Model FA Podcast

Brian Ahearn is a consultant and the Chief Influence Officer of Influence PEOPLE LLC, an organization dedicated to helping people move others into action. Having been in the business of training people for over two decades, Brian helps his clients apply the science of influence for better business results. He graduated cum laude with a degree in General Business from Miami University and holds a Cialdini Method Certified Trainer designation. He is also the author of Influence PEOPLE, The Influencer, and Persuasive Selling For Relationship-Driven Agents. Brian joins me today to discuss the principles of influence and persuasion. He recounts his background, why he left the insurance business and his journey to becoming an expert on building influence. He discusses ideas to make it easier for people to say "yes" to a sale without being too "salesy." He offers advice for building authority if you're new to the industry and describes the importance of invoking genuine scarcity. Brian also outlines the eight steps of an impactful sales process and explains the importance of knowing your audience. "Everything about my persona is either hindering or helping my cause. How we interact with people is part of persuasion." - Brian Ahearn This week on The Model FA Podcast: How Brian connected with Dr. Robert Cialdini Dispelling the negative connotations around persuasion The Aristotelian definition of persuasion The principles of influence and making it easier for people to say "yes" Getting people to like you through reciprocity How anchoring a shared identity with others makes it easier for them to agree Communicating your expertise and authority without bragging Building social proof and consistency in word and deed Scarcity and the fear of missing out Invoking a sense of scarcity without being too "salesy" Identifying "driver" and "relational" personality types and the best way to sell to them Building rapport and how to humanize yourself to clients and connect with them on a deeper level Resources Mentioned: Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Our Favorite Quotes: "Persuasion in the right hands can be extremely powerful and impactful." - David DeCelle "You can leverage social proof by focusing on a particular niche." - David DeCelle "When you're in sales, you've got to be willing to understand the other person and somewhat conform to them." - Brian Ahearn Connect with Brian Ahearn: Influence PEOPLE LLC Book: Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical Book: Persuasive Selling for Relationship-Driven Insurance Agents Book: The Influencer Influence PEOPLE LLC on LinkedIn Influence PEOPLE LLC on YouTube Influence PEOPLE LLC on Facebook Influence PEOPLE LLC on Twitter Brian Ahearn on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

David Kadavy is a designer, podcaster, and writer. He is the author of Mind Management, Not Time Management, The Heart to Heart Start, and Design for Hackers. He previously served as a design advisor to Timeful, an AI-powered calendar app built upon his mind management principles. In 2015, Google bought Timeful and integrated some of its features into the Google Calendar app. David has spoken in eight countries and SXSW, TEDx, The New York Public Library, The Museum of Contemporary Art, and The University of Chicago. He is the creator and host of Love Your Work, a podcast where he dives into being productive, getting things done, and breeding Black Swans as a creative. David joins me today to discuss mind management and how financial advisors can apply it to their businesses and lives for optimum results. He differentiates between top-down and bottom-up thinkers, and why breaking down a project into its most basic parts can be overwhelming and energy-draining to some people. He shares how you can audit your energy throughout a week to unlock your creativity. He also describes his approach to goal setting for a new year and underscores the power of letting your passive genius take over. "Find pockets of time and energy and protect them so you can get the most value possible from that mental state." - David Kadavy This week on The Model FA Podcast: David's background and journey to learning mind management What mind management is and why time management is a flawed concept How financial advisors can apply mind management in their businesses and lives David's "Prefrontal Mondays," identifying your big rocks, and the value of identifying when you're most energetic and creative Different mental states for different activities and why the prefrontal cortex is adverse to creativity The importance of structuring your calendar and day according to your personal needs "Top-down" vs "bottom-up" thinkers and why SOPs can be intimidating MBTI types and the characteristics of Perceiving and Judging types The four stages of creativity and the value of giving yourself time to incubate ideas Resources Mentioned: Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen Our Favorite Quotes: "Being diligent with your calendar and scheduling is freeing and helps you think less during the day." - David DeCelle "Set aside particular time to proactively think through the things on your plate. Limit distractions and tackle whatever the topic is at hand." - David DeCelle "Dedicating time and space to a particular task helps parse what mental state you need for that type of task. A certain time, place, and environment will be better suited to some mental states than others." - David Kadavy Connect with David Kadavy: David Kadavy Website Book: Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity When Creativity Matters Book: The Heart to Start: Stop Procrastinating & Start Creating Book: Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty Podcast: Love Your Work David Kadavy on LinkedIn David Kadavy on Instagram David Kadavy on Twitter About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Penny Phillips is the co-founder and President of Journey Strategic Wealth, an