Managing Your Practice
Dimensional Fund Advisors
Managing Your Practice is dedicated to providing financial professionals with best practices in key areas such as driving growth, business efficiency, and the client experience. Dimensional Fund Advisors delivers insights based on our history of industry-leading financial advisor benchmark studies and client surveys. We help advisors leverage those insights when making the critical business decisions successful firms face every day.
The information is provided in good faith without any warranty and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change.
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The information is provided in good faith without any warranty and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change.
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Episodes
Mentioned books
6 snips
Oct 23, 2026 • 52min
Behavioral Finance 2.0: Meeting Clients Where They Are
Brian Portnoy, founder of Shaping Wealth and author of The Geometry of Wealth, explores the human side of financial advice. He discusses the advisor’s dual role as mechanic and guide, connecting money with meaning, empathy, and “funded contentment.” Topics include money stories, constructive self-disclosure, Behavioral Finance 2.0, advisor training, AI’s limits, listening, and self-care.
Sep 25, 2026 • 43min
Using Data and Stories to Build a More Intentional Practice
Nikolaus Braun, founder of Munich advisory firm Neunundvierzig, is an author and historian focused on evidence-based investing and intentional wealth management. He discusses defining the right clients, scoring prospects, measuring communication and capacity, and using data to shape decisions. He also explores journalism, books, storytelling, hiring, and connecting money with clients’ values and lives.
Aug 21, 2026 • 41min
The Human Side of Mergers and Acquisitions
The success of a merger or acquisition depends on more than just the details of the transaction. Equally important is how the people involved experience the change—the founders, staff, and clients alike. In this episode, host Stephen de Man welcomes Amy DeTolla, founder and CEO of Aureus Advantage, and Josh Bartholomew, head of business development at Bluespring Wealth Partners, to discuss best practices for M&A, such as defining success before evaluating partners, preserving organizational culture, aligning incentives, and overcommunicating throughout the entire process. Tune in for practical advice on navigating the human side of M&A.
7 snips
Jul 24, 2026 • 1h 1min
Building Trust Beyond Referrals: Testimonials and AI Search
Brian Thorp, founder and CEO of Wealthtender with two decades in asset management, talks about how prospects now research advisors online. He covers online reviews, compliance shifts from the SEC Marketing Rule, AI-driven search behavior, schema and SEO signals, and practical steps to become discoverable and trusted where people are searching.
Jun 23, 2026 • 48min
Leading Through Change: Human Leadership in the Age of AI
How can financial professionals become and remain effective leaders in a landscape that is rapidly evolving? In this episode of Managing your Practice, Dimensional host Stephen de Man welcomes Jack Swift, author of Level 7 Leadership: The Blueprint for the Human + Machine Era, to discuss the importance of human leadership amid the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI). Stephen and Jack explore how traditional views of leadership may need to evolve alongside technological advancements. They discuss the importance of creating and adapting mental maps, why trust is essential for organizational agility and effective decision-making, and how coherence and clarity can enhance a leader's impact. The conversation also examines how AI is not eliminating the need for human leadership but instead raising the standard for the skills leaders must develop to succeed.
18 snips
May 29, 2026 • 58min
Managing Family Wealth: Moving Beyond the Portfolio
Jeff Coyle, founder of Libretto and Monograph Wealth, helps advisors deliver total-wealth planning for ultra-affluent families. Dave Specht, founder of Advising Generations, specializes in succession, governance, and family dynamics. They discuss treating portfolios as flexible household capital. They explore asking better questions, engaging all generations, designing meeting agendas, and when to bring in specialists.
Apr 10, 2026 • 45min
The Strategic Role of Boards in Today's Advisory Firms
What role should a board of directors play in shaping the future of your business? In this episode, Lindsay Jordan, Senior Manager in Financial Accounting Advisory Services at Ernst & Young LLP, joins host Catherine Williams, Dimensional's Head of Practice Management, to explore how advisory boards can become a powerful catalyst for growth, governance, and strategic alignment. They emphasize that building a board is not a one-size-fits-all decision, covering how to thoughtfully evaluate whether a board makes sense, how to evolve an existing one, and how intentional design and member selection can bring meaningful expertise, perspective, and momentum to an organization.
Mar 20, 2026 • 53min
Strengthening Your Service Offering: How Brand Strategy Can Support Firm Growth
Megan Carpenter, co-founder and CEO of FICOM Partners, helps firms align marketing with business strategy. Lauren Hong, founder and CEO of Out & About Communications, specializes in branding and visual identity for financial firms. They discuss brand versus marketing versus sales. They cover outsourcing marketing, brand integration in M&A, balancing individual and firm brands, AI as a content accelerator, compliant client reviews, and marketing budgets.
Mar 2, 2026 • 31min
Strengthening Your Service Offering: The Role of Annuities
How can advisors better meet their clients' needs and preferences when it comes to insurance and annuities? In the first episode of a new miniseries exploring the key services advisors can offer to strengthen their practice, Head of Practice Management Catherine Williams sits down with DPL Financial Partners Founder and CEO David Lau. They discuss what DPL is doing in the insurance space, dispel common misconceptions about annuities, and challenge advisors to think more critically about how these tools fit into a holistic client offering.
Jan 16, 2026 • 45min
Navigating M&A Decisions in a Changing Advice Landscape
What's really driving mergers and acquisitions in the financial advice industry today? In this episode, Dimensional's Head of Practice Management, Catherine Williams, is joined by Chris Frieden and Brian Hamburger for a conversation on M&A, succession planning, and the role of outside capital in the industry. They unpack how buyer expectations are evolving, why preparation matters long before a transaction, and where firm owners can create or protect long-term value. The discussion offers practical perspective for advisors thinking about growth, transition, or independence in an increasingly competitive landscape.
