Nerd's Eye View

MAY 7, 2025

For many financial advisors, an early planning conversation often includes asking clients to identify financial goals. Which can leave both client and advisor feeling stuck: The client doesn't have the motivation to act, and the advisor struggles to guide the plan forward in a way that connects.

Clients 204

Clients Financial Planning Planning Financial Advisor 204

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

When a client first begins working with an advisor, the relationship is often marked with a flurry of onboarding tasks, immediate issues to resolve, and long-term planning goals to establish. And as clients come into monitoring meetings, they may increasingly describe their situation as "fine", with no pressing issues to address.

Clients 173

Clients Financial Planning Planning Management 173

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 8, 2025

Seth is the founder of Heartwood Financial Planning, an advisory firm affiliated with PlanMember Securities Corporation that is based in Fresno, California, and oversees approximately $100 million in assets under management for 850 client households. My guest on today's podcast is Seth Scott.

Financial Planning 130

Financial Planning Clients Planning Financial Advisor 130

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 27, 2025

that generates $850,000 of annual, primarily retainer-based, revenue serving 155 client households. What's unique about Alvin, though, is how he has grown his firm by using project management software Monday.com as a central hub for financial plan presentations and efficient client task management.

Financial Planning 130

Financial Planning Planning Management Financial Advisor 130

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 14, 2025

Michelle is the Founding Principal of Paradigm Advisors, an RIA based in Dallas, Texas, that oversees approximately $110 million in assets under management for 80 client households.

Financial Planning 130

Financial Planning Clients Planning Financial Advisor 130

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 22, 2025

I help clients in retirement by doing X, Y, and Z."). However, not all prospects have immediate financial concerns. While these individuals may genuinely be interested in financial advice, they might also feel ambivalent about the timing, relevance, or ultimate value of working with an advisor.

Financial Advice 239

Financial Advice Financial Planning Retirement Clients 239

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Cristina is the CEO of Mana Financial Life Design, an RIA based in Los Angeles, California (but works virtually with clients nationwide), that oversees approximately $70 million in assets under management for 119 client households.

Financial Advisor 228

Financial Advisor Clients Financial Planning Planning 228

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2025

on Tuesday with a series of workshops focused on alternative investments, artificial intelligence and high-net-worth clients. The panels centered around a general theme of growth, whether how to diversify portfolios to grow, strategies to boost AUM and clients and AI best practices to improve an advisors' business.

Wealth Management 255

Wealth Management Management Estate Planning Business Planning 255

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

In the early days of financial planning, serving clients often meant developing transactional relationships focused on facilitating trades and selling insurance. Over time, advisors shifted toward more analytical approaches, such as investment management and retirement planning.

Clients 130

Clients Planning Financial Planner Financial Planning 130

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Eric is the Chief Financial Advisor and Co-Owner of Econologics Financial Advisors, an independent RIA based in Largo, Florida, that generates more than $4M of revenue while working with nearly 300 client households.

Financial Planning 246

Financial Planning Clients Planning Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Kevin is the CEO of Connecticut Wealth Management, an RIA based in Farmington, Connecticut, that oversees approximately $4 billion in assets under management for 1,100 client households. My guest on today's podcast is Kevin Leahy.

Wealth Management 246

Wealth Management Financial Advisor Clients Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

A common service model for many financial advisory firms is to schedule annual client meetings throughout the year where the advisor meets with each client in the month they started working with the firm, and conducts a comprehensive review of all planning topics for the client.

Financial Planning 244

Financial Planning Planning Estate Planning Clients 244

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

The increasing popularity of financial planning has led to a growing awareness of how important managing finances and planning for the future can be. For most financial advisors today, a website is a critical tool that allows them to market their services and communicate their fees to potential clients.

Financial Planning 244

Financial Planning Planning Financial Planner Financial Advisor 244

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

When a financial advisory firm owner first starts their business, much of their time is spent on finding clients that they can serve. But as they (hopefully) onboard more clients and get busier with servicing those clients, they will also find that they eventually start to run short on time.

Financial Planning 246

Financial Planning Planning Recruitment Clients 246

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

To sustain firm growth, financial advisors often face a dilemma: to focus on what originally drew them to the profession – like financial planning – they often must first do an extensive amount of business development. From there, advisors may need to consider whom to outsource to.

Marketing 246

Marketing Marketing Communication Engineering 246

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Many financial advisors take pride in the comprehensive nature of the advice they provide to clients and use the variety of services offered as a point of differentiation between themselves and other types of advisors. in the form of an associate planner or paraplanner) or engaging outsourced planning service providers.

Financial Planning 246

Financial Planning Planning Clients Financial Planner 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 21, 2025

Daniel is the CEO of WMGNA, a hybrid advisory firm based in Farmington, Connecticut, that oversees approximately $270 million in assets under management for 200 client households.

Taxes 208

Taxes Tax Planning Financial Advisor Compensation Planning 208

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 14, 2025

Centers Of Influence (COIs) play a vital role in the growth and service capabilities of a financial advisory firm. When cultivated with care, these relationships can become valuable sources of client referrals and collaborative insight – especially because COIs and advisors often work with similar client profiles.

Communication 214

Communication Clients Financial Planning Planning 214

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2025

But similar to the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, fiduciary advisors can use this opportunity to assert their value and give clients confidence that their broader financial plans aren’t as negatively impacted as they may think, given the daily doom-and-gloom market headlines.

Wealth Management 146

Wealth Management Marketing Marketing Tax Planning 146

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 24, 2025

For smaller firms – especially those with little to no experience onboarding new advisors – creating a well-paced financial plan can feel daunting. First, clarity: both the advisor and manager should be able to clearly define the core financial planning skills that a new hire is expected to develop in their first year.

Planning 130

Planning Clients Financial Planning Communication 130

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 2, 2025

Zoe Financial has announced a $29.6M Zoe Financial has announced a $29.6M

Financial Planning 130

Financial Planning Clients CFP Planning 130

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Though in practice, while a 1% AUM fee is a common 'starting point' in the industry, the actual fee structure can vary based on the firm's approach; for example, some firms may reduce the fee for high-net-worth clients, or charge an additional fee for separate and additional services (from deeper financial planning to add-ons like tax preparation).

Clients 246

Clients Financial Advice Financial Planning Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 17, 2024

After advisors do all of the work of bringing on a new client (Marketing! And while all may appear well on the surface – the client rarely contacts the advisor with problems but they show up for every annual meeting – they may actually be feeling quite disengaged with the financial planning services being provided.

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Planning Compliance 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 14, 2024

Danielle is the owner of Wealth By Design, a hybrid advisory firm based in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, that oversees about $35 million in assets under advisement for 35 client households.

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Financial Advisor Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

While it can be easy for financial advisors to recognize the wide range of ways they add value for clients throughout the year, clients themselves might not be aware of what their advisors do for them behind the scenes outside of their annual meetings (e.g.,

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Planning Financial Advisor 246

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2025

RIA SilverStar Wealth moves from being a Kestra-affiliated firm to being part of Bluespring’s Texas-based LifeBridge Financial Group. Related: Former Mariner Director To Lead Cetera RIA Channel “We are excited about our future with LifeBridge and the expanded opportunities it will open up for our clients,” Hudson said in a statement.

Wealth Management 178

Wealth Management Engineering Estate Planning Management 178

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Traditionally, financial planning meetings have been held face-to-face in an advisor's office, and over the years, a body of research has emerged showing that how the advisor's office is laid out can have a significant impact on how clients perceive the advisor, their mood during the meeting, and even their resulting financial planning decisions.

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Planning Communication 246

Wealth Management

JUNE 11, 2025

Ratner June 11, 2025 2 Min Read A client whose estate will remain non-taxable after 2025 has a policy in an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) that was presumably purchased for estate tax liquidity.

Wealth Management 164

Wealth Management Insurance Estate Planning Clients 164

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

One of the most important parts of a financial advisor’s value proposition is time spent meeting with their clients. These meetings allow advisors to listen to their clients’ concerns, make planning recommendations, and chart a course for the coming months.

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Planning Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Eric is the Managing Partner of Prospero Wealth, an RIA based in Seattle, Washington, that oversees $52 million in assets under management for 80 client households.

Planning 130

Planning Financial Planning Financial Advisor Clients 130

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 13, 2023

Establishing successful client relationships as a financial advisor relies on good communication skills not just to present information persuasively and with confidence, but also to establish client rapport that allows meaningful and engaging relationships to be built.

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Financial Planner Communication 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 8, 2024

Measuring a client's tolerance for risk is an essential (and required!) step when onboarding a new client, as making any sort of recommendation is impossible without first understanding how comfortable clients may be when their portfolios inevitably experience volatility. And while few (if any!)

Clients 246

Clients Risk Tolerance Financial Planning Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 16, 2024

When a financial planning firm is hiring a new employee, it naturally wants to find the best candidate to fill the role. If all of the individuals featured on a firm's site look similar in age, ethnicity, and/or gender, potential applicants (and prospective clients!)

Advertising 246

Advertising CFP Financial Advisor Financial Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

When it comes to focusing on a niche for financial advisors, business owner clients can be an appealing target as they can have complex financial planning problems ranging from cash flow management to tax planning to acquisition strategies.

Financial Advisor 243

Financial Advisor Clients Financial Planning Tax Planning 243

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 29, 2024

Most financial advisors strive to provide excellent client care and prioritize a systematic process to maintain regular communication with their clients both on a scheduled (e.g., Suddenly, the question of, "What does it mean to provide the best care for clients at this firm as a team?" becomes a crucial one to solve.

Clients 246

Clients Communication Healthcare Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 23, 2022

Shari is the Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Rappaport Reiches Capital Management, an independent RIA based in Skokie, Illinois, that oversees more than $800 million in assets under management, for 350 client households.

Clients 245

Clients Planning Financial Advisor Financial Planning 245

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 25, 2024

Chris is the founder of Sparrow Wealth Management, an RIA based in Orlando, Florida, that oversees approximately $110 million in assets under management for 68 client households.

Clients 242

Clients Financial Advisor Financial Planning Planning 242