RIA for advisors seeking independence and full-fledged practice management support. She is also the founder and CEO of Thrivos Consulting, a firm on a mission to support financial firms and advisors as they embrace change and discover new ways to thrive. Before founding Thrivos and Journey Strategic Wealth, Penny served as the Director of Practice Management at ClientWise and Vice President of Strategic Consulting at Envestnet, Inc. Penny holds a degree in Corporate Finance and Economics from Macaulay Honors College at The City University of New York. Penny joins me today to discuss the financial advisor's pathway to independence. She describes a financial advisor's role in a consumer's life and shares her observations on various trends in the financial advisory industry. She explains how the industry is dictating what success means to advisors and describes how advisors' development becomes hindered by larger firms' closed systems and communities. She underscores the difference between wealth managers and investment managers and highlights the mindset and belief systems people need to change to become effective financial advisors. "The transition an advisor needs to go through to be a consultative financial planner has less to do with technical confidence and more to do with behavioral and belief shifts." - Penny Phillips This week on The Model FA Podcast: Penny's background and journey to co-founding Journey Strategic Wealth How the industry dictates what success means for financial advisors Mindsets financial advisors need to shift to become effective wealth and investment managers The difference between wealth managers and investment managers How today's generation of financial advisors differ from their predecessors The pathway to becoming an independent financial advisor or an RIA Different options in the RIA space Penny's predictions and forecasts for the financial advisory industry How large companies tend to make young financial advisors lose their passion for financial planning Why Penny thinks the solopreneur model will soon no longer work How society has changed motivation and incentives How financial advisors should position themselves in clients' lives The importance of building a personal brand Resources Mentioned: Book: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz Our Favorite Quotes: "Some advisors want to go independent because it's higher revenue and comes with more autonomy. It's also much easier to exit an independent business and sell it." - David DeCelle "Build your personal brand. Being present, meeting where they're at, and building a relationship with them in a leveraged manner is critical." - David DeCelle "Any advisor who wants to protect themselves from being filtered out from the industry and being irrelevant needs to educate the client on the fact that investment management does not equal wealth management." - Penny Phillips Connect with Penny Phillips: Journey Strategic Wealth Journey Strategic Wealth on LinkedIn Journey Strategic Wealth on Twitter Penny Phillips on LinkedIn Email: hello@journeysw.com About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Simon Severino is the founder of Strategy Sprints, an organization that helps SaaS and Services companies double their revenue in 90 days. Over his 19 years in entrepreneurship, Simon has executed hundreds of go-to-market strategies with B2B teams worldwide. He is also a business strategy advisor for several organizations including the Silicon Valley Blockchain Society, the Forbes Business Council, and Consilience Ventures. Simon graduated cum laude with a Mag. phil. in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Vienna and studied Innovation of Products and Services, MIT Design Thinking, and Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Simon joins me today to discuss how financial advisors and solopreneurs can increase their business' "returns on life." He explains why all business owners should build, scale, and run their companies for selling, even if they don't want to sell in the future. He outlines his method for creating multiple revenue streams and elaborates on what a "key person" risk is. He also highlights daily, weekly, and monthly habits entrepreneurs should have to drive success in their business and underscores what it means to fall in love with a problem while not obsessing over its solution. "Focus on creating multiple revenue streams that stack up on each other, improving brand strength, and systematizing everything. Even if you don't want to sell your business, run it as if you want to sell." - Simon Severino This week on The Model FA Podcast: "Return on life," how it's different from ROIs, and how people can benefit from it The value of exit planning and why many people regret selling their businesses How financial advisors can free up time and build more returns on life Removing your "key person" risk and creating activation stages in your business How to build a high-value sellable business How to create multiple revenue streams and how doing so increases your business's resilience Daily, weekly, and monthly habits for every successful entrepreneur and CEO The powerful habits of every successful entrepreneur and CEO The importance of determining how you spend your time throughout the day The four quadrants of the energy audit Turning fixed costs into variable costs to increase flexibility in the business How to create a resilient cost structure and cash flow Our Favorite Quotes: "Many people who exit their businesses regret doing so because they don't have a well-defined plan. Ensure that you paint a clear vision of how you're going to spend your days upon the sale of your business." - David DeCelle "Return on life isn't just about the future, but the here and now and ensuring that you have a well-balanced life." - David DeCelle "Every excellent achiever is habitual. Anybody who has built, scaled, and sold a business with success is habit-driven." - Simon Severino Connect with