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In this episode, we discuss Tom’s career, how certain ETF strategies can stand out in an increasingly crowded space and David Brooks’ idea of “The Second Mountain” and what that looks like for Tom.

• If Tom had to describe his career journey in a single sentence, what would that sentence be?
• What drew Tom to investing, in general, and more specifically to ETFs? Was there a moment or person early on that really shaped his philosophy?
• What does Tom see as the next big chapter in the ETF space, both for investors and ETF providers?
• ETFs are becoming an increasingly crowded space, so what factors separates the winners from the losers in Tom’s experience? What does it take to build a successful ETF in today’s market?
• What are the habits, or characteristics, of successful long-term ETF investors? What do they get right that others miss?
• How should advisors be using ETF flows to have conversations with their clients about market psychology?
• Why is simplicity often underrated by investors, or even advisors?
• Borrowing from David Brooks, what does Tom’s “second mountain” of his life look like for him both professionally and personally?
• Why would Tom say to other experienced professionals who are looking to transition from the “first mountain” of their lives to that “second mountain?”
• What is Tom’s routine, or philosophy, for maintaining mental and physical personal wellness?
• What is one piece of advice that Tom has received that has really stuck with him through the years?
• If Tom could offer one message for investors and advisors hoping to invest well and live well, what would it be?

Quote

“The covered call, buy/write area – enhanced income, synthetic income, everyone’s got different names for it. There are a bunch of new strategies that are out there, all active in nature, that produce wonderful monthly dividends, above average of what you’re going to get in the fixed income market place, but they all have core equity or fixed income core indexes that are tied to them. The neat thing is: there are a ton of choices, they’re all different and the way that they get that income is different depending on what options you buy. ” - Tom Lydon

Links

• Tom Lydon on LinkedIn
• Global Trends Investments
• “Messy” by Lola Young

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss what inspired Emily to focus on voice marketing and personal branding in particular, why Emily believes “attention is the new oil,” why personal branding is so critical in an industry centered around trust and why “individual-market fit” is just as crucial as product-market fit.

• How did Beetle Moment Marketing come to be and what inspired Emily to focus on voice marketing and personal branding?
• Why does Emily Binder often reiterate that “attention is the new oil” and what does that mean for financial advisors trying to grow their brand in today’s landscape?
• Why is personal branding so critical for financial advisors, especially in an industry so based around trust?
• What are some common branding mistakes that Emily sees advisor’s make and what are some simple changes they can make to stand out?
• What does Emily mean by “individual-market fit” and how can advisors apply this to their own business and career path?
• How can they identify and communicate their unique value in a way that doesn’t feel salesy or forced?
• What are some tips for advisors who want to get started on social media and how can they stay consistent without it becoming a full time job?
• Is there one content platform that provides your best bang for your buck (e.g. blog, vlog, podcast etc)?
• Are there more investor-centric social media platforms than others?
• What messaging tips does Emily have for advisors looking to better connect with high net worth clients or prospects?
• How can advisors align what they’re passionate about and their natural talents with some of the problems that they are hoping to solve?
• How does Emily see AI, Voice Assistants and other emerging tech shaping the future of the financial advisor marketing landscape in the next 3-5 years?
• What is one marketing mindset shift, or habit, Emily thinks every financial advisor should embrace moving forward?
• What is Emily’s routine, or mindset, for personal wellness and performance?
• Is there one daily practice, or routine, that Emily relies on to stay grounded and perform at her best?

Quotes

“Like you said Robyn, it’s all about trust; so, when we do business, even if it’s B2B, it’s really still to C, because we are people and people make up businesses, brands, personal brands and company brands. It’s all people, so we don’t want to do business with people we don’t trust. So many brands are corporate and faceless, because they thought for a long time that it was the formal, professional, buttoned up way to be, but it increasingly doesn’t work or resonate…because we have so much access to each other.”  - [03:09] Emily Binder

“The…reasons that a product fails in the market, are the same reasons that an individual fails, or doesn’t thrive, in personal branding, [their] career or anything they’re doing in business…If you have no demand for the problem you are solving, whether you are a product or a person, it doesn’t work, so that’s a parallel right? [People will ask]...’why are you so valuable in this role, or are you just replaceable?’ If so, it’s not going to be sticky or meaningful.” - [06:00] Emily Binder

Links

• Emily Binder on LinkedIn
• Emily Binder’s Website
• Emily Binder on X
• Beetle Moment Marketing
• Wealth Voice AI
• “It’s in the Way That You Use It” by Eric Clapton

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss Skip’s career, the future of the independent IRA industry, how we can “keep the soul” of financial advice and so much more!

