Beyond the Portfolio

What does it take to help a client who’s grieving? When someone is mourning the loss of a spouse, parent, or other family member or friend, advisors need to provide empathy as well as financial guidance. In episode nine, we talk with Robin Young, president and owner of Northstar Financial Planning, an all-female advisory group in Windham, New Hampshire. Robin specializes in serving women in moments of transition, especially widows, which often brings her face-to-face with clients who are grieving. Learn her advice for how to handle these types of emotional situations.

Alyssa McNamara Reed, CCO of McNamara Financial Services, has found success in managing her practice through the use of technology. However, not all clients may feel comfortable leaving the paper method behind. Find out how to best work with clients from a technology standpoint, and discover the industry’s untapped potential in episode eight.

It's not me, it's you. Sometimes, the client-advisor relationship is just not working. So, when do you say enough is enough and sever ties with a client? Sheena Hanson, CFP and CCO of Uncommon Cents Investing in Janesville, Wisconsin, discusses tips for how to navigate letting a client go.

When it comes to addressing out-of-character behavior from clients, it’s important to recognize boundaries, while also keeping a client’s well-being in mind. For episode six, we'll talk to Joe Lucey, Owner and President of Secured Retirement Advisors in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, about the importance of communication when it comes to handling these delicate situations.

How do you help clients through a market meltdown? Easing a client’s fear requires sensitivity and authority. In episode five, we talk with Mike Pruitt of MBE Wealth Management in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Pruitt says the beginning of his career was full crisis—from personal to large market shifts. Learn how this experience as a new advisor helped shape him as an RIA.

In many ways, advisors work as "life coaches" for their clients. In episode four, we'll dig into what this looks like for Brandon Miller, Founder of Brio Financial in San Francisco. While Miller would never refer to himself as a life coach, he recognizes that most of what he does as an RIA ends up, in some way, being life coaching.

For our third episode, we'll take on the serious topic of working as an RIA with clients who are dealing with medical issues. CIO of Financial Strategies Group in Okemos, Michigan, Brice Carter understands what it takes to work with clients who are dealing with their own health concerns, as well as those who are coping with a family medical concern.

In our second episode, we'll shift gears to speak with Evelyn Zohlen, President and Founder of Inspired Financial in Huntington Beach, California. Evelyn recognizes the value of making a little effort go a long way in serving clients as an RIA. Throughout her career, Evelyn has focused on supporting women in transition, as they navigate the next steps in their personal and financial lives.

In our premiere episode, we’re joined by Helen Stephens, Founder of Aspen Wealth Management in Fort Worth, Texas. Helen has a strong personality and no-nonsense attitude. But, more importantly, Helen knows when to play good cop and when to play bad cop. Join us to learn how today’s RIAs can take their profession to the next level.

For many RIAs, the reality of the job isn't quite what they expected. Today's financial planner is a life coach, a college advisor, a therapist—a trend that has intensified in a changing advisory landscape. The RIA model is ideal for letting advisors play any role necessary to improve the lives of their clients.