The Human Side of Money

Three important questions every advisor should answer: Do you think you provide a valuable and life-changing service? Do you think your clients are better off with you than without you, even after they pay? Do you find that even though they’re better off with you, they still need a little nudge to make the decision to work with you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then here’s the ha...

There is one skill that will impact your success and your client’s success more than anything else. The ability to listen. More specifically, the ability to listen with empathy and curiosity. In this episode, we’ll look at: The neuroscience and benefits of listening 3 ideas to instantly improve your listening skills An advisor testimonial on the power of listening   The featured partner for this e...

There is one skill that will impact your success and your client’s success more than anything else. The ability to listen. More specifically, the ability to listen with empathy and curiosity. In this episode, we’ll look at: The neuroscience and benefits of listening 3 ideas to instantly improve your listening skills An advisor testimonial on the power of listening The featured partner for this epi...

The greatest barrier for every client isn’t lack of information. It’s their own mindset and behavior. Whether it’s someone who over-spends, someone who under-spends, someone who wants to sell out at the worst possible time, or even the person who never sends in the data you need… The key to changing their behavior starts with understanding their money mindset. Sarah Newcomb, Director of Behavioral...

Research consistently shows that >90% of clients are satisfied. At first glance, it sounds like a good thing. But, if over 90% of clients are satisfied, then client satisfaction ceases to be a differentiator. It’s now tablestakes. Which then prompts the question: “Should we be aiming for something more than satisfaction?” Julie Littlechild suggests we move the bar from “satisfied” to “engaged.”...

Research consistently shows that >90% of clients are satisfied. At first glance, it sounds like a good thing. But, if over 90% of clients are satisfied, then client satisfaction ceases to be a differentiator. It’s now tablestakes. Which then prompts the question: “Should we be aiming for something more than satisfaction?” Julie Littlechild suggests we move the bar from “satisfied” to “engaged.”...

If you want your clients to actually follow-through on the advice you give, you have to shift your approach. You have to shift from “Advisor-Driven” to “Client-Inspired” advice. Client-inspired advice provides the client with: 1) Control 2) Confidence 3) Autonomy And, when you can provide these three things, it paves the way to behavior change … Read More Read More

Your success in this profession and the quality of your relationships are directly correlated with your communication skills. Think about the communication you have with clients and prospects. It’s almost always “spontaneous communication.” It’s not planned, prepared or scripted. For example, you’re meeting with a prospective client and they say, “These fees seem high.” That comment wasn’t … Read...

Most financial advisors’ meetings are underwhelming. They typically include a mix of small talk, dialogue, fact-finding, and a less-than-riveting display of numbers and charts. It’s the main reason why prospects leave your office and don’t respond for months (if ever), despite the fact that they need help. And you knew you could help them. It’s … Read More Read More

Trust is the foundation of success in financial advice. You need trust to get prospects to become clients and you need trust to get clients to follow-through and do the things you ask them to do. Without trust, you have no business. But, if you know how to consistently build trust with both prospects and … Read More Read More

The perfect plan is rendered useless in the absence of execution. Or, as Dr. Moira Somers says: “What’s the point of technically proficient advice if the client won’t act on it?” You would think that providing someone a step-by-step plan to accomplish their goals would be all that’s needed to spur someone into action. But, … Read More Read More

The Human Side of Money in 2023: Released 35 episodes Crossed over 100k downloads (and almost 200k!) Delivered 2,517 minutes of content on the human side of advice Inside those 35 episodes and 2,517 minutes lie countless ideas, insights, and nuggets that will do two things: Enhance and enrich your clients’ lives and forever change … Read More Read More

There’s a critical mistake made by almost every advisor around the world every single day. We focus more on the plan than the person. More on what we do than what they need. Our natural approach is plan-centric. Meanwhile, the industry is shifting towards human-first financial guidance. Fortunately, Ross Marino embraced this shift long ago … Read More Read More

Lack of follow-through and implementation of advice is a widespread problem. One study revealed this gut-wrenching stat: 70% of clients implement less than 20% of financial planning recommendations. There are a number of reasons to explain this. A primary reason is that advisors deliver advice that looks good on a spreadsheet, but it doesn’t fit … Read More Read More

In 2012, Shaun Erickson founded Single Point Partners because he wanted to do something different. As a solo advisor at the time, his primary focus was on building a process with one main focus: Building it around the client’s agenda (a.k.a. – the things that matter most to the client). Fast forward to 2023, and … Read More Read More

Mastering the human side of advice will: Enrich your clients’ lives Enhance your relationships with clients Forever change the trajectory of your business/career Think it sounds too good to be true? Listen to these 7 stories from advisors around the world sharing how the human side has made their clients and their practice infinitely better … Read More Read More

Your client isn’t just the person sitting in front of you today. It’s who they’ll become 30 years from now. And, it’s who they were 30 years ago. They might be making a decision in the present. But, their decisions in the present are shaped by the experiences of their past and influenced by their … Read More Read More

It’s one thing for advisors to say they want to get better at the human side. It’s another thing to actually start making changes to your processes and conversations. And, it’s another thing entirely to have your entire meeting process and deliverables focused on the human side. Yet, that’s exactly what Jake Northrup has done. … Read More Read More

Let’s face it…most advisors’ meetings with long-term clients are lackluster. You ask about life, the kids, any changes in their life, etc. Then, you tell them that everything looks good. They’re still on track. They leave and you do it all over again next year. And, that’s not bad. But, there’s a better way. There’s … Read More Read More

The relationship dynamic between advisors and clients is shifting. It’s shifting away from treating the plan and towards treating the person. The old model was the financial advisor as the “advice giver.” Treating the problem by dispensing advice.  The new model has the advisor playing the role of “thinking partner.” It goes like this: Diagnose … Read More Read More

Every advisor remembers sitting in a meeting with a couple where one person is engaged and the other hasn’t said a word. Or the meeting with the couple whose goals aren’t aligned. While working with couples certainly has its challenges, it’s also an opportunity for advisors to help couples align and thrive financially. But, doing … Read More Read More

If you want to convert more prospects into life-long clients… You need to know the answer to two questions: Why do people hire a financial advisor? Why do people fire their financial advisor? They just might be the two most important questions for any advisory business. Fortunately, Samantha Lamas and Danielle Labotka did the research … Read More Read More

Christine Benz has been dispensing financial planning knowledge and impacting the lives of people around the world for decades. She’s written hundreds of articles for Morningstar on practical financial planning advice. In fact, she’s one of the best out there. But there are 3 articles that stick out from the rest. They deviated from her … Read More Read More

There’s a dilemma that every financial advisor eventually comes face-to-face with. It’s when you realize that you have too little time and need to be more efficient. At the same time, you also know that the real differentiator for your business is human-to-human connection. And you start wondering, “Can I still be efficient without sacrificing … Read More Read More

There’s an email you can send that actually: 1) Improves conversion ratios 2) Improves connection and receives responses like “You get me.” In other words, it wins clients AND their trust. Thus, it’s the most important email you’ll ever send. We discuss: The psychology behind why these emails are so powerful The key things to … Read More Read More