Behind The Advisor

Today's guest has found impressive success working with retirees and soon-to-be retirees in the oil and gas industry, and by employing a unique fee structure that he has found suits his niche. Michael Rahn is the founder of The Sum, a financial planning firm he has grown phenomenally fast, and now serves 21 ongoing clients with a $4,500 annual fee minimum. In this episode, Michael shares why he de...

Ed Coambs has had a unique journey into the financial planning field. After starting his career as a firefighter, he transitioned into financial planning before eventually completing his training in marriage and family therapy. He then decided to combine his last two careers into one to become a financial therapist. Today he joins the show to share the softer side of financial planning and why fin...

Kevin Mahoney started his career in sports business, working for the NFL. After years of pursuing that occupation—as well as a career in real estate—Kevin decided to transition into entrepreneurship, and is now the founder and CEO of the virtual financial planning firm Illumint. Listen in as he opens up about the challenges he faced starting his own firm, having never worked in a firm before. We d...

In financial planning, you can't be all people, and you can't be all numbers. This is also true when it comes to marketing, and today you will get to hear from XYPN's Marketing Coach, Carolyn Dalle-Molle, who is fantastic at helping XYPN clients find the right marketing strategy for their practice and goals. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:  http://www.xyplanningnetwo...

Shawn Tydlaska is the founder of Ballast Point Financial Planning, an independent fee-only practice dedicated to helping young professionals and families set and achieve their financial goals. Shawn was on this podcast two years ago to talk about his first year in business, and he joins the show again today to share how he is progressing at the end of year three. This episode is not to be missed,...

How financial advisors are charging for services and what should be considered fair and reasonable for the consumer have become quite the hot button issues. Today Michael Kitces and Scott Gill join the show to dive into these topics and clarify the areas that are under scrutiny. Both men bring valuable information and advice to the issues presented and shed some light on how we can move forward as...

Antowoine Winters spent 10 years working for the Internal Revenue Service, and after seeing so many individuals fall victim to poor or even fraudulent financial guidance, he decided to leave the Service to run a practice where he could be an advocate for the average American citizen. Today, Antowoine joins the show to discuss the process of starting his own RIA and what led him to working with so...

Grant Bledsoe is the founder of Three Oaks Capital Management, and he joins the show to discuss what gave him the confidence to make the move from institutional trading to starting his own RIA. After realizing that his business was not growing as fast as he wanted it to, Grant decided to get his CFP and has seen his company growing rapidly ever since.  You can find show notes and more information...

Today we have XYPN Member and South Bay Financial Partners founder Tara Unverzagt on the show! Inspired by her mother—who was one of financial planning's early pioneers—Tara knew from an early age that she wanted to be a financial planner. She joins us in this episode to share her experience growing up in the field, the valuable lessons she learned from having an advisor as a parent, and how she p...

After working for his previous firm for 19 years and then being unexpectedly fired, Mark Wilson was forced to reset his life. Now the owner and only employee of Making It Look Easy (MILE) Wealth Management, Mark joins the show today to discuss what pushed him to start his own firm and how he is focusing on the successes ahead.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https:/...

After coming on the show two years ago to talk about her first year in business, Meg Bartelt has agreed to come back to share her journey and progress since then. In this episode, Meg gives a raw and authentic look at the life of an entrepreneur and opens up about how she handles the many different stressors that come along with that. You'll hear about her process, methods, mistakes, and triumphs...

After attending Colorado State University on a football scholarship, Jason Speciner graduated with a degree in business administration in 2004 and has been a practicing registered financial advisor ever since. Today he joins the show to discuss how his firm has implemented a comprehensive services model, which he says is helping to shift the value conversation to the planning side while charging t...

Michelle Smalenberger has over 12 years of experience working at a nationally-recognized firm and has been mentioned in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Financial Advisor IQ. Today she joins the show to discuss the benefits of owning a business with your spouse and how she and her husband manage the relationship stress that comes along with that. You can find show notes and more in...

Today XYPN member Sara Stanich, founder of Cultivating Wealth, joins the show to discuss her unique journey to finding her place in financial planning. We will discuss why she made a career change out of marketing after 12 years and how having experience in multiple industries has led to her success as a financial advisor and business owner. Sara will share what pushed her to launch her own SEC-Re...

Sidney Divine, founder of Divine Wealth Strategies, joins the show to share how he climbed his way to the top and ended up being voted Financial Planner of the Year in 2017. He explains how he is fulfilling his dream of helping good people live better lives and how that passion has helped him build strong, lasting relationships with his clients. You can find show notes and more information by clic...

How did a teacher with a wanderlust inclination and a therapist interested in business and helping people come together to create Trail Financial Planning? In this episode, we dig into how John Chesbrough and Liz Weinstein crafted their unique career paths into a fantastic partnership that is growing quickly. You will hear about the challenges they have faced, who they serve, and the beneficial re...

Today XYPN member Sue Peck, founder of Evolution Financial, recounts the compelling story of how she discovered she was ready to start her own business after nearly 12 years of working for an investment management firm. She discusses the struggles of starting off on your own, where she has seen the most luck in finding clients, and more. You'll learn what Sue envisions for her business and why she...

From corporate finance to financial planning with almost no experience as a planner, Quinn Arnold went from not being able to find a financial planner for himself to fostering a relationship that pushed him into the field and ultimately led to him owning a firm. In this episode, he discusses the ups and downs of his journey and shares the major lessons he learned along the way. You can find show n...

Over the past 200 episodes, we've sat down with hundreds of entrepreneurs to show you the ups and downs of building a practice and the lessons learned along the way. Our goal is to help you see a wider perspective of what it means to be a financial planner and own a business, and one of the best ways to do that is by asking all of our guests what advice they would give their younger selves. So to...

Jamie Rice joins the show today to describe how he made the career jump from engineering for the U.S. Navy to investment management. The chief investment officer for his firm, JQR Capital, Jamie specializes in serving individual investors, adventurers, and small businesses. You'll learn how he earned the right to use the CFA designation and the importance he places on truly caring for his clients....

Today, Emlen Miles-Mattingly joins the show to describe how he took his career from bank teller to president and CEO of the successful firm, Gen Next Wealth. We'll discuss Emlen's unique niche in providing multi-generational financial planning to minority families and what he is doing to bring diversity to the industry. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xypl...

Today, Julie Ford joins the show to share how she started her successful financial planning career and how XY Planning Network helped her along the way. Specializing in serving city-dwelling couples, Julie prioritizes empowering her clients with the tools they need to create order in their financial world and reduce stress around money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here...

My guest today is XYPN member Lauryn Williams, founder of Worth Winning and the only American to have medaled in both the summer and winter Olympics. She joins the show to share her experience starting a financial planning firm as her athletic career came to a close and the major challenges she faced along the way. Listen in to hear Lauryn open up about what it was like transitioning into the fina...

Today's episode is going to be a bit different. Dan Moisand has been in business for almost 20 years, so our conversation will focus on how he runs his firm and does so with a remarkably low turnover. Dan has worked in most environments, including commissioned insurance, broker-dealer, independent broker-dealer, fee-only RIA and more, and he's here to cover a wide range of important information th...

If you're interested in what's going on in the world of student loans and want to find the best ways to help your clients who have them, then this episode is for you. Two of the leading student loans experts, Heather Jarvis and Jantz Hoffman, join the show today to discuss the latest news and tips regarding student loans and how to best serve clients within this niche. You can find show notes and...