Behind The Advisor

We're excited to have XYPN member Ben Wacek, founder of Guide Financial Planning, and his firm's Operations Manager, Amy Artiga, on the show today. We discuss the EOS model, client surges, and what their future plans are for themselves and their business. If you want to learn about what it's like to go from a stay-at-home mom, to helping run a financial planning firm targeting your ideal clients, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/293

We're excited to have XYPN member Todd Pouliot, owner of Gateway Financial, a fee-only firm out of Northfield, OH, on the show today. Todd started his career spending time as a captive insurance agent and a long-time rep at a broker-dealer. In this episode, Todd talks about his evolution to understanding the responsibilities of being a fee-only advisor, and how that drove his ultimate decision to open his own firm. He walks us through his experience firing clients, transitioning them over, and eventually acting as a fully independent RIA. Todd speaks to the movement within our industry as being an evolution—not a revolution—and how he feels more deeply committed to his duty as an advisor than ever before. Todd serves nearly 60 clients and utilizes the support of virtual assistants to maintain balance and efficiency within his firm, but plans to hire virtually as he continues to grow. Todd shares his experience of finally finding a community of like-minded advisors, and how giving back, learning, and growing stay at the forefront of his purpose. Todd's fee-only and fiduciary commitment to his clients drives all aspects of his business. If you want to learn about what it's like to transition from a broker-dealer to an independent RIA, and the fiduciary and fee-only commitments that come along with it, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/292

We're excited to have XYPN members Dan and Natalie Slagle, owners of Minnesota-based fee-only firm, Fyooz Financial Planning, on the show today. Dan and Natalie are partners in life and business, and together have nearly 20 years of industry experience. Today, they talk about how they built Fyooz intentionally to reach their target market: successful, fun, and authentic couples. They discuss what sparked the fire to launch their firm, the sacrifices they made along the way, and how their relationship has allowed them to serve their ideal client base. Together, they serve 30 clients—and have the capacity to serve 50-70 more. Dan and Natalie walk us through how they delineate roles and responsibilities, and the inherent challenges of working with your spouse. They share their candid thoughts about the pressures of the fiduciary oath they've taken, how they manage anxiety, and, on a lighter note, discuss what they've loved most about building Fyooz. If you want to learn about what it's like to go into business with your partner, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/291

We're excited to have XYPN teammate, Taylor Deardorff, on the show today. Taylor currently manages XYPN's Tech Team as the Product Owner, a role that allows her to leverage her deep understanding of member needs to design and create cutting-edge technology solutions for the Network. Taylor pivoted into this industry when she joined Team XYPN back in 2018 as one of the original team members. We cover a lot of ground in this episode as we talk about the tech tools Taylor recommends for all advisors, insights into the role technology can play in scaling large business, and, how as someone who has managed anxiety her whole life, she's been able to make decisions and move projects forward even when she's not 100% confident. As an avid reader and efficiency whiz, Taylor shares her words of wisdom about uncovering your "why" and leaves listeners with some great book recommendations. If you're interested in how to leverage a technology mindset in this industry or your practice, this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/290

We're ‌excited‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌XYPN‌ ‌member‌ ‌Lamar‌ ‌Watson,‌ ‌owner‌ ‌of‌ ‌Dream‌ ‌Financial‌ ‌planning,‌ ‌a‌ ‌fee-only‌ ‌firm‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌Reston,‌ ‌VA,‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌show‌ ‌today.‌ ‌ Lamar‌ ‌started‌ ‌his‌ ‌career‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌industry‌ ‌before‌ ‌he‌ ‌even‌ ‌went‌ ‌to‌ ‌college‌! ‌He‌ ‌was‌ ‌an‌ ‌avid‌ ‌follower‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌stock ‌market‌ ‌and‌ ‌reader‌ ‌of‌ ‌Warren‌ ‌Buffet.‌ ‌While‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌in‌ ‌college,‌ ‌he‌ ‌secured‌ ‌an‌ ‌internship‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌diverse‌ ‌Scottrade‌ ‌branch‌ ‌where‌ ‌he‌ ‌received‌ ‌valuable‌ ‌insight,‌ ‌training‌, ‌and‌ ‌mentorship‌ ‌in‌ the ‌financial services industry.‌ ‌Lamar‌ ‌walks‌ ‌us‌ ‌through‌ ‌his‌ ‌career‌ from ‌how‌ ‌he‌ ‌pitched‌ ‌himself‌ ‌in‌ ‌an‌ ‌interview‌ ‌before‌ ‌he‌ ‌even‌ ‌graduated‌ ‌from‌ ‌college to how‌ ‌he‌ ‌climbed‌ ‌the‌ ‌ranks‌ and finally to ‌how and why‌ he‌ ‌decided‌ ‌to‌ ‌open‌ ‌his‌ ‌own‌ ‌RIA.‌ ‌Lamar‌ ‌talks‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌it‌ ‌was‌ ‌like‌ ‌to‌ ‌move‌ ‌from‌ ‌a‌ ‌steady‌ high-paying ‌job‌ ‌to‌ ‌working‌ ‌one-on-one‌ ‌with‌ ‌his‌ ‌ideal‌ ‌types‌ ‌of‌ ‌clients‌—the newbies ‌who‌ ‌have‌ ‌never‌ ‌worked‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌financial‌ ‌planner before.‌ ‌ If‌ ‌you‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌learn‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌it's‌ ‌like‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ ‌your‌ ‌way‌ ‌up‌ ‌through‌ ‌this‌ ‌industry‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌launch‌ ‌your‌ ‌dream‌ ‌firm,‌ ‌this‌ ‌show‌ ‌is‌ ‌for‌ ‌you.‌ ‌ You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/289

