Financial Planner Search

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Jeremy Self of Cedarwood Financial Partners discusses his holistic approach to wealth management built around offense, defense, and coach. Jeremy explains how investment consulting drives growth toward a work-optional lifestyle, while advanced planning and protection strategies guard against the risks that can derail it. He also shares how Cedarwood coordinates CPAs, attorneys, and other professionals so clients can delegate financial complexity and focus on living their lives.

Jeremy serves entrepreneurial business owners who want concierge-level support, and he has developed a particular passion for advocating for single women, widows, and clients navigating divorce — shaped in part by being raised by a single mom and by a friend's reminder that his role is to take care of people's families. From his path out of eleven years in ministry and nine years leading Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, to discovery meetings that explore family, bucket lists, and first memories of money, Jeremy walks through Cedarwood's Discover → Develop → Deploy process and the firm's vision of Amazon efficiency with Ritz-Carlton service across nine offices in seven cities.

Takeaways

• Offense, defense, and coach — a framework for holistic wealth management
• Why business owners and vulnerable clients (especially single women) seek concierge advocacy
• The three questions every new client asks: running out of money, adequate coverage, and fees
• Fee-only retainer vs. blended AUM — matching the model to how involved clients want to be
• Purpose-driven planning using the MIT Age Lab "8,000 Days" concept for fulfilling retirement
  

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Cedarwood Financial Partners
• 02:26 Offense, Defense, and Coach Explained
• 04:38 Client Types Jeremy Serves
• 08:06 From Ministry to Financial Planning
• 10:03 Top Client Questions and Fee Models
• 15:10 Discovery, Values, and the 8,000 Days Framework
• 19:52 Money Stories and Scarcity vs. Abundance
• 21:29 Practice Vision: Amazon Efficiency, Ritz-Carlton Service
• 24:30 Onboarding: Discover, Develop, Deploy
• 29:26 How to Get in Touch
  

You can find them at: http://cedarwoodfp.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #wealthmanagement #retirementplanning

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Steven Rogé, a financial advisor, discusses his firm’s multi-generational approach to comprehensive wealth management. Steven explores how his firm (R.W. Rogé & Company) provides a collaborative team environment, focusing on personalized solutions for young savers, pre-retirees, and post-retiree "do-it-yourselfers."

He shares insights into the firm’s commitment to process-driven planning, the importance of proactive estate and tax planning, and the evolution of his career from investment management to holistic financial guidance.

Takeaways

• Multi-generational client relationships
• Collaborative team-based financial planning
• Proactive estate and tax strategies
  

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Practice Overview
• 06:19 Typical Client Situations and Patterns
• 10:33 Unique Needs of Younger Savers
• 15:44 Technology and Future Vision
• 25:58 The Client Onboarding and Ongoing Process
  

You can find them at: https://www.rwroge.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #wealthmanagement #financialplannersearch #estateplanning #fiduciary

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Jason Priebe of Magnetic North Advisors, discusses his comprehensive, all-in-one approach to wealth management, tax, and insurance.

Drawing from his unique legal background, Jason shares how his firm helps successful but overwhelmed small business owners find clarity, optimize their cash flow, and navigate complex business transitions.

Jason breaks down his highly structured onboarding process including his "quarterly accomplishment" framework and explains his vision for scaling a practice that delivers a seamless, identical client experience across the board.

Takeaways

• Integrated Wealth Management (Planning, Tax, and Insurance)
• Structured, Quarterly-Driven Client Onboarding
  

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Jason’s Journey from Law School to Financial Planning
  
• 04:01 Why Successful Business Owners Are Overwhelmed
  
• 07:13 Eliminating the Middleman: Integrating Planning, Tax, and Insurance
  
• 11:13 Unlocking Business Value and Transition Planning
  
• 15:28 Scaling the Practice and Ensuring Client Continuity
  
• 22:44 The Fit Call, Discovery, and Quarterly Onboarding Process
  
• 33:09 Next Steps and How to Connect with Magnetic North Advisors
  

You can find them at: www.magneticnorthadvisors.com

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #businessexit #wealthmanagement

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Jason Sherr, founder of Stratefi Wealth Management, explains how his background in architecture at UC Berkeley shaped his unique approach to "designing" financial plans.

Jason views himself as the "quarterback" or Financial Director for his clients, ensuring that every piece of their financial life, from tax strategy to risk management, is coordinated so they can focus on what truly matters.

