Top Advisor Podcast

Sudden Wealth can strike in many ways. It can come through an inheritance, an athlete signing a lucrative contract, a legal settlement, the sale of a company, or even winning the lottery. Sudden wealth can bring elation and a host of challenges. Without a sound plan of action, sudden wealth can escape almost as quickly as it came. It can even leave debt in its wake. In this episode of the Top Advisor Podcast, Bill Cates speaks with Myah Moore Irick, who has built and sustained a highly successful practice as a sudden wealth financial advisor helping her clients navigate their newfound fortune and resulting challenges.  Bill and Myah discuss:  How Myah got started in her niche as a sudden wealth financial advisor. The type of sudden wealth clients Myah serves and how she meets them. How involvement in the community and philanthropic activities bring her new clients. Why she has chosen to build a diverse, multi-cultural team and why it’s been great for the health of her business.  Bill’s answer to Myah’s question, “If you were building your practice today, what types of clients would you try to serve?” …And so much more! Connect with Myah Moore Irick LinkedIn: Myah Moore Irick LinkedIn: Merrill Lynch (The Irick Group) Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200 Referral Coach Homepage Hire Bill for Coaching Enroll in The Cates Academy About Our Guest: Myah Moore Irick focuses on providing wealth planning strategies to successful executives, individuals and families navigating sudden wealth, and a growing list of professional athletes. Myah possesses a deep understanding of the psychology of wealth: the challenges that executives, individuals, seasoned professionals and even up-and-coming athletes face when making decisions about their financial futures. With this knowledge, Myah can help her clients identify what they want their money to do for their lives, families and communities – and then create a wealth plan for achieving that. Myah is devoted to giving back in her own life. While she spends much of her free time with her husband and three children, she also sits on several boards and committees that promote access to financial literacy, and equity & inclusion in the classroom and the boardroom. She serves on the boards of the Carnegie Science Center, the Energy Innovation Center Institute, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and serves as a strategic partner to InvestmentNews and The Advanced Leadership Initiative (TALI). Her experience as Miss Oregon (with the Miss Universe Organization) in 2003 inspired her ongoing commitment to promoting educational opportunities for women.   

Many top financial advisors use a target market strategy that enhances just about every other aspect of their client-acquisition efforts. They are able to build a reputation that begins to draw people in – where they are sought out by prospects with their hand raised saying, “I’ve heard great things about you. You were highly recommended. I know you work with people just like me.”   And if you pick the right target market, you’ll likely find more enjoyment and passion in your work. In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates speaks with Don Hilario, financial advisor and founder of Hilpan Moxie. Bill and Don discuss how Don found his niche working with Big Tech clients, specifically Google, and how having a very clear target market strategy can earn you validation as an advisor. Bill and Don discuss:  How Don carved out his niche with clients at Google. Don’s 4-5-6 method to acquire right-fit clients from Google. The clear benefits and potential drawbacks from having a very specific target market strategy. And more Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy Connect With Don Hilario: LinkedIn: Don Hilario Hilpan Moxie LinkedIn: Hilpan Moxie Wealth Management, LLC. 949-559-1852 About Our Guest: For over 15 years, Don Hilario has been a financial advisor for Big Tech employees. He collaborates with software engineers, managing directors, and tech recruiters to help them minimize taxes, accelerate growth & align investment decisions with smart goals – so they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-oriented.   In 2012, Don started his own business, called Hilpan Moxie. Where he connects with his audience across different mediums, including interactive visualizations that empowers client engagement and transforms financial jargon into relatable and compelling stories.  When he isn’t working with clients, Don teaches Catechism at St. John Neumann, traveling with his wife and two daughters. And cheering on the New York Knicks!

