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 usual style laying out step-by-step technical knowledge and ventured into the field of psychology and emotions. So, we talked with Christine about those three articles. She explains the psychology of retirement spending, why peace of mind is the ultimate luxury good, and the biggest money mistake she’s ever made. Here’s what you’ll learn: Why peace of mind is her ultimate luxury good The importance of celebrating financial milestones The psychological advantage of prioritizing short-term goals Using a “Retirement Policy Statement” to get retirees to spend money The biggest money mistake she’s ever made (and the emotional reason for it) To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

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 the human connection?” or “Is it possible to maximize efficiency and the human connection at the same time?” Fortunately, Libby Greiwe figured out how to be more efficient and more human at the same time. And, in this episode, she reveals the exact systems she built to scale the human-to-human connection throughout her advisory business. Here’s what you’ll learn: Using an “Ideal Client Avatar” to humanize communication The crucial psychological shift she made from “guru” to “sherpa” The system she used to make every person feel like her #1 client The power and importance of asking “How do I want my clients to feel?” An example of an advisor re-writing an email to create more connection To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

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 include when sending a recap email Why advisors claim these emails are essential to converting prospects To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

After 18+ years in the industry, Justin Castelli decided to shift his business model away from traditional financial planning. Here’s his quote to explain why: “My clients were planning for the life they were told to live. Not the life they wanted to live.” Too often, our client’s life and money decisions are influenced by what society tells them, what their family did, the pursuit of achievement, and so on…  But what if you could guide clients toward crafting a life they actually want to live?  That’s exactly why Justin Castelli decided to evolve his business model. The traditional financial planning model didn’t suffice. He shares with us the personal journey that led to this decision and how he plans to do it with new and existing clients. Here’s what you’ll learn: Questions that uncover passion and purpose How this approach forever changed a client’s life Why most people don’t live the life they want to live Two exercises he suggests for clients to uncover their authentic life How he harnesses regret to help clients get clarity on what’s important To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

“Behavioral Coaching” continues to emerge as the primary source of value in a relationship between an advisor and client. Yet, most advisors have never learned the skill set required to actually influence and change a client’s behavior for the better. It starts by first understanding the forces that influence client behavior both positively and negatively. To learn what works and what doesn’t. Fortunately, Dr. Michael G. Thomas has done extensive research on two forces that often go overlooked: Financial empathy and data visualization. He’ll explain just how much power these two forces carry and how he uses them to influence client behavior for the better. We discuss: The “Zoom Out/Zoom In” approach he uses to identify emotional barriers Why confidence and clarity are crucial for changing client behavior The big mistake advisors make that demotivates clients What Robinhood teaches us about the power of data visualization His approach to budgets that avoids anxiety and overwhelm To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

There’s one communication technique in the skill set of FBI hostage negotiators that stands above the rest. One they describe as being the closest you’ll get to a jedi mind trick. It’s called “mirroring”.  Here’s what it does in conversation: Facilitates bonding and trust, creates connection and empathy, buys you time to regroup your thoughts, and gets someone to open up (and keeps them talking). So, how can you use this in conversations with prospects and clients? We discuss: The biological and psychological reasons that mirroring is so powerful Why servers who mirrored customer’s orders got higher tips Two ways to start mirroring words with prospects and clients To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

The financial advice industry does an outstanding job of training and developing technical knowledge. The industry is full of advisors and planners who can sit down at a computer and calculate the time value of money with the best of them. But, financial planning done right isn’t just about technical answers. It’s about how those answers intersect with the person’s life. In this episode, Hannah gives us a look at how she incorporates the human element into her planning process so that the technical knowledge aligns with the client’s life. Here’s what you’ll learn: How (and why) she changed her approach to the prospect process How to respond when a client says “Tell me what to do!” The power of the values exercises she takes clients through The “Budgeting Blocks” exercise to align values and spending Why she believes the industry is training the human out of the professional To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

The intro meeting is the lifeblood of an advisory business. That 30-60 minute window with a complete stranger is either the most expensive or the most profitable activity you’ll ever engage in. Yet, I kept hearing advisors complain about these meetings. They would say things like: “I never like the way I feel during those meetings” or  “There has to be a better way!” Since this show began, we’ve had some of the industry’s top experts join us to talk about meeting with prospects, intro meetings, communication strategies, etc. So, I went back and listened to those conversations and compiled the best clips into this episode. It’s a collection of the best insights and wisdom over the last three years of this show to help you conduct the ultimate intro meeting. To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: Click here to check out “The Ultimate Intro Meeting.” The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

Morningstar research reveals a direct link between savings behavior and mental time horizon. In fact, the research says mental time horizons are more influential than their age, income, and education. Thus, the more vivid and clear your future, the more likely you are to change your behavior. So, when you’re working with clients and planning for their future selves, you have to take their future goals from the clouds to the street. From vague to vivid. Once you help your clients do that, you’ve created motivation, improved their behavior, and enhanced their lives for the better. We discuss: The research detailing the benefits of creating a clear and vivid image of the future What a vague goal sounds like compared to a vivid vision Ideas for how to turn vague goals into vivid visions The story of an advisor who made a lasting impact on his clients’ lives To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier

When financial advisors meet with clients, it’s easy to focus solely on the numbers and neglect the feelings they elicit. It’s easy to focus on dollars at the expense of emotions. But every single client you work with has a relationship with money that extends beyond data, numbers, and dollar signs. But, it becomes evident when you’re dealing with the retiree who simply won’t spend their money despite having more than they could ever need. They need help blending the financial and emotional components of money. Fortunately, Bari Tessler is a highly-regarded financial therapist. And, she’s developed a three-step framework to help clients transform their relationship with money. Here’s what you’ll learn: How to better approach your finances using a “Money Date” What she learned from hyperventilating at the car dealership 3 Levels of “Money Maps” that she uses instead of budgeting The power of renaming cash flow categories in alignment with values How understanding your body improves your relationship with money To sign up for Brendan’s monthly newsletter focused on the human side of advice → Click Here Resources: The featured partner for this episode is Knudge, an automated system to help clients actually follow through on their tasks and reach their financial goals Connect with Brendan Frazier:  RFG Advisory LinkedIn: Brendan Frazier X:@jbrendanfrazier