Elementality for Financial Advisors | Elements Financial Vitals System™

The challenges of growing an RIA are myriad. And the greatest obstacle may be trying to market your services while remaining focused on the work your clients expect from you. No one said you have to do it all yourself. On this Elementality, Abby talks with DJ Highum of Snappy Kraken about how to market effectively with plenty of time left to serve clients. 

Not many people can actually speak ‘finance.’ Unfortunately, it’s the language used by planners and can seem like bewildering jargon that confuses clients who simply want to understand how to apply the advice they receive.   On this Elementality, Reese and Carl talk about why Elements uses new terminology that is more relatable—and more motivational. 

Financial stress pushes people to search for advice—they say they want functional solutions, but they also want to ease their anxiety. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl discuss a factor advisors tend to overlook when trying to quiet client financial worries. Good design principles calm tensions, inspire tranquility, and are integral to the Elements Way.

Planning requires a significant focus on money and clients expect you to demonstrate your financial expertise. But they also want to find financial purpose and peace-of-mind. That makes their well-being a critical variable. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl discuss why clients are also looking for guidance about issues that financial calculations can’t solve.

Identifying the jobs that need to be done is the first step in delivering a service that prospective clients want. Just remember, for every client there are functional and emotional jobs which are interwoven together. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl explain why proving your value hinges on giving thoughtful attention to a client’s emotional needs.

Beyond having an emergency fund, are there other advantages to having adequate liquidity? And what criteria is used to define liquid cash? On this episode of Elementality, Reese explains to the clients of his RIA why understanding their Liquid Term (Lt) helps them resolve immediate cash needs and allows them to make more rational financial decisions.

At that moment of epiphany, when you’ve inspired a client to make their best financial decision, that’s when you know you’re succeeding as an advisor. So how do you create conversations where real financial planning happens? On this Elementality, Reese and Carl look at how the Elements scorecard provides advisors a framework for deeper planning discussions. 

Your clients want to collaborate with you. And why not? They feel empowered as they get to know their financial data better, and best of all, it reduces your onboarding work. They just need to know which jobs to do. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl look at how using the client as co-pilot allows them to feel like the hero of their financial journey.

The financial-plan-in-a-binder doesn't help clients change their behavior. Real change only happens when a client can get their values, purpose, and finances to align. Your role in connecting those together is pivotal. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl look at how to help clients better understand the relationship between values, money, and happiness.

The danger of making financial projections for the future is that clients then tend to live for the future, which creates anxiety and doubt. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl look at why too much emphasis on forecasting can fail to create the desired result—and how Elements calms client worries by getting them more focused on what they can control today.