In business, when you hear someone talk about the CEO’s role in a company, your first thought is that they’re the leader and top decision-maker for the company.  What if we told you that there are two other integral roles in a company that also fall under the CEO umbrella?  In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates speaks with Travis Chaney, CEO of Dynamic Directions (D2). Bill and Travis talk about the three essential CEO roles in a company that every entrepreneur financial advisor should know about. Bill and Travis discuss:  The difference between an entrepreneur financial advisor and a non-entrepreneur advisor. How the three CEO roles contribute to your business growth. What does the concept “Client Experience” mean and why is it so important? Something you can start doing with your clients today to add to their experience, create strong loyalty and make you highly referable. And much more! Resources: The 3 CEOS: The Three Most Important Roles Entrepreneurial Financial Advisors Play by Travis Chaney Turbo Growth: Be Bullish on Life Series for Financial Advisors by Travis Chaney Related Episode:  #20 – Cultivating a Company Culture That Drives Long-Term Success Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy Connect With Travis: LinkedIn: Travis Chaney Dynamic Directions LinkedIn: Dynamic Directions Email:  d2@dynamicdirections-d2.com  About Our Guest: Travis is the CEO of Dynamic Directions (D2), a coaching and consulting firm working exclusively with successful financial advisors – helping each one of them build an extraordinary practice and an extraordinary life and practice for financial advisors.  Travis is a former award-winning financial advisor who consistently ranked in the top 1.5% of financial advisors at his broker-dealer. Travis is also the author of Turbo Growth: Proven Strategies to Create an Extraordinary Life and Financial Planning Practice, and has just released his latest book: The 3 CEOs – The Three Most Important Roles Entrepreneurial Financial Advisors Play. Travis lives in Owensboro, Kentucky, with his wife Christy, son Ryland, and two daughters Lucy Jagoe, and Stone. He is a bourbon enthusiast and a country music songwriter.

Many business partnerships begin with two people coming together with like-minded business ideas.  In the beginning things are great, both parties get along well and the creative juices flow. Eventually a legal partnership is formed.  However, once the business is formed, do you know how your partner deals with setbacks and success? Do you know how they deal with money? What about hiring employees? In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates meets with financial advisors Karen Jessey & Neill Turner from Strategic Wealth Partners. They discuss how to successfully navigate the ins and outs of a business partnership, as well as specific considerations around succession planning for financial advisors. They share the process they’ve taken to build Neill’s acumen as the successor of the business as Karen moves towards retirement. Karen & Neill discuss:  Why Karen decided to start thinking about the succession of her business The importance of having difficult conversations with your business partner  The decision-making process within a successful business partnership The potential difficulties of bringing in a business partner, and eventual challenges regarding succession planning for financial advisors And more Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy Connect With Karen Jessey & Neill Turner: LinkedIn: Karen Jessey LinkedIn: Neill Turner Strategic Wealth Partners  LinkedIn: Strategic Wealth Partners of Colorado  About Our Guests: For over 35 years, Karen Jessey has been helping people feel better about their financial world. Through the years, Karen built a team consisting of top-notch individuals. Together, they create a unique process which helps clients delve into their financial worlds and identify their dreams and goals, as well as potential problems. They value long term relationships that evolve and change as life does. In 2013, she partnered with Neill Turner to create Strategic Wealth Partners.  When she isn’t helping clients build their financial future, She enjoys being outdoors and exploring the mountains.  However, the ocean calls her name every year and she must find a place to sink her toes into the water. For over a decade, Neill Turner has been helping clients make better financial decisions. His experience waiting tables, earning an engineering degree, owning his own business, and teaching yoga has helped him become not only a successful financial advisor but a great partner. Karen is currently grooming him to take over the company in the future!  

How much of a difference does your company culture really make for your clients and your employees? In this episode, Bill invites Scott Leibfried to talk about the “Premium Client Experience” and how his years in the industry have helped him develop the toolkit to strengthen his clients’ and employees’ relationship with his business. Bill and Scott discuss:  The culture of Scott’s business, and how it has evolved with their growth What made Scott think deeper about the importance of work culture How company culture impacts every component of a business How Scott’s employees’ values shaped their culture and cultivated long-term success How the “Premium Client Experience” demonstrates the way that little touches can make a big difference And so much more! Resources:  ExponentialGrowthGuide.com Brian’s App: AskMyAdvisor Connect with Scott Leibfried LinkedIn: Scott Leibfried Personal Website: Scott Leibfried StackStoneWealth.com Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200 Referral Coach Homepage Hire Bill for Coaching Enroll in The Cates Academy About Our Guest: Scott Leibfried APMA, ChFC is a Private Wealth Advisor at StackStone Wealth, a private advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Scott aims to develop a personalized financial plan for his clients so they can gain the confidence they need to focus on what matters to them most in life.  He has built a culture design to provide his clients with the best possible experience in the workplace, and at the same time allows his firm, including his staff to flourish! The net result of this intentional culture is that his clients do his marketing for him, meaning they have become advocates for him. They send qualified prospects to him on a regular basis. He has been able to retain and attract great talent for his team. Scott became a private wealth advisor in 1998 when he founded StackStone which headquartered in Dubuque. He also became a pilot in 2011, flying every week for business. He frequently plays pickleball and tennis as well as golf when he has the chance.

