Welcome to Tips from the Top, a monthly series focused on highlighting top financial professionals and industry thought leaders hosted by MassMutual Eastern PA's CEO, Joe Mallee.
As financial professionals, you are constantly exposed to a lot of big pictures, blue sky ideas of what’s working, but Tips from the Top is all about the nuts and bolts of how things really get done. We invite you to join us as we explore how our guests climbed to the top!
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Join host Joe Mallee in a compelling conversation with Tom Wall, PhD. Tom is a seasoned authority in the field of financial planning, an accomplished speaker, and a published author. In this episode, Joe and Tom tackle crucial elements of family financial security and the complexities surrounding whole life insurance. They examine the indispensable role of protecting one’s family amid dynamic financial environments. Together, they shed light on the frequently overlooked advantages of whole life insurance within comprehensive long-term financial plans.
Tune in as the duo navigates through practical insights essential for anyone aiming to secure their financial future in a constantly changing world.
Whether you are just starting out in financial planning or have years of experience under your belt, this episode is designed to expand your knowledge and inspire proactive financial practices.
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Useful links from this episode:
· MassMutual Eastern Pennsylvania
· Whole Life MasterMinds
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· Joe Mallee: LinkedIn
· Tom Wall: LinkedIn
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In this engaging episode of "Tips from the Top," host Joe Mallee welcomes Bonnie Godsman, the dynamic President of Finseca and CEO of Gama International. Godsman shares her intriguing journey from a politically enthusiastic student to a leading figure in the financial services industry. She delves into the complexities of merging GAMA and AALU, maintaining their distinct brands while expanding their global influence in over 30 countries. Godsman passionately discusses the importance of advocacy in financial services, emphasizing the need for a unified voice in political spheres, and the critical role of organizations like Finseca in shaping policy. The conversation also touches on personal growth, the power of mentorship, and the significance of grassroots movements in influencing policy. Godsman's insights into the challenges and triumphs of leading a major financial organization, coupled with her vision for a more inclusive and impactful financial advisory sector, make this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in leadership, advocacy, and the future of financial services.
—— Useful links from this episode: • MassMutual Eastern Pennsylvania • GAMA Global • Finseca
Connect with us: • Joe Mallee: LinkedIn • Bonnie Godsman: LinkedIn Thank you so much for listening to this podcast episode #TipsFromTheTop
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In this inspiring episode of "Tips From the Top," host Joe Mallee sits down with Jim Boyd, a seasoned financial advisor with a compelling personal and professional journey. Boyd shares his transition from a lackluster job in the power tools industry to a fulfilling career in financial services, starting with his early days helping public school teachers with their 403(b) plans. He recounts the challenges of starting anew in the physician market, emphasizing the importance of mentorship, adaptability, and the human connection in financial advising. Boyd's story takes a poignant turn as he discusses taking over a practice after the loss of a colleague, highlighting the significance of empathy, team dynamics, and succession planning in the industry. His insights into leveraging technology to enhance client relationships, coupled with his passion for mentorship and continuous learning, make this episode a must-listen for both aspiring and experienced financial advisors seeking to make a meaningful impact in their profession.
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In this enlightening episode of "Tips from the Top," host Joe Mallee engages with Amy, a distinguished financial advisor known for her unique approach to client selection and sophisticated financial planning. Amy delves into her criteria for choosing clients, emphasizing the importance of emotional and situational factors over mere assets and wealth. She shares her preference for working with clients undergoing significant life transitions, such as retirement, career changes, or personal upheavals. The conversation also explores Amy's distinctive client characteristics, including coachability, responsibility, and a zest for life, aligning with her firm's happy and fun culture.
Listeners will find valuable insights as Amy discusses her coaching programs tailored for female MassMutual advisors and advisors with teams, highlighting community, collaboration, and effective team building. The episode is peppered with practical advice for new advisors, emphasizing the benefits of teamwork, patience, and the never-ending journey of learning in the financial advisory realm. Amy's forward-thinking strategies, including the integration of AI in practice management, make this episode a must-listen for both seasoned and aspiring financial advisors seeking to elevate their practice and client relationships.
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Joe Mallee: LinkedIn
Amy Jamrog: LinkedIn
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In this enlightening episode, Joe Mallee converses with financial expert Tom Henske about the crucial role of parents in shaping their children's financial understanding. Henske, author of "It Makes Total Cents: 12 Conversations to Change Your Child's Financial Future," delves into the importance of engaging, non-threatening discussions between parents and children on topics like finance, aiming to create a comfortable and educational environment at home. He shares innovative strategies to make finance interesting for the younger generation, emphasizing the use of popular platforms like TikTok. By integrating technology into learning, Henske illustrates how parents can transform often dull financial concepts into captivating, educational content, making learning both fun and impactful.