Simon Severino: Strategy Sprints Book: Strategy Sprints: 12 Ways to Accelerate Growth for an Agile Business Strategy Sprints on LinkedIn Strategy Sprints on Instagram Strategy Sprints on Facebook Strategy Sprints on Twitter Simon Severino on LinkedIn Email: severino@strategysprints.com About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Gregory Johnson is the co-founder and CEO of Rubicon Crypto, an organization that helps investors, financial advisors, and institutions bridge the gap between the digital and traditional investment worlds. Greg has over two decades of leadership experience that spans Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in crypto and digital assets, health and wellness, insurance, and financial services. In addition to his work at Rubicon, Greg is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and part of the GeoTech Action Council for the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center. Greg joins me today to discuss how financial advisors can include cryptocurrency in their portfolio of services. He describes how major financial institutions are gearing up for the wide adoption of cryptocurrency. He explains how advisors can manage their emotions and expectations about cryptocurrency in a volatile market. He also reveals how financial advisors can evaluate the potential of a crypto project and underscores how Rubicon helps advisors begin their journey in cryptocurrency. "All major institutional players are gearing up for what we believe to be the greatest reallocation of wealth in the history of the industry." - Greg Johnson This week on The Model FA Podcast: Greg's background and journey to financial services and cryptocurrency Why financial advisors should think about including cryptocurrency in their client services Hurdles that prevent financial advisors from adopting cryptocurrency How Rubicon Cryptocurrency educates their partner RIAs and financial advisors about cryptocurrency Managing emotions and expectations through a volatile market Due diligence for cryptocurrency and how advisors can sift through crypto "garbage" Tokenomics and evaluating the potential of a crypto project Regulatory considerations and issues in cryptocurrency How managing fees are split up when advisors partner with a firm like Rubicon Mastery and the importance of embracing the plateaus of your life Resources Mentioned: Book: Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard MIT OpenCourseWare: Blockchain and Money with Prof Gary Gensler Our Favorite Quotes: "Whether we're in a bull market or a 'crypto winter,' people will either say 'see, I told you,' or switch camps along the way." - David DeCelle "Though the stock market is volatile currently, it tends to be more stable over time—more than how people perceive the crypto space." - David DeCelle "Most of the crypto and token projects out there look and feel like securities, behaving like stocks in many aspects." - Greg Johnson Connect with Greg Johnson: Rubicon Crypto Rubicon Crypto on LinkedIn Greg Johnson on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Kevin Stansfield is an award-winning business coach, author, and keen golfer. He is the Founder and Director of ActionCOACH Solent in the UK, a company offering business coaching to small to medium-sized organizations. Their objective is to help clients clarify their dreams and goals for the future and make a plan to achieve those dreams and goals, whatever they may be. Before ActionCOACH, Kevin qualified as a Chartered Accountant, working with businesses, and helping them to grow successfully. After completing an MBA in 2006, he changed his career direction and focused more on business planning, growth and development and less on the financial aspects of business. Kevin joins me today to discuss how ActionCOACH helps business owners and senior executives to realize their full potential and take their businesses to the next level of success. He explains the importance of working less so that you can spend more time doing what you love. Kevin highlights ideas around building a team and delegating the right way so that you don't get overworked and ultimately burn out. "If you want to work less, you got to be clear what work less looks like."- Kevin Stansfield This week on The Model FA Podcast: How Kevin benefits from ARI; a business where he gets to do business networking while playing golf. Kevin's background and he got started in business coaching. Common mistakes business owners do which lead them to overwork and burnout. Kevin's simple formula to help people start building a life to better leverage their time. Kevin's one nugget of advice for success. The power of the Reticular Activating System (RAS) and its relationship with your goals. Finding a mentorship that can lead to achieving your time leveraging goals. The benefits of following through with the advice a mentor provides. The differences between working with a mentor vs. a business coach Building the confidence to delegate. How performing a time audit can help you assess what tasks need to be delegated. The importance of taking time for self-care. The commonality that people run their business as a technician and not as an entrepreneur. Resources Mentioned: Book: The Big Dipper by Kevin Stansfield Book: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek Book: The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss Book: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware Book: How Full is your Bucket? by Tom Rath Book: The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Book: Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc Our Favorite Quotes: "You'll learn more from failure than you do from success." - David DeCelle "You can work because you choose to work, …not because you have to work. – Kevin Stansfield "Successful people are good problem solvers because they've solved their problems to get where they are." - David DeCelle Connect with Kevin Stansfield: ActionCOACH Solent