When most people think of financial advisors who work with professional athletes, they probably imagine a glamorous lifestyle of spending time with their favorite players, getting a behind-the-scenes look into professional sports, and free tickets to games. But what is it really like being a financial advisor for athletes? In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates sits down with Walter Stith, former NFL offensive lineman turned financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, ranked by Forbes as one of America’s Next Gen Advisors. Walter discusses the lessons he learned while playing professional football, and the importance of protecting your finances from blindside hits.  Walter discusses:  Pros & cons of working with professional athletes Why it’s important for athletes to think about life after professional sports The importance of having a good advisor or agent that specializes in work with pro athletes What name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals look like in college sports Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy Connect With Walter Stith: Walter.Stith@morganstanley.com LinkedIn: Walter Stith About Our Guest: Walter played his college football at Western Michigan University as an offensive tackle. He also went on to play in the NFL for 2 years with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. Before finishing up his professional career in CFL with the B.C. Lions in 2009. He has spent the last decade working for Morgan Stanley as a Financial Advisor. He is currently ranked by Forbes as one of America’s next gen advisors. Walter helps his clients protect their financial blind side.   Walter lives in Atlanta with his wife Aisha, daughter Kaili, and two sons, Kingston and Chase. When he isn’t protecting his client’s financial blindside, he enjoys being active through running, biking, and hiking.  

When I heard how Joe De Sena was using his personal Facebook page to build his business (and have fun in the process) I was skeptical. Boy was I wrong. In this episode, Bill Cates is joined (for a second time) by Joe De Sena, CFP®, MBA, private wealth advisor at Siena Wealth Advisory Group, to discuss Facebook marketing for financial advisors. Joe discusses his success in using Facebook as a tool for enhanced client engagement, business growth, and lots of fun, without running Facebook Ads. In this episode, Joe discusses:  The challenges advisors face in using Facebook to market their businesses. Why he decided to open up his personal Facebook page to clients and event prospects. How his variety of fun and uplifting posts have built a “community” of clients, prospects, and allows Joe to be his genuinely social self. The significant results of converting prospects into clients by being omnipresent. Lessons he has learned from his experiences with using social media. Resources: Ep. #6 – Client Appreciation Events: Using Retirement Parties to Grow Your Business with Joe De Sena, CFP® Connect With Bill Cates:    BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy Connect with Joe De Sena LinkedIn: Joseph De Sena Siena Wealth Advisory Group About Our Guest: Joseph S De Sena: Joe De Sena CFP®, MBA is a private wealth advisor at Siena Wealth Advisory Group. Joe has been a financial advisor for 27 years. Joe is passionate about protecting his clients and their families from the unexpected. Joe loves to travel, read, run marathons and do charity work.  

Having a very specific financial advisor new client onboarding process can get your relationship off to a great start – help them feel good about choosing you and create referrals early in the new relationship. In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates is joined by Rod Gibbings CFP®, senior executive financial consultant with Gibbings and Associates Private Wealth Management. Rod discusses how he uses his proprietary Transition Navigator financial advisor new client onboarding process to deliver a wow experience. He also shares how he produces a regular flow of video messages to boost client engagement, gain new clients, and acquire more assets to manage. Rod discusses:  Why he created the Transition Navigator for his new client onboarding process. How he gets many great referrals within the first six months of a new relationship. What prompted him to start recording videos to send to his clients and prospects His amazingly simple production process for recording his videos. Resources:  Radical Relevance by Bill Cates Related Podcast Interview:  Bryan Sweet’s 90-Day Dazzle Client Onboarding  Connect With Rod Gibbings: LinkedIn: Rod Gibbings IG Private Wealth Management Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy About Our Guest: As a Certified Financial Planner professional, Rod Gibbings provides sound financial advice and support for high net worth families and retirees. He specializes in the areas of intergenerational wealth transfer, comprehensive estate and retiree income planning. His philosophy is simple: “put people and service first.”