He discusses the specific needs of "Henrys" (High Earners, Not Rich Yet), the importance of flat-fee planning for those still building their assets, and why retirement is a significant identity shift that requires more than just numerical preparation.

• The Architectural Approach: Using design principles to build a plan that accounts for goals, existing structures, and future growth.

• Attitude Over Assets: Why finding the right "attitudinal fit" is more important for a long-term partnership than a specific net worth.

• 00:00 Introduction and the "Architecture" of Financial Planning

• 06:02 Client Acquisition, Onboarding, and the "Quarterback" Model

• 12:00 Understanding "Henrys" and the Mental Shift of Retirement

• 18:02 Practice Growth: Solving the CPA and Trust Attorney Shortage

• 24:08 Controlling the Controllables: Behavior and Relationship Management

You can find them at: https://www.stratefiwealth.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, we sit down with Matt Zeigler, Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor at Sunpoint Investments. Transitioning from a career in the music industry to wealth management after the digital collapse of the mid-2000s , Matt brings a uniquely creative, systems-thinking approach to managing money.

He challenges traditional corporate wirehouses which he describes as "financial Walmarts" obsessed with scaling away the client relationship and instead advocates for building an intimate advisor-client "scene".

Matt breaks down his unique concept of "garden glove service," where advisors get their hands dirty alongside their clients to foster growth across an entrepreneur's entire ecosystem. He also shares his comprehensive, 5-part planning playbook that focuses on the Team, Calendar, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet, and critical "What-If" Questions to create true financial context. Finally, Matt dives into how he builds "parasocial relationships" through his popular podcasts like Excess Returns to cultivate high-trust networks before clients ever step foot in the door.

• Wealth Management as a "Scene": Why traditional scale metrics dilute client relationships and why maintaining a localized, dedicated core environment delivers better long-term results.
  
• "Garden Glove" over "White Glove" Service: Swapping out superficial butler-style service for a gritty, roll-up-your-sleeves commitment to multi-generational growth.
  
• The 5-Part Context Playbook: Moving beyond cookie-cutter answers by deeply vetting a client’s Team, Calendar, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet (valuing the business as an asset), and protective legal/insurance Questions.
  
• Leveraging Media for Trust: Using niche podcasts to build parasocial bridges, enabling potential clients to vet communication styles and values long before a formal discovery meeting.

• 00:00 Introduction and Musical Backgrounds
  
• 02:29 Navigating the Collapse of the Music Industry and Entering Finance
  
• 03:50 Moving Away from "Financial Walmarts" to Protect Client Best Interests
  
• 08:52 Startups vs. Scenes: Challenging Corporate Scale in Wealth Management
  
• 13:46 Why We Provide "Garden Glove Service" Instead of White Glove Service
  
• 15:28 Serving the Entire Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Entrepreneurs, Executives, & Employees
  
• 18:51 The Power of Parasocial Relationships: Marketing and Podcasting in the Internet Era
  
• 22:13 Inside Matt's Shows: Excess Returns, The Intentional Investor, and Blind Networking
  
• 29:03 The 5-Part Financial Planning Playbook: Team, Calendar, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet, & Questions
  
• 33:54 Client Communication Frameworks and Capacity Guardrails
  
• 37:12 How to Connect with Matt Zeigler and Sunpoint Investments

You can find Matt Zeigler at: https://sunpointeinvestments.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #wealthmanagement #entrepreneurecosystem #gardengloveservice #financialplannersearch #podcastingforadvisors

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, we sit down with Matt Zeigler, Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor at Sunpoint Investments. Transitioning from a career in the music industry to wealth management after the digital collapse of the mid-2000s , Matt brings a uniquely creative, systems-thinking approach to managing money.

He challenges traditional corporate wirehouses which he describes as "financial Walmarts" obsessed with scaling away the client relationship and instead advocates for building an intimate advisor-client "scene".

Matt breaks down his unique concept of "garden glove service," where advisors get their hands dirty alongside their clients to foster growth across an entrepreneur's entire ecosystem. He also shares his comprehensive, 5-part planning playbook that focuses on the Team, Calendar, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet, and critical "What-If" Questions to create true financial context. Finally, Matt dives into how he builds "parasocial relationships" through his popular podcasts like Excess Returns to cultivate high-trust networks before clients ever step foot in the door.

• Wealth Management as a "Scene": Why traditional scale metrics dilute client relationships and why maintaining a localized, dedicated core environment delivers better long-term results.
  
• "Garden Glove" over "White Glove" Service: Swapping out superficial butler-style service for a gritty, roll-up-your-sleeves commitment to multi-generational growth.
  