ActionCOACH Solent on Facebook ActionCOACH Solent of YouTube ActionCOACH Solent on Twitter Kevin Stansfield on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Justin Fitzpatrick is the Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Income Lab, the only provider of software for true, dynamic retirement income plans that help retirees adjust to evolving economic and market conditions. Justin has over 15 years of financial services experience, leading teams in advanced financial planning and portfolio strategy, managing the development of fintech tools, and designing and executing strategies to enter new markets. He served as the Head of Private Wealth and Trust of Jackson from 2008 to 2018, when he co-founded Income Lab. Prior to Jackson, Justin served for seven years in academia, teaching at Harvard University, the University of London, UCLA, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also received his Ph.D. in Linguistics. Justin joins me today to discuss retirement income planning and the superpowers of retirees. He explains why he transitioned to financial services and entrepreneurship after working in academia. He breaks down the most significant gap in retirement income planning and how that gap inspired the founding of Income Lab. He also outlines common reasons adjustments are made in a retirement income plan and discusses how the Income Lab software helps advisors provide clients with a realistic view of what retirement could look like. "An advisor who can leverage retirees' superpower to adjust will deliver so much more value and experience than presenting their clients with the idea that they're either going to succeed or fail." - Justin Fitzpatrick This week on The Model FA Podcast: Justin's time in academia and his studies in linguistics The huge gap in retirement income planning How Income Lab helps advisors leverage retirees' superpowers Reasons to make adjustments in a retirement plan How advisors can communicate the advantages of Income Lab tech to their clients How Income Lab simulates income risk in retirement Income Lab's integration with other financial planning platforms and CRMs Resources Mentioned: Book: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl Our Favorite Quotes: "Life happens for you—it's up to you to determine why it's happening, how you can shift your perspective, and how you can learn and grow from it." - David DeCelle "Sometimes advisors have great experiences with clients; sometimes, not so much. But if you can stop, reflect, and learn, any scenario you find yourself in can be beneficial." - David DeCelle "Just like in their working years, people In retirement will adjust as things develop—as they learn about what world they're actually living through." - Justin Fitzpatrick Connect with Justin Fitzpatrick: Income Lab Income Lab on LinkedIn Income Lab on Facebook Income Lab on Twitter Income Lab on YouTube Justin Fitzpatrick on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Nic Nielsen is a certified financial planner and the Co-founder of Know My Plan, a firm that helps sales executives feel confident and reduce financial anxiety with a one-page financial plan. He is the author of Visual Finance, which shares illustrations of financial planning topics alongside corresponding QR codes to short videos that elaborate upon real-life financial planning applications. Before co-founding Know My Plan, Nic served as Vice President and Financial Advisor for SunTrust Investment Services. He was also a financial advisor for PNC, where he worked for over five years before joining SunTrust. Nic graduated from the University of Saint Francis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. Nic joins me today to discuss the one-page financial plan, its contents, and its impact. He shares what made him transition to the world of finance after initially studying engineering in college and the inspiration behind the one-page financial plan. He explains what his clients think about the one-page financial plan and how content creation on LinkedIn transformed Know My Plan's business. He also highlights how creating content shortens the sales process and underscores the power of simplifying financial plans. "There's no one way to do a financial plan. The best financial plan is the one that somebody can stick to and implement." - Nic Nielsen This week on The Model FA Podcast: Nic's background, how he learned about investing, and his beginnings in financial planning Why people transition to the independent financial advisory world The origins and content of the one-page financial plan How clients perceive the one-page financial plan The DIEM process and how creating content transformed Nic's business The value of diversifying content and how often Nic posts on LinkedIn How many leads Nic would get in the early stages of creating content The power of networking on LinkedIn and why salespeople appreciate the one-page financial plan Breaking the feast/famine cycle and how creating content shortens the sales process Resources Mentioned: Book: Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin Our Favorite Quotes: "Social media, when executed properly, can really be a Swiss army knife for prospecting, lead flow, adding value, and staying relevant in between your reviews with clients." - David DeCelle "Salespeople are one of the biggest groups of people that will appreciate the simplicity of a one-page financial plan." - David DeCelle "The beauty of marketing is that when you put out to the world what your process is, the people you attract self-select." - Nic Nielsen Connect with Nic Nielsen: Know My Plan Email: nic@knowmyplan.com Book: Visual Finance Know My Plan on LinkedIn Nic Nielsen on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Erica Pauly is a data storyteller for financial advisors and the Founder of Track That Advisor, a data analytics company that helps financial advisors bring clarity to company statistics. Before founding Track That Advisor, Erica