Behind The Advisor

Whether you live in a single or dual-entrepreneurial household, have children you're balancing in that equation, or are just looking for effective tips to convert prospects into clients, this episode is for you! In this fun and informative conversation with XYPN member Sarah Ponder, CFP®, MBA, founder of Real Estate Wealth Planning, Sarah joked that she's 37 and on her fifth and hopefully final career. We talked about her fee structure, successful marketing programs, her new course for realtors, and also how her family has leveraged an Au Pair to be able to support them with childcare so they can build their respective businesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/353

We're excited to welcome back XYPN member Kay Dee Cole, CFP®, founder of Clarity Wealth Development, on the show today. Kay Dee was on the show back in 2017 and we wanted to bring her back on now, to give us an update on her firm and how things have progressed and changed. I have to say it was hard to find anything that was similar to the business she was running five years ago, aside from her being there and her niche. Kay Dee shared the various transitions that have happened from splitting with a business partner, finding her integrator, which is something we talked a lot about, building up the team, selling a portion of the company to her employees, and ultimately setting herself on a path to spend more time on passion projects. If you're interested in being really intentional about building the business that makes sense for you and where you're at in life, this episode is for you! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/352

At XYPN we talk a lot about community. This holiday season feels like a great time to celebrate what a powerful gift being independent, but never alone can be. So, we invited three members of an XYPN Mastermind Group, Dillon Cobb, CPA, CFP®, Andrew Gray, CFP®, and Allen Mueller, CFA, MBA, to share how their group has become a gift that "keeps giving" toward their personal and professional successes. We'll hear about how the group has become a place of shared strengths and divided weaknesses – kind of like a family. A family whose support betters themselves, their firms, and their clients. It's impact acceleration at its absolute best. Their varied backgrounds and unique paths to launching their own firms enrich and inform their conversations as do their commonalities – like facing the challenges of raising young kids and building solo practices. We had a wide-ranging discussion about the value of a mastermind group – from helping navigate family dynamics playing out in their firms to imposter syndrome. You can feel the difference their support of one another has made in their lives and practices. If you are already in an XYPN Mastermind Group, you'll recognize the positive impact and feelings our guests share. And if you aren't – you may find yourself seeking the powerful gift of community by the time you're done listening to this episode. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/351

We're excited to welcome XYPN member, Daniel Yerger, MBA, CFP®, ChFC, AIF, CDFA, founder of MY Wealth Planners, a fee-only firm based in Colorado on the show today. Today's podcast follows Daniel's career path from joining the Army and specializing in PSYOPS to becoming an IT manager for IBM before deciding to pursue financial planning. He effectively started his own firm at a broker-dealer because he didn't have a salary to build his own client base from scratch. Looking back, if he found a salary position in financial planning, he would have taken it and maybe would have never started his own firm. In this show we talk about the importance of meeting like-minded financial planners and his decision to launch his own RIA after attending an FPA NexGen conference. We cover a variety of other topics, including fee structure and using net worth in fee calculations as well as leveraging interns in his practice - one of whom ultimately became his associate advisor. He discusses the importance of firms hiring and paying interns in order to expose more young people to the work we do as financial planners. We closed our discussion on his PhD research on financial advisory fees, advisor compensation, and ultimately how the fight on Twitter regarding fees is really missing the point. If you're interested in the importance of finding a passion that fits and exposing next generations to financial planning, this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/350

We're excited to welcome XYPN member Jessica Goedtel, founder of Pavilion Financial Planning, on the show today. Jessica started her career thinking she wanted to be an archeologist. After a few jobs and a few different industries, her love of personal finance brought her to her first job in financial planning. She worked for a couple of different firms, including an online startup RIA, and learned as much as she could about doing financial planning and the types of clients she wanted to work with before ultimately launching her own firm in September of 2021. Jessica has two niches listed on her website's home page: tech workers and online sex workers. We talked about the decision to have two niches, which she admits can be difficult at times, but also wouldn't go back and change it if she could. We dove into the service model and fee structure of both niche markets and how she's ultimately bringing value to her clients, including how she has incorporated tax preparation and tax planning into her business just over a year in, and she's doing amazingly well. This is an interview you don't want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/349

Today we welcome XYPN member Andy Panko, CFP®, RICP®, EA, founder of Tenon Financial, to XYPN Radio. Andy always knew he wanted to be a financial advisor—but the harsh reality of financial planning opportunities (or the lack of them) for a fresh college graduate was discouraging. So, Andy spent the first 19 years of his career working in insurance, banking, and brokerage firms. It was in 2016 that Andy discovered XYPN Radio and realized that his dream of helping others with their finances could be a reality. If you're interested in working with clients to and through retirement and building a great firm in the process, this is the episode for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/348

Co-Founders Alan Moore and Michael Kitces review the highlights of the sixth-annual Member Benchmarking Study in this episode of XYPN Radio. Each year, the study gathers information from XYPN member participants to get an accurate picture of how advisors are doing in their firms. If you're interested in learning what really works for fee-for-service advisors, then this is the episode for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/347

In today's episode, we're excited to have Nancy Hetrick, founder of Smarter Divorce Solutions, who specializes in collaborative divorce. After her own divorce in 2007, Nancy realized the lack of resources for divorcing individuals and became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst to offer a kinder, court-free process. Nancy shares her journey from founding her divorce planning practice to selling the wealth management side of her business to focus exclusively on divorce planning, which is now thriving. If you're interested in working with divorcing clients or exploring the power of a niche, this episode is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/346

Today we talk to Maggie Beach, CFP®, CPA/PFS, and XYPN Member who is the founder of NexJenn Financial Services—a fee-only firm servicing the real estate niche—and NexJenn CPA—an accounting firm that specializes in individual and trust taxation. Today's podcast is full of information as Maggie shares her expertise in real estate, and how her early career path gave her the ability to provide advice on a personal level. In this show, we talk about everything in the real estate niche, from prospecting to outsourcing. For Maggie, real estate isn't just a niche, it's a family business. Maggie uses her personal experience in real estate investing to provide a holistic approach to advice to her clients. She also talks candidly about what it's like to offload aspects of her business. Bottom line? Trusting your instincts is one of the most important skills advisors should hone while building their firm. If you're interested in real estate as a niche, and finding better ways to serve your existing clients, this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/345

We're excited to welcome XYPN member Cody Garrett, CFP®, founder of Measure Twice Financial—an advice-only firm based in Houston, TX. After 10 years in the music industry, Cody jumped into a career in financial planning. As Cody learned about financial planning, he shared blogs to teach others at the same time. His generosity changed the trajectory of his career. Cody lasted two and a half years at an RIA before the floodgates opened. Dozens of clients started reaching out wanting planning advice—without investment management. After two months, he generated more revenue than an entire year. So, he made the decision to go solo. In this episode, Alan and Cody discuss the importance of empowering clients to get involved with their finances. Measure Twice Financial leads by example—simplifying financial topics to help DIY investors to align their money with their values. Cody built his firm from the ground up, finding his ideal client before choosing a service model and fee structure. His goal is to change the perception of a financial planner's role by increasing the transparency of planning. If you're interested in advice-only planning or are looking to align your professional goals and values, this episode is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/344