What is your relationship with social media?  Social media for financial advisors means different things. Some advisors have embraced social media as a concept, posting content and occasionally engaging with others, but wonder why they bother because they haven’t seen any noticeable results.  Other advisors have embraced social media as a way of strengthening their client relationships AND can see a straight line from their activity to acquiring new, in-segment clients.  In this episode, Bill Cates invites Kristen Walker, vice president of marketing at Michigan Financial Companies to discuss several marketing ideas, including how advisors can implement social media and target marketing into their marketing plan to increase client engagement and attract new clients. Bill and Kristen discuss:  How much time and energy should advisors dedicate to social media—and where they should be focusing their attention The importance of targeting your in-segment clients What virtual and in-person events are producing results these days Other best practices you can employ in terms of social media for financial advisors  The creative methods her 90 advisors are using to engage with clients Resources:  Check out our FREE Resources Hub Download Bill’s latest e-Guide:“8 Simple Steps to Exponential Growth” Connect With Kristen Walker: LinkedIn: Kristen Walker Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200 Referral Coach Homepage Hire Bill for Coaching Enroll in The Cates Academy About Our Guest: Kristen Walker is the VP of marketing at Michigan Financial companies.  Her purpose is to help advisors become successful business owners by providing the sales and marketing support, materials, training and expertise to generate new, and retain existing business. She works closely with the marketing department to ensure each of their representatives have their own unique marketing plans that are customized to their specific goals and objectives. As the VP of Marketing, she also oversees the brand image for our firm to increase awareness of Michigan Financial Companies and its affiliates. She places a special focus on the growth and development of their marketing initiatives to help the firm stay ahead of the curve throughout the financial services industry.

Despite all the challenges in reaching qualified prospects, some advisors are doing quite well, while others are not rising to the challenges that we all face. So, what are the financial advisor best practices that separate the wheat from the chaff? In this episode, Bill Cates interviews Mark Williams, president and CEO of Brokers International, to discuss what we need to think about and do to connect with more Right-Fit Clients.  Mark speaks to hundreds of financial professionals each year, so he’s in a unique position to see what’s working and where advisors are wasting their resources of time, energy, and dollars. Bill and Mark discuss:      The top 3 challenges that financial professionals face in terms of client acquisition today. The financial advisor best practices that he believes are gamechangers. Is LinkedIn the “New Cold Calling?” Connect With Mark Williams: LinkedIn: Mark Williams Brokers International Home Page Connect With Bill Cates: BillCates@referralcoach.com (301) 497-2200  Referral Coach Homepage  Hire Bill for Coaching  Enroll in The Cates Academy About Our Guest: Mark Williams is the President and CEO of Brokers International, one of the industry’s largest field marketing organizations — providing annuity and life insurance solutions to independent insurance and financial professionals across the nation. Few executives have Mark’s breadth of experience as a differentiator and success across every aspect of the industry. He grew up in an insurance family and has licensed, sold and had exposure to almost every financial vehicle that can be used as a solution to a customer need. He has held crucial roles as an agent, stock broker, independent distributor, captive agent, and head of an FMO. Mark has a proven track record driving transformation, having helped transform companies such as Allianz, The Hartford, and GamePlan from the inside out. He has spent his career leading sales growth in fixed indexed annuities, life insurance and fixed universal life products as well as directing mortgage leads, developing marketing programs for independent financial professionals and leading strategic initiatives. Currently, Mark is focused on the future of the insurance industry: from the disruptions of InsurTech and robo-advisors to the changing demographics and needs of customers. He also is an avid mentor helping financial professionals navigate the industry.