Behind The Advisor

Justin Castelli certainly knows how to think outside the box. The owner of RL Wealth Management and a member of the XYPN Advisory Board, he developed a unique model that allows him to serve two different niches in the financial planning space. This so-called "barbell model" allows him to work with two types of clients: older clients that have wealth and younger clients that don't.

In today's episode, Justin shares his experience starting his own firm and explains why asset minimums can result in turning away good clients. He has found a way to serve those who have accumulated substantial wealth, as well as those who are just starting to grow their net worth, and he shares his system with us today.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/118

Melissa Ellis joins us this episode to share her story and some of the lessons she learned along the way to where she is now. Despite putting off her dream due to being told financial planning wasn't appropriate for women and that the timing wasn't right, she finally went for it and never looked back. She shares the steps she took along the way and all the jobs and experiences that fed her knowledge and put her on the path to owning her own practice.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/117

Building a new business is always a lot of work. This didn't deter Andrew Damcevski and Devon Klumb from starting their practice and quickly adjusting and putting it in the perfect position to succeed. By become part of a bigger firm, their business has been able to see a large amount of growth and they are able to reach the type of customers they are passionate about working with.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/116

Anna Segunina knows the difference between a business and a practice - which she's proved with her fantastic work helping to develop Main Street Planning into what it is today. On this episode, Anna shares the story of her career, from how she got started in the business to how she became the owner of a highly successful planning practice. Anna shares many valuable takeaways from her experiences developing an hourly-based business with a focus on planning rather than asset management.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/115

Are you actually using data to make decisions in your firm — or just going with your gut?

In this episode of Behind The Advisor, we're joined again by Shawn Tydlaska to talk about why tracking your metrics matters more than you think, especially for smaller, growing advisory firms.

If you want clearer insights, better decisions, and the ability to look back and actually understand what moved the needle in your firm, this conversation is a must-listen.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/114

Every member of XYPN has a unique take on what we teach, and it's always fun to hear how each advisor is building a unique and valuable practice. Tony Madsen is building an RIA in rural Minnesota, after taking a leap out of the world of broker-dealers so he could have more fun with planning.

In this interview, Tony shares his first-year revenue and expenses and talks openly about where he spent more money than he should. One of the most interesting things Tony explains is the cashflow management strategy he uses with clients, which allows them to donate to charity, save for the future, and pay down their debt, all while enjoying their lives.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/113

We often talk about the utility of the retainer model here at XYPN. One of our earliest members, Cristina Guglielmetti, is cleverly combining retainer clients with a lot of project work to craft an uber-flexible schedule that you'll find interesting.

Cristina shares how she's created a business and schedule that work for her life as she raises a son and invests in a local bar with her husband and a group of friends from her MBA days. While she only has about ten retainer clients, she leverages interesting and productive project work to create the practice she wants.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/112

Mike Solari started his own independent firm in 2012 without a single client. He joined us here at XYPN in 2014, and we've gotten to witness his business grow as he's built a practice that serves about 26 people - two-thirds of which are on retainer.

In this interview, Mike talks about his biggest struggles and successes running the business, and how he's made up for his own shortcomings with grit and education. We talk retainer fees, networking to find clients, and hitting that 5-year business milestone.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/111

We know our mailbag is overflowing, so we're back with another Alan & Kitces Unhinged episode to answer as many of your questions as possible!

We've also received questions about how to talk to clients about transitioning from an AUM only model to a retainer + AUM model. Often it seems trickier than it is, and we've got some guidance on how to make it easy. And we'll talk about the relevance of performance reviews, and whether or not you should be providing them to your clients - especially the younger ones.

This episode is chock-full of answers to your questions from the XYPN Radio VIP Community. Don't miss out, and join today so you can hear your question answered next round!

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/110

Farnoosh Torabi is one of our keynote speakers at #XYPN17 this year, and on this episode she gives a little sneak preview of what she'll be talking about.

Farnoosh kicks things off by telling us how she became one of the country's most popular financial experts. After studying finance in college, she decided she wanted to marry her expertise with money to her fascination with journalism so she could spread her knowledge to people of all walks of life.

We also talk about why and how she wrote her first book, You're So Money, and how she capitalized on its success to build her media career. Then she shares a little about what she'll dive into at #XYPN17 - the challenges of planning for couples when a woman in a partnership is the primary breadwinner.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/109