worked as the Office Operations Manager and Marketing Director for GrowSecure Inc. Insurance and Financial Services and as the Marketing and Office Manager for the Layman Lewis Financial Group. As a data analyst and storyteller, Erica's unique perspective and approach to data storytelling bring a fresh perspective and holistic view to financial advisory practices across the nation. Erica joins me today to discuss the power of tracking various metrics in your financial advisory practice. She outlines the top activities financial advisors should track in their practice and shares her recommendations on costs-per-client, close rates, and average case sizes. She describes the data analytics and storytelling process and explains how Track That Advisor fills in the gap between data gathering and data analytics. She also debunks common misconceptions about data tracking and analytics and discusses the first steps financial advisors can take to start tracking their data. "Advisors are salespeople, but owning an advisory practice means you need to put on a CEO hat—and that's where good data and reporting can help." - Erica Pauly This week on The Model FA Podcast: Erica's background and her journey to data analytics and founding Track That Advisor Model FA's energy audit and the power of making data-informed decisions Creating a constellation of data points and the top five activities or metrics to track in an advisory practice The value of tracking your practice's close rate and average case size Erica's recommended benchmark for costs-per-client and ROIs Why new financial advisors need to focus on referrals and building relationships with centers of influence Why ROIs could be a false summit Debunking myths around tracking metrics and data analytics Building the habit of tracking your business's data and how much time it takes to track data daily Resources Mentioned: Book: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman Book: What the Heck Is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer Book: Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best by Eugene H. Peterson Our Favorite Quotes: "Anything you can track and measure, you can manage and improve." - David DeCelle "Regardless of your industry or experience, you're not going to close 100% of the people you meet." - David DeCelle "Data analytics shows the picture, but identifying the problems and taking action on them is where the gold is." - Erica Pauly Connect with Erica Pauly: Track That Advisor Book: Tracking Your Trek: Looking Backward to Determine Your Forward Track That Advisor on LinkedIn Erica Pauly on LinkedIn Email: Hello@TrackThatAdvisor.com About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

James Jurica is the Director of Advisor Development at Wealth Watch Advisors, a discretionary, fee-based money management firm committed to developing and implementing financial strategies to meet the personal goals of its clients. Within Wealth Watch Advisors, James founded Taggart Wealth Management, in which he serves as the Lead Financial Advisor. Before joining Wealth Watch Advisors, James worked as a development manager at New York Life Insurance Company, where he started his career in the financial services industry as an agent. James holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from The University of Texas at San Antonio. James joins me today to discuss how financial advisors can thrive in the independent space. He describes his transition from studying psychology in college to working in the financial services industry. He explains how he began his journey in the independent financial advisory space after working with New York Life Insurance Company. He also highlights the value of differentiating yourself as a financial advisor and offers advice to young people who want to work in the financial services industry after graduating from college. "Seeing the unique ways you can work with your clients, as well as the solutions and planning opportunities in the RIA space, was extremely eye-opening; I knew it was going to be where I'd spend the rest of my career." - James Jurica This week on The Model FA Podcast: James' background and how he began his career in the financial services industry How having mentors helped James manage the struggles of starting a career in financial services Common issues and challenges new financial advisors face What encouraged James to explore the independent financial advisory space James' advice to young people who want to get started in the independent financial advisory industry after studying in college His role as Director of Advisor Development at Wealth Watch Advisors and how it's different from his previous experiences Building relationships and the value of staying relevant to your prospects' lives James' vision for the future of his financial advisory practice Resources Mentioned: Book: Blend Out: From Ordinary To Irresistible: How Advisors Can Market Like the Greatest Brands in the World by Robert Sofia Book: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by John David Mann & Bob Burg Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Book: The Latte Factor: Why You Don't Have to be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach and John David Mann Our Favorite Quotes: "Having the appropriate mentors that can communicate their intentions for staying on top of you could be instrumental to people's success." - David DeCelle "Advisors who have been in the business for over 20 years are still learning; you've got to speed up your learning curve by having conversations with different types of personalities." - David DeCelle "Ask for referrals and have your centers of influence. If you focus on building a database of names, marketing to and cultivating it for years, you may never need to prospect ever again." - James Jurica Connect with James Jurica: Wealth Watch Advisors Wealth Watch Advisors on LinkedIn James Jurica on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.