• What are some of the pivotal moments that really shaped Skip’s professional path?
• What lessons has Skip learned about creating impact across an organization, or across an industry?
• From Skip’s perspective, what’s the state of the independent IRA industry today and where does he think it’s headed?
• How can we “keep the soul” of financial advice and how can financial advisors balance their fiduciary duty with scale and technology?
• What role does Skip think Behavioral Finance should play in how we think about serving clients and guiding advisors?
• How does Skip define leadership and what practices have helped develop his servant leadership style?
• What was Skip’s proudest moment during his time in Washington D.C. and is there any unfinished business that still motivates him?
• What do mountain hikes teach Skip about resilience, presence and mental strength?
• How has Skip’s outdoor adventures informed his decision making and his energy management as a leader?
• What does Skip mean by “being where your feet are?”
• What’s the best piece of advice that Skip has ever received, either professionally or personally?
• If there’s any one thing that Skip hopes advisors or investors take away from this conversation, what would that be?

Quotes

“If I have one thing that I’ve lamented for a long-time, that I think we haven’t figured out yet, it’s how to serve the lower to middle end consumer. Those folks, I think, are still being served by…it might just be their self-directed Schwab, Fidelity or Robinhood Account…which is fine, but I’m a huge fan of the fiduciary advice model, but we’ve never figured out how to scale that downmarket and I would just love to see someone figure that out.” - Skip Schweiss

“One thing I always remember my dad would say over and over and over [is that] ‘anything worth having is worth working for.’ That was such great advice for me. Classic midwestern philosophy, but that really stuck with me…today it’s really principally the same in business or life. I can look up at that mountain top and say I’d really like to get to the top of that mountain, but I don’t have access to a helicopter, there’s no escalator, there’s only one way up there and that’s to work for it.” - Skip Schweiss

Links

• Ocean Park Asset Management
• Skip Schweiss on LinkedIn
• Skip Schweiss on Twitter 
• Don’t Look Back by Boston

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss Brittany’s career, her passion for travel and her wellness and meditation routine that centers her personal and professional life. We also take a closer look at the exciting future of alternative investments. 

• Learn more about Brittany’s background, Banríon Capital’s mission and what sets Banríon apart in the alternative space.
• Banríon is focused on “democratizing access to alternatives.” What does this mean in practice and why is it important now?
• Are there specific types of alternatives that are really under appreciated or misunderstood that Brittany thinks people should know more about?
• Has Brittany had any standout guests on her podcast that really shifted her thinking or really reinforced a core belief?
• What do investors and advisors most need to learn, or unlearn, about alternatives today?
• What are the best practices that define a wise advisor today?
• What behavioral traps has Brittany seen investors falling into when it comes to alternatives?
• In an industry so focused on short-term noise, how does Brittany stay grounded in long-term thinking?
• How has travel shaped Brittany’s approach to investing and leadership?
• Are there any habits that Brittany has picked up from her international travels that have helped her live better or work smarter?
• What are wellbeing practices that help keep Brittany energized and focused as a podcaster, investor and all the different roles she has?
• What excites Brittany the most right now in the financial services industry?
• What is next for Brittany in her personal life or at Banríon?

Quotes

“I like to say: ‘never a victim, always an alchemist.’ So, when I have a setback…[or] get knocked down, how can I take that and flip the script and turn my pain into profits? How am I going to alchemize this situation? So, I do think that setbacks are really opportunities. ” - Brittany Mason

“I love going to do a little bit of neurofeedback once in a while because, again, that is a brain exercise. It’s like you're going to the gym with your brain. I noticed incredible improvements after trying neurofeedback.” - Brittany Mason

Links

• Brittany Mason on LinkedIn
• Brittany Mason on Instagram
• Banríon Capital Management
• Banríon Capital on Youtube
• “Piece of Me” by Britney Spears

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss Eric’s career, the importance of servant leadership, the future of Fintech and how to maintain perspective and resilience during life’s most challenging times.

• What originally inspired Eric to create the Orion platform and how did his personal values shape the company’s mission?
• As Orion grew, how did Eric maintain a company culture centered around purpose and service in such a fast moving and tech-driven industry?
• How does Eric see the role of the financial advisor evolving over the next decade? What skills or tools will be most critical for them moving forward?
• Which areas of fintech, or wealth tech, is Eric most excited about right now and how does he separate enduring innovation from hype?
• What has stepping back and leaving Orion taught Eric about leadership, identity and reinvention?
• How did Eric maintain perspective and resilience during difficult times in his leadership?
• Who were some mentors that really shaped Eric’s thinking and what advice does he now find himself passing on most often to the next generation of leaders?
• Did Eric have wellness practice or routines that really helped him through difficult moments throughout his leadership of Orion?
• Now that Eric has transitioned out of day-to-day leadership how does he define success? What is he investing in spiritually, mentally or physically to elevate his own life?
• What is a book that has influenced Eric’s life deeply?

Quotes

“One of the things that my father used to tell us when we were growing up and involved with different businesses, even outside the family RIA business, is he would tell us: ‘don’t ever ask someone to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself.’ In essence he installed a servant leadership value inside of us, as well as our family business, right away…When my father was running the business, it never really felt like we were working for him as much as he was there to be supportive of us.” - Eric Clarke

“All of the things that