The episode also explores the challenges and opportunities presented by technology in modern parenting. Both Henske and Mallee acknowledge the pervasive nature of devices and social media, discussing strategies to turn these potential distractions into educational tools. Henske's approach, from creating short, digestible podcasts for busy parents to encouraging kids to explore their own financial literacy topics. This conversation is a must-listen for parents and financial advisors alike, offering valuable insights, practical tips, and a fresh perspective on financial education and the power of technology in our daily lives.
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Tune in to this episode of Tips from the Top to hear Tom "Tommy" Schaff's remarkable story. Tommy is the founder of Major League Sales, with an impressive 30+ years’ experience working with financial professionals.
Where are you today? Where to you want to be down the road? Tommy's services demonstrate incredible potential for financial professionals, unlocking the possibility to generate an extra six-figure income while driving their ambition to progress their business further.
Joe Mallee values collaboration highly, and Tommy is a testament to that as he has partnered with well-known figures in sales and marketing like Dr. Robert Cialdini, Tony Robbins, Chet Holmes, Jay Abraham, Tom Searcy, Dave Kurlan, Terry Slattery, Bryan Mattimore, Mark Bryan, and Paul Stoltz.
You don’t want to miss out on these valuable insights and Tips from the Top!
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Useful links from this episode:
MassMutual Eastern Pennsylvania
Major League Sales
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“Financial Professional” isn’t your first choice of career path? It wasn't Abby’s either, and now she is a leading female advisor.
In this episode of Tips from the Top, Joe introduces longtime friend Abigail (Abby) Spaulding. Abby is president & co-founder Continuum Planning Partners.
Abby discusses how the advisor-client relationship differs from other industries and how it can be an intimate relationship that goes beyond transactions. Furthermore, she speaks to how hungry the market is for fee-based planning as well as her own personal standards for clients that are always evolving with their needs.
Abby is the current Board Chair of Nashville Salvation Army, past Board Chair of a local charter school named Rocketship, is the past president of Women Engaging Business, and the Harpeth Hall Alumnae Board.
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Turns out, most business owners don’t know the value of their business. Do you? Joe Mallee explains that good planning for growth & transition cannot be done without first, knowing the value of your business.
In this episode of Tips from the Top, Joe introduces longtime friend Mike Carter: Founder & CEO of BizEquity. After a journey to perfect the process, Mike established BizEquity with the mission to democratize the business-data industry for the small business owner. BizEquity kicked-off as the first and leading cloud-based online business valuation system + engine for small businesses and their advisors.
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MassMutual Eastern Pennsylvania does not provide qualified business valuations. For a qualified or certified business valuation, consult a properly credentialed appraiser. BizEquity if not affiliated with MassMutual Eastern Pennsylvania.
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Will technology replace human beings? Can humans deliver Amazon-like service? Charles Svirk and Joe Mallee discuss why it’s vital that our advisors are backed by trusted technology.
Chuck Svirk is a natural-born entrepreneur, based out of Boston. He is currently an investor at MassMutual Ventures, partnering with startups focused on fintech, insurance, cybersecurity, and enterprise software. MassMutual Ventures is the venture-arm of MassMutual, a Fortune 100 mutual company providing retirement, insurance, and asset management services.
In this episode of Tips from the Top, Chuck tells Joe how selling t-shirts led to him discovering his entrepreneurial spirit and leading him to the world of Venture Funds. Learn why Chuck insists that venture capital touches every corner of our global economy. He expresses that “the injection of risk capital combined with the sheer will of entrepreneurs has enabled the rapid scale up of businesses like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber, Alibaba, and Tencent. These firms employ millions of individuals and have fundamentally changed modern society.”
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Useful links from this episode:
MassMutual Eastern Pennsylvania
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Chuck Svirk: LinkedIn
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Our firm has a wide variety of experience levels – ranging from fresh college graduates and industry veterans. We have seen it all when it comes to techniques for pipeline management. Some financial professionals use yellow legal pads, others are excel wizards, and others fully immersed themselves in a CRM system. It's not so much the medium you use to stay organized, but the process matters significantly.