• The 5-Part Context Playbook: Moving beyond cookie-cutter answers by deeply vetting a client’s Team, Calendar, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet (valuing the business as an asset), and protective legal/insurance Questions.
  
• Leveraging Media for Trust: Using niche podcasts to build parasocial bridges, enabling potential clients to vet communication styles and values long before a formal discovery meeting.
  

• 00:00 Introduction and Musical Backgrounds
  
• 02:29 Navigating the Collapse of the Music Industry and Entering Finance
  
• 03:50 Moving Away from "Financial Walmarts" to Protect Client Best Interests
  
• 08:52 Startups vs. Scenes: Challenging Corporate Scale in Wealth Management
  
• 13:46 Why We Provide "Garden Glove Service" Instead of White Glove Service
  
• 15:28 Serving the Entire Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Entrepreneurs, Executives, & Employees
  
• 18:51 The Power of Parasocial Relationships: Marketing and Podcasting in the Internet Era
  
• 22:13 Inside Matt's Shows: Excess Returns, The Intentional Investor, and Blind Networking
  
• 29:03 The 5-Part Financial Planning Playbook: Team, Calendar, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet, & Questions
  
• 33:54 Client Communication Frameworks and Capacity Guardrails
  
• 37:12 How to Connect with Matt Zeigler and Sunpoint Investments

You can find Matt Zeigler at: https://sunpointeinvestments.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #wealthmanagement #entrepreneurecosystem #gardengloveservice #financialplannersearch #podcastingforadvisors

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Donald Morgan, lead financial planner and co-owner of Colmena, discusses his holistic approach to wealth management for Main Street business owners.

Donald shares his deeply moving journey from a thwarted childhood dream of becoming a space shuttle pilot to finding his true calling in the people-first world of financial planning. He details Colmena’s unique "honeycomb" structure—spanning financial planning, asset management, tax strategy, and risk management and explains why a comprehensive plan is essential in an increasingly uncertain world. Drawing from powerful personal experiences, including a tragic early-career wake-up call in Kansas, Donald highlights the critical components of a "Life Strategic Plan" and his mission to help family businesses thrive all the way to the finish line.

• The Power of a Life Strategic Plan: Why a true financial plan must go beyond the numbers to protect a family's personal, social, and emotional capital.
  
• The Honeycomb Philosophy: How integrating financial planning, tax strategy, asset management, and risk mitigation under one collaborative roof benefits the entire community.
  

• 00:00 Introduction and Donald's Backstory
  
• 05:50 The Four Core Businesses of Colmena
  
• 08:30 Checklists, Aviation, and the Tragic Kansas Story
  
• 13:04 The Five Pillars of a Life Strategic Plan
  
• 16:10 Saving the Starfish: Helping Main Street Businesses Win
  
• 21:55 Building Trust and the Systematic Mentorship Model
  
• 29:56 How to Connect with Donald

You can find Donald here: http://www.donaldfmorgan.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #wealthmanagement #businessowners #successionplanning

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Malcolm Etheridge, a Certified Financial Planner and Enrolled Agent at Capital Area Planning Groups, discusses his specialized approach to untangling complex executive compensation issues for senior leaders at publicly traded companies.

He highlights how his firm operates as a stripped-down multifamily office tailored for high-net-worth families and "recovering DIYers". Malcolm shares his unique journey transitioning from computer engineering to becoming a self-proclaimed "tax nerd" , explaining why deeply understanding tax implications is vital to diagnosing a client's true financial health. He also breaks down his structured 5-meeting onboarding framework and details how his team helps clients navigate sudden corporate shifts, such as Microsoft's recent early retirement offers.

• Navigating Complex Executive Equity Compensation: Solving intricacies like vesting windows, blackout periods, and regulatory filings for busy corporate leaders.
  
• The 5-Meeting Onboarding Experience: Building deep alignment by separating mathematical planning from core money psychology.
  
• Flexible Flat-Fee & Asset Management Models: Giving clients the freedom to "choose their own adventure" without forcing them to give up investment control.

• 00:00 Introduction to Capital Area Planning Groups and Executive Comp
  
• 07:24 Navigating Corporate Milestones and Microsoft's Early Retirement Offers
  
• 12:53 Flat-Fee Planning, AUM, and Serving the Recovering DIYer
  
• 20:25 The 5-Meeting Onboarding Process and Client Action Items
  
• 29:17 Guidance and Next Steps
  

You can find them at: CAPGLLC.com

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #equitycompensation #taxplanning

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Josh Davis, founder of Davis Private Wealth, explains his client-centric approach to wealth management and strategic tax reduction for high-income business owners. Celebrating nine years of building his practice from the ground up, Josh operates as a dedicated "financial quarterback". He specializes in harmonizing disconnected asset pools, insurance policies, corporate structures, and estate plans into one unified roadmap.

