Smarter Planner Podcast

In this episode, Belle Osvath, CFP®, talks with Rob Heltzel, a mortgage banker with more than 40 years of experience, about the changing housing market and how buyers can think strategically about financing. Rob shares his perspective on rising mortgage rates, increasing inventory, home prices, and the growing role of seller concessions and rate buydowns. He explains why, in some situations, using...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Nicky Amore, MBA, MA, CFP®, CPWA®, ChSNC®, CFT™, CCFC, a wealth advisor who is also a certified financial therapist. Nicky teaches CFP exam coursework, serves as an adjunct college professor, and works with families navigating disability, caregiving, and long-term care. In this conversation, Nicky draws a clear line...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, speaks with estate planning attorney Michael D. Whitty about premarital agreements and the role financial planners can play in helping clients approach these conversations thoughtfully and early. Mike has spent his career helping families navigate the legal and personal complexities of wealth transfer, family governance, and...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes back Paul D. Sippil, a forensic 401(k) consultant whose work focuses on helping employers better understand the costs, services, provider relationships, and incentives behind their retirement plans. Paul has reviewed thousands of Form 5500 filings and documented thousands of conversations with employers. Through that...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Jason Howell, CFP®, CPWA®, CSRIC®, founder of Jason Howell Company, adjunct professor at George Mason University, and author of Joy of Financial Planning: Seven Strategies for Transforming Your Finances and Reclaiming Your American Dream. Jason has dedicated his career to helping families build meaningful financial l...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes back Macia Mantel, one of the retirement industry's leading experts on Social Security, Medicare, and retirement income planning. She is the author of Social Security, Lightly Toasted, Not Burnt: How to Make Your Best Claiming Decision and has spent nearly three decades helping advisors and consumers navigate complex...

Have you listened to the latest episode of the Smarter Planner Podcast yet? In this CE-credit episode, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, sits down with Matt Gelfand, PhD, CFA, CFP®, of Princeton Global to discuss the role commodities can play in modern portfolio construction. The conversation explores: • Diversification benefits of commodities • Inflation protection strategies • Gold, silver, oil, and TIPS...

In this CE-credit episode, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, sits down with Matt Gelfand, PhD, CFA, CFP®, Managing Director and Global Strategist at Princeton Global, to explore the role commodities can play in modern portfolio construction. From gold and silver to oil and inflation-protected securities, Matt explains why commodities remain relevant for advisors seeking diversification, inflation protectio...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes back Victor Haghani, founder of Elm Wealth, co-author of The Missing Billionaires: A Guide to Better Financial Decisions, and former co-founder of Long-Term Capital Management. Victor returns to the podcast to discuss his latest investing experiment, the Crystal Ball Challenge, a unique exercise designed to test whet...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Susan Bradley, founder of the Sudden Money Institute, creator of the Certified Financial Transitionist (CeFT®) designation, and author of Sudden Money: Managing a Financial Windfall.  Susan has spent decades studying what happens when people experience major life transitions involving money. What began as work helpin...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Jeremy Keil, CFP®, CFA®, and Certified Kingdom Advisor®, founder of Keil Financial Partners, host of the Retirement Revealed Podcast, and creator of the Mr. Retirement YouTube channel.  Jeremy joins Belle to talk about advisor marketing, branding, and niching down in a way that feels authentic rather than sales-drive...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Vincent Randazzo, CMT, portfolio manager at Tamaris Capital Management, co-portfolio manager of the Defender Risk Adaptive 500 ETF, and founder of ViewRight Advisors. Vincent has spent more than two decades studying market behavior, technical analysis, and portfolio risk. In this conversation, he joins Belle to talk...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP® , welcomes David Keller, CMT, President and Chief Strategist at Sierra Alpha Research, a boutique investment research and consulting firm. David is also a CNBC contributor and the host of the Market Misbehavior YouTube channel and podcast, where he helps investors and advisors better understand market behavior through technica...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes David Marra, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Markin Asset Management, a firm focused on combining quantitative and fundamental research to help investors navigate changing market conditions and manage downside risk. With decades of experience in investment research and portfolio construction, David breaks...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Rich Arzaga, CFP®, CCIM, founder of Real Estate Whisperer Financial Planning. Rich specializes in helping clients and advisors better understand how real estate fits into a comprehensive financial plan. With real estate representing a significant portion of household wealth in the U.S., he highlights a critical gap:...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Tyson Ray, host of The Total Succession Show and author of Total Succession. With decades of experience building and acquiring advisory firms, Tyson shares his personal journey into succession planning—and why what he thought was a solid plan turned out to be incomplete. As consolidation accelerates across the indust...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Erik Brenner, President and CEO of Hilltop Wealth and Tax Solutions. Erik shares how his firm has adopted a "personal CFO" approach inspired by the traditional family office model historically reserved for ultra-wealthy families and adapted it for middle-income clients who face increasingly complex financial decision...

In this  1 CE-credit episode , host Belle Osvath, CFP® explores two critical components of modern investment analysis: how to evaluate portfolio managers and how ESG data fits into long-term risk and return . In the first conversation, David Marra , founder and managing director of Markin Asset Management , shares a disciplined framework for identifying skilled portfolio managers. He explains how...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Leo Anzoleaga, Senior Vice President of Residential Lending at Luminate Bank. Leo breaks down what's really happening in today's housing market, from fluctuating mortgage rates to persistent inventory shortages, and how these dynamics are impacting buyers across different stages of life. He explains why today's real...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast , host Belle Osvath , CFP®, welcomes Mickie Kennedy , founder of eReleases , a company that helps small businesses, authors, and startups build credibility and visibility through strategic press release distribution. With nearly three decades of experience, Mickie explains what a press release really is and what it isn't. While many advisors assume PR...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast , host Belle Osvath welcomes Michael Kitces , Chief Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com . In this conversation, Michael shares research-backed insights on what truly drives productivity in advisory firms and what surprisingly does not. Drawing on data from hundreds of advisory firms, he explains why revenue per advisor is one of the most consistent...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Carl Richards, CFP®, creator of The Sketch Guy column for The New York Times, where for more than a decade he translated complex money ideas into simple, hand-drawn sketches. Carl has built and sold a successful investment firm and is now a sought-after speaker and bestselling author of The Behavior Gap, The One-Page...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast , host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Ed Dressel, president and owner of Retire Ready Solutions, a company empowering advisors to simplify retirement education — especially for middle-income workers and pension-eligible employees.   With nearly 40 years in the industry, Ed has identified a critical disconnect: advisors love complexity, but clients crave...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast , host Belle Osvath, CFP® , sits down with Mike Padawer, CLTC , founder and president of Inertia Advisor Services Group and Carefidence , to discuss why financial planners must shift their approach from simply paying for care to truly planning for care .   Mike—author of What's the Deal with Long-Term Care and co-author of What You Don't Know About Re...

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, sits down with Ari Galper, founder and CEO of Ari AI — the world's only trust-based proprietary AI sales growth advisor — to explore how financial planners can build deeper trust and stronger client relationships in today's commoditized advisory landscape. Ari, author of seven bestselling books including Trust in a Split Seco...