Welcome back! This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, host Elena Stephenson speaks with Laura Ripley, Chartered Financial Planner at BRI Wealth Management, and expert in client rapport building. 

 

Laura has taken some leaps of faith in her career, being adept in a Paraplanner role, before being encouraged by her employer at the time to step into an Adviser role. This step, along with others, cemented the importance of mentorship for Laura, and instilled the benefit of having a strong support network around you to aid your progression.  

 

One of Laura’s main passions within her role as a Financial Adviser is developing strong relationships with her clients. We discuss how understanding your clients’ needs and taking time to get to know them on a personal level can help massively when working with them. 

 

Laura is part of an industry minority in that she is a female Financial Planner. We take a look into diversity within the Financial Planning profession, and how although there has been progress around diversification in recent years, more can and should be done. 

 

Coming from a standpoint of moving from a technical Paraplanner role into a client facing Adviser position, Laura knows a thing or two (hundred) about soft skills development and gives some key tips for those looking to develop in this area, explaining how leaning on those around you can help accelerate this. 

 

This week’s episode is a handy playbook for anyone aspiring to be a great Financial Planner with long-lasting relationships with their clients, built on trust and understanding! 

 

Time Stamps 

 00:00:00 | Intro 

00:01:23 | About Laura's career 

00:03:39 | Talking mental hurdles to take the next step 

00:05:03 | Employer support and encouragement 

00:07:11 | Building client relationships 

00:08:38 | Tailoring approaches & building trust 

00:16:42 | How to encourage more women into the profession 

00:17:49 | Important skills to have 

00:23:00 | Passion for the career 

00:24:15 | Soft skills & education 

00:28:12 | Meeting clients 

00:33:15 | How to personalise your approach to clients 

00:39:09 | 3 most important soft skills 

 

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