Fast growth is directly correlated with actively managing your pipeline by thoughtfully and consistently contacting your prospects and adapting your strategies to reflect our digital world. Every financial professional’s goal should be to feed your pipeline by adding new prospects and then leading them down a path to becoming a long-term, loyal client. Here are a few tips to help make that happen:
1 – Don’t saturate your pipeline
If you have been in the industry for a while, or just entered and are finally getting hang of things, you will begin to collect contacts from all the places; networking events, LinkedIn, seminars, kids sporting events, etc. If you aren’t diligent you can end up with a super long list of not very promising prospects. To keep yourself sane and your process organized, you should think about segmenting your pipeline based on the type of relationship or where the relationship currently stands. Try these three scenarios:
2- Create a Checklist
You want your pipeline to be a well-oiled machine with consistent touchpoints for each prospect. Creating a checklist will keep you organized and will create a professional environment for your new potential client. By creating a standardized approach for all prospects, you are also making your life easier. A few things to think about adding to your checklist for a new prospect:
3- Wake Up, Coffee, Pipeline.
Creating the habit of not opening your email inbox to start your day is the best way to stay consistent on your pipeline. The second your inbox launches; you are creating 10 little fires you need to address. And before you know it, its 2 PM and you haven’t thought about your pipeline once today. By holding yourself accountable and making it your first priority you are shifting your focus to prospecting being a vital part of your day. Consider keeping your team or sales manager in the loop on your daily pipeline
Lastly, we can give you tips on a process, but it takes skill. You need to craft a process and stick to it but also keeping selling skillset strong, too. How can you consistently advance your prospects through your pipeline? One tip is to consistently be thinking and practicing mini closing. By using assumptive buying statements and your prospect is more likely to become a client. It’s not about closing the business but about getting that prospect to the next step in your process. Pipeline management isn’t a new concept, but it works. You worked hard enough to find the prospect – don’t let them slip through the cracks once they’ve hit your radar.
Struggling with practice management? Partner with a firm that supports our financial professionals and has in-house specialists to help you with your pipeline management. Schedule a time to chat about your future and learn about ours. Reach out to our Recruitment Director, Erica Ng, for more information
If you or your firm is interested in establishing a prospecting email strategy, please check your communication policy and compliance program before implementing any of the ideas above. Take the opportunity to review you Broker/Dealer email, social media and video policies and procedures before moving forward with any communication to the public.
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Written by Alison DiClemente
In this episode, our interviewer, Joe Mallee, gets interviewed! Joe sits on the other side of the mic as PJ Shevlin, Managing Partner of The Tenth Dot discusses how his upbring molded his values in his personally and professionally and how he naturally gravitated towards leadership with the help of great mentors along the way.
Please enjoy this candid conversation on the very first episode of The Tenth Dot podcast hosted by PJ Shevlin.
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Interested in partnering with a firm that supports the modern financial professionals? Contact our Recruitment Director Erica Ng to learn more!
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May is when we begin to shake off the cold of winter and transition into longer and warmer days. It signals growth, transformation, and movement to brighter days. There is no better time than Spring to focus on growing your practice.
Email marketing is one of the most successful marketing strategies a financial professional can master for prospecting and nurturing your existing relationships. Email marketing can represent many different strategies for your practice, such as email newsletters, promotional emails, client check-ins, and welcome emails. These marketing touchpoints can help build trust and your brand to your clients. But there is one email style, you need to craft just right to build new relationships – prospecting emails.
From your initial introduction to a prospect as a financial professional to crafting strong calls to action that piques your prospect's interest and leaves them feeling obligated to make the next move. Successful email prospecting for financial professionals requires time, patience, and proper testing to ensure you nail the right messaging. By creating content that is meticulously curated, niched, and personalized, your prospecting emails will help convert if you use the correct insights and messaging for your ideal clients.
Prospecting Emails for Financial Professionals
You might be thinking to yourself, I receive hundreds of emails a day, so I am sure my prospect's inbox looks the same way. That is a valid point, but email is still effective if your messaging is relevant to your target market. By segmenting your audience and personalizing your content, your email is useful and can pique your prospect’s interest. Sending the same message to your entire email list is no longer an effective method and you need to spend time thinking about what content your audience wants to read and how can your content benefit the prospect or client. Let’s break down two segments, millennials and baby boomers, and discuss how they like to consume content.
Millennials
Millennials embrace the use of technology and the benefits that come from it. 92% of millennials own a smartphone and use it for social media (84% use Facebook), internet browsing, emails, and more. With smartphones taking charge in millennials' lives, it should be no surprise to you that we’re seeing video lead online content consumption for this generation. By the end of 2022, the video will account for 82% of all internet traffic. If you want to connect with millennials through your marketing efforts, but you are struggling with your messaging, using video links in your emails is a great way to resonate and get your point across to that generation.
Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers were not raised with technology and were not exposed to digital marketing like the generations after them. But they have adjusted, and technology is now an integral part of their lives. Americans 60 and older are spending more time in front of their screens than a decade ago. Baby Boomers now spend more than half of their daily leisure time, 4 hours and 16 minutes, in front of screens, mostly watching TV or videos. By ignoring digital marketing efforts targeted toward your prospects 60 years or older, you are missing out on an engaged audience that has some major financial choices to make. If you can help new retirees or help prepare their adult children for their parent’s finances, use prospecting emails to start that conversation.
Crafting Prospecting Emails
There is no denying the importance of this strategy when trying to attract new clients, but how do you write emails that get results? When you write prospecting emails, you are not intending to be a spammer, but you might seem like you are if your email isn’t well thought out. As you write prospecting emails, put yourself in the shoes of the person who is reading it. What kind of reaction are they likely to have? Here are four tips for nailing your email marketing:
Perfecting your prospecting emails can be a game-changer for your practice and might be the marketing strategy you are missing to attract new clients. To help you drive conversions, focus on a clear and concise message that appeals to the audience you are trying to attract.
Struggling with your email strategy? Partner with a firm that supports our financial professionals to be thought leaders digitally. Schedule a time to chat about your future and learn about ours. Reach out to our Recruitment Director, Erica Ng, for more information
If you or your firm is interested in establishing a social media presence with the use of videos, please check your social media policy and compliance program before implementing any of the ideas above. Take the opportunity to review you Broker/Dealer email, social media and video policies and procedures before moving forward with any communication to the public CRN202504-2248391
Written by Alison DiClemente
Chris established MFA Wealth, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to focus on helping clients with their personal wealth management and estate planning needs. For over 30 years Chris and his associates have advised their clients in the areas of comprehensive financial planning, asset allocation, retirement planning and estate tax minimization techniques. Chris is an industry resource serving as a consultant and advisor to a multitude of industry professionals, giving clarity in the areas of practice management, client care and comprehensive financial planning.
In this episode, Joe and Chris sit down to discuss how technology is the foundation of his practice. The implementation of modern planning platforms provides the MFA Wealth team the confidence to embrace ownership in their process while focusing on their client’s needs. Chris also emphasizes his commitment to his community involvement and how giving back drives him to operate a successful practice.
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TEDx Speaker, Bestselling Author of Superhero Self, Viral TikTok Mentor, Podcast Host and Founder of The Re-Create App. Terrance McMahon takes the best business tips from the top business books and brings you ideas and principles to grow your company.
In this episode, Joe and Terrance sit down to discuss Terrance’s trials and tribulations. They take a deep dive into 2016, when he was sitting in a hospital room dying from liver failure. Doctors said he had 90 days to live and that his chances of finding a match for a liver transplant in time were slim. So slim that it wasn’t until the end of his 90-day death sentence that a liver from a young prisoner in Alabama was deemed a match.
Given a second chance at life, Terrance decided to recreate himself from a multi-millionaire morbidly obese, alcoholic CEO of MassMutual-Northern New England firm to a healthy and sober business coach, speaker, podcast host, bestselling author, and mentor. Today, he’s living the life he’s always dreamed of and helping thousands of others do the same.
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Interested in partnering with a firm that supports the modern financial professionals? Contact our Recruitment Director Erica Ng to learn more!
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In this bonus episode, we go live at our 2022 Agency Kickoff Meeting. You will be hearing an inspirational message from John Cane of Cane Financial Group, where he shares two tips on how to be successful. You will also hear a snippet of our financial planning panel, where we brought three of our top fee-based planners, Jim Boyd, Bob Cawley and Scott Curran, to the stage to discuss their successes in the space. We hope you enjoy this different interview format!
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Interested in partnering with a firm that supports the modern financial professionals? Contact our Recruitment Director Erica Ng to learn more!
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Joseph Gaglio has been in the financial services industry practically since birth. Alongside his younger brother Jacob, they represent the 3rd generation of a specialist conversation that originated from a 70+ year family practice out of New York of which their father is the current president. Joseph & Jacob now manage the primary entity known as The Integrity Business Group as well as a variety of other advanced planning firms. Joseph has a vast knowledgebase in advanced planning, focusing on executive leverage with those that are self-employed, especially when pertaining to large tax exposure, executive benefits, large deductions, deductible estate planning and deductible partner buyouts. He spends his time exclusively in the self-employed and high net worth communities.
In this episode, we cover Joseph Gaglio’s thirst for forging new relationships and his drive for quality joint work while on his quest to the top. He describes his vision as an entrepreneur and investor and what motivates him to dial in on top performance and results. Mallee and Gaglio also chat about his core entrepreneurial drive which has led to various businesses throughout the NY & CT region.
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Mark Gerdelmann is the founding principal of the Gerdelmann Group and Senior Vice President of Hoffman Financial Group. With 15+ years of experience, Mark’s goal is to provide his clients with a level of education that allows them to understand what their personal needs are and help them take an active role in the planning process. On this episode of Tips from the Top, Joe and Mark discuss how Mark interned at the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia and was told by his manager that he didn’t have the personality to work for the Fed.
Plus, Joe and Mark chat about the importance of how gaining the trust of the top teacher in the school can not only help your education as a student but as also a financial professional. Mark explains how centers of influence can be your key to discovering your niche and your ticket to the top!
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Mark Sessanta, CEO and founder of Stark Financial Group received his BA in Economics & Business from Lafayette College. He started his financial services career in September of 1998 at Metlife and received high achievement awards in several planning categories. In September 2002, Mark aligned with Independence Planning Group and established himself as one of the top planners. In April 2011, Mark joined the management team at Independence Planning Group.
It was in April of 2013 that Mark started his own financial consulting firm, Stark Financial Group, and he currently trains over 100 Financial Service Agents in the industry. Mark believes, time, not money, is your biggest asset in life. Your time is well spent investing in relationships or pursing your passion. Mark always cautions, “think again”, if you are trading off time for money. Let money work for you versus working for money–that’s real Financial Freedom.
Mark believes God is the first priority in his life and that has given him a passion for Business as Mission. In 2016, Mark married the love of his life, Erika, and they’re raising their young daughter, Stella. Erika is a Realtor licensed in both Pennsylvania and Florida.
Mark is a member of Life Underwriting Training Council and Leap Wealth in Motion.
Mark is a member of Kingdom Advisors – a community of peers who are committed to providing biblically wise financial advice within the financial services industry.
Mark can be reached at msessanta@starkfinancialgroup.com
We hope this episode helps you take the next impactful step in your practice.
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In this episode, Joe Mallee chats with Jason Goldstein about how Jason got into the financial services industry, how he found success, and how Joe pitched his dad in allowing Jason to quick his steady job as an Actuary and work alongside him in the financial planning industry.
Jason S. Goldstein, Managing Director, Financial Strategies at Clear Path Financial. Jason helps business owners and individuals plan by offering solutions and strategies that can help reduce risk levels based on his client’s goals and needs.
Jason is a Penn State alumni and graduated with a degree in Actuarial Science and a minor in Mathematics and Business. He has been in the financial services industry since 2002. After spending 8 years in the industry as a credentialed Actuary, Jason shifted from building products to selling and implementing plans as a Financial Advisor. In 2007 Jason received his Associate of the Society of Actuaries designation (ASA) from the Society of Actuaries and became a credentialed Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. In 2016, he received the Retirement Income Certified Professional designation (RICP®) from The American College. Jason is a current board member at the Society of Professional Women (SPW) and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors of Greater Philadelphia (NAIFA).
Born in Abington, Jason is a Pennsylvania native. He currently lives in Ambler, Pennsylvania with his wife Ashley, daughter Jade, and daughter Ariella! Jason enjoys spending time with family, golfing and watching the Phillies and Eagles.
We hope this episode helps you take the next impactful step in your practice.
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Another Podcast? YES. MassMutual Eastern PA is excited to launch our very own podcast! Tips from the Top will be hosted by our CEO, Joe Mallee. Joe will sit down with our firm’s top producers and industry thought leaders to discuss the best techniques for success. We are excited about the short and punchy format of the show so we can really get to the good stuff without wasting anyone’s time. We invite you to join us as we explore how our guests got to where they are today. We are constantly exposed to a lot of big pictures, blue sky ideas of what’s working, but Tips from the Top is all about the nuts and bolts of how things really get done.
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John has emerged among the leaders in the financial services industry and is President/CEO of Cane Financial Group. His knowledge and commitment to building long-term relationships have earned him numerous industry awards recognizing his accomplishments and service.
John has been with MassMutual Eastern PA for 32 years and continually earns a spot as top producer and Blue-Chip qualifier.
John graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Economics and began his financial services career in 1986.
We hope this episode helps you take the next impactful step in your practice.
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