Josh highlights the unique challenges faced by multi-entity business owners and details how he guides burnt-out entrepreneurs through complex operational transitions—whether turning a business passive or preparing for an ultimate exit. He also peels back the curtain on his firm's hyper-detailed backend work, from systematically tracking annual retirement plan limits to checking CPA filings for costly systemic errors.

• The Fiduciary Quarterback Model: Integrating separate legal, insurance, and tax professionals into a central, proactively managed strategy.
  
• Transition Planning for Burnout: Shifting entrepreneurial focus away from active, high-stress operations toward wealth security and lifestyle freedom.
  
• Bespoke Contribution Tracking: Guarding against oversights by continuously managing annual funding thresholds across multiple corporate accounts.

• 00:00 Introduction and Independent Practice Overview
  
• 01:00 Inspiration: Learning Family Values and the Passion for Finance
  
• 02:19 Navigating Systemic Shock: Supporting Business Lockdown Relief & Government PPP Updates
  
• 04:41 Core Triggers: Exploding Tax Brackets and the Road to Retirement
  
• 07:25 Mindset Architecture: Navigating Active Entrepreneurial Burnout vs. Passive Systems
  
• 11:22 Client Discovery: Asking Fiduciary Questions on Estate Plans and Fees
  
• 13:46 Target Demographics: Defining Needs for Complex Entities Earning $500,000+
  
• 16:18 Multi-Entity Structures: Managing Partner Agreements, Liquidity Events, and Losses
  
• 18:50 The Onboarding Journey: Transparency and Clear Expectations
• 
  21:39 Behind the Scenes: Error Prevention, Tax Auditing, and Contribution Limits
  
• 24:07 Vision for Growth: Scaling Internal Infrastructure to $300 Million
  
• 30:09 Conclusion and Next Steps
  
  

You can find them at: https://davisprivatewealth.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #businessowners #taxarchitecture #fiduciary quarterback

In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Nick Lager, founder of Tactical Wealth Planning, discusses his unique transition from serving as a 911 paramedic and SWAT medic to guiding individuals through major financial crossroads. Nick introduces his specialized "Work Optional" framework, a methodology developed from his first-responder background to give burned-out, late-career professionals a predictable runway to step away from their jobs on a moment's notice.

Focusing heavily on high-earning medical device and pharmaceutical sales leaders with portfolios between $1M and $5M, Nick breaks down how to decouple from corporate constraints. He highlights how to bypass the "healthcare handcuff"—the fear of losing employer insurance before Medicare age—by deploying creative coverage solutions. Operating with a "Small Giants" philosophy, Nick details how running a boutique, quality-focused practice allows him to bring deep diagnostic calm and highly individualized strategy to his clients' tax architecture, income streams, and portfolio designs.

• The Work Optional Framework: Shifting the focus from traditional age-based retirement to creating conditional life options across four strategic pillars: healthcare, tax architecture, cash flow, and portfolio design.
  
• Breaking the Healthcare Handcuff: Providing actionable validation and alternatives for late-stage professionals who stay in unfulfilling roles solely to keep corporate medical benefits.
  
• Bounded, High-Touch Service: Intentionally prioritizing client care quality over institutional scale to maintain rapid execution and meaningful relationships.

• 00:00 Introduction and Practice Overview
• 01:34 The Tactical Origin: From SWAT Medic to Wealth Planner
• 02:51 Moving Past Corporate Volume and Cookie-Cutter Models
• 04:52 Serving Burned-Out Medical Device and Pharma Professionals
• 06:31 Solving the Number One Handcuff: Early Retirement Healthcare
• 10:51 Breaking Down the 4 Pillars of the Work Optional Framework
• 13:57 Bringing First-Responder Calm to Financial Volatility
• 17:11 Adopting a "Small Giants" Philosophy for Bespoke Care
• 21:28 Encouraging Clients to Live Fully and Value Life's Fragility
• 25:56 The Onboarding Assessment and Strategic Portfolio Alignment
• 30:58 Conclusion and Next Steps
  

You can find them at: https://tacticalwealthplan.com/

If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/

#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #workoptional #healthcareplanning #wealthmanagement