Today, XYPN co-founders, Alan Moore and Michael Kitces, join us for a special episode to discuss the findings of XYPN's 2020 Benchmarking Survey. Each year, XYPN members participate in a comprehensive survey about their businesses, and each year, Alan and Michael discuss the trends they see, the themes that emerged, and their perspective on where the industry is headed. If you're interested in hearing about what XYPN member firms are experiencing this year, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/288

We're excited to have XYPN member Natalie Taylor, owner of Natalie Taylor Consulting Services, on the show today. Natalie is only 10 months into building a fee-only RIA business, but she has already served nearly forty clients since opening her doors in early 2020. Natalie walks us through her professional background, which includes substantial experience in the financial industry, both on the private side and in the fintech space. Natalie credits her ability to scale her firm so quickly to the scrappiness she garnered while at a startup paired with the intentionality she places around how she executes her meetings and financial plan delivery with clients. Natalie talks about why she had to put potential clients on waitlists, and why she always prioritizes her family time and her client experience and will sacrifice neither to earn more money. If you're interested in how you can grow your business organically while remaining true to your goals, this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/287

We're excited to have XYPN member Helen Ngo, Founder of the Atlanta-based RIA, Capital Benchmark Partners, on the show today. A lot has changed for Helen since she was last on the show in 2017; she got married, had a baby, and has transitioned her firm to 100% virtual. What hasn't changed at all is her passion for growing her business. Today she serves over 70 client households, the majority of whom are attorneys. She's settled into a pricing structure that is niched to the needs of her attorney clients, and finds the conversation around pricing to be (surprisingly) simple. Helen reminisces on what it was like to start her firm, and how her priorities have shifted from being the planner to being a real business owner: managing people issues, learning how to communicate more softly, and graduating clients, all while giving her new baby some love in between calls. Listeners will be particularly interested in Helen's discussion about the pushback she continues to receive around being in the driver's seat of her own career. As a young woman in this industry, people still ask her who she works for when the real question is not who Helen works for, but who works for Helen. Helen's commitment to her business and this space remains strong, and she's a fabulous example of what life looks like when you chase your dreams. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/286

We're excited to have XYPN member Ashley Murphy, Founder of Areté Wealth and the Global Financial Planning Institute (GFP), on the show today. This is Ashley's second time sharing his career journey and expertise in the expat space on XYPN Radio. Today, he joins us to give us an update on how a niche can turn into a full-blown industry-shaking initiative. After recognizing a gap in technical training for cross-border and international planning, Ashley spearheaded an initiative to create content, training, and a designation around the expertise. As Ashley discusses on the podcast, advising in this space is complicated and, like other niches, demands a specific level of competence. Ashley shares how the GFP, which once was a passion project, is now changing the direction of his firm and encourages anyone who wants to get into this space to do so. According to Ashley, the number of clients in dire need of cross-border planning from an advisor who has done their research is unlimited, to be exact. If you're interested in turning your passion project into a successful second business, this is the episode for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/285

We're excited to have XYPN member Brooklyn Brock, Founder of Ellevate Advisors, a fee-only firm in Tulsa, OK, on the show today. Brooklyn is a third-generation CFP® and after several years of working at her family Ameriprise office, Brooklyn got the itch to start her own firm. But Brooklyn took an unconventional route when she launched a part-time firm. That's because she's still working for fee-only advisors as a paraplanner, a position that allows her to gain deep experience working for her ideal clientele, financial advisors, and exit coaching, a passion of hers. In efforts to combat imposter syndrome as she builds her business, Brooklyn hones her skills and has sought and achieved four different designations. Although building a part-time firm is a slow process, Brooklyn is thrilled with the way her part-time firm fits into her life in the COVID era, and has offered her opportunities she never knew existed. If you're interested in launching your firm in an unconventional way, this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/284