Silence. You know, the awkward space where, before answering a question, a client ponders what was asked. That silence is your friend.On this Elementality, Carl and Elements client Brandon Galici, look into how to get clients to share their feelings about money, what role silence plays, and what transition questions result in deeper reflection.

Prospective clients come to you with a presenting problem, an issue causing them urgent financial pain. The questions you ask—and where they help lead the prospect—are pivotal to establishing a long-term relationship. On this Elementality, Carl and Elements client Phil Telpner of Breakout Private Wealth, discuss ideal questions for new prospects.

“What does money mean to you?” It’s a great question to ask as you help clients begin to express their values. But to get to the heart of what really matters to them about money takes more time and patience.  On this Elementality, Carl interviews Elements client Ryan Kilkenny of Atomic Planning, who explains how he gets clients to open up.

No one likes to budget, in fact, even using the word “budget” can emote negative reactions. Of all of the Elements, Burn Rate (Br) may be the least sexy. However, it’s foundational to all other financial elements. On this episode of Elementality, Reese tells the clients of his RIA how to manage their spending without having to pinch pennies. 

How people live, work, and spend continues to evolve. Today, a smooth job path is rare as careers now take many unpredictable turns. As a result, prospects have more questions and need more answers, more frequently. On this episode of Elementality, Reese and Carl explain why using planning tools that assume life is lived linearly no longer work.

When planning, we are used to doing everything all at once and all up front. The result is that the outputs of the work we do, and what we deliver to the client, are too complex and too focused on one event—retirement. On this episode of Elementality, Reese and Carl examine this output challenge and reveal quicker ways to involve prospects in planning.

The job we do as advisors is complex … and costly. We gather data, analyze it, and we make various decisions while working through the process. We then help clients act on our recommendations. And it takes a lot of time. On this episode of Elementality, Reese and Carl explain why this cost/complexity problem prevents us from reaching out to more people.

Why does our industry, with its business model, processes, and tools seem to only work effectively for the wealthiest 1% of Americans? On this episode of Elementality, Reese and Carl explain why more innovation is needed to reach a wider audience who want and need financial help—and why the established system ends up introducing greater complexity.

Perhaps it’s a fear of failure. Or, you’ve had a crazy idea about a niche—and you just can’t commit to it. Whatever is holding you back, Colton Etherton will help you think more creatively about narrowing your market. On this episode of Elementality, Reese and Carl talk with Colton, the Tattoo Artist Advisor, about how to overcome narrow niche fears.

Money is the top cause of stress for Americans. As they look for answers, advisors have a unique opportunity to provide needed guidance. On this episode of Elementality, Reese and Carl illustrate the power of a single answer. By having their most acute problem solved first, a prospective client is often eager to begin more involved planning discussions.