value … Continue reading Ep 76: Are Advisors Missing the Forest for the Trees? – Kiley Miller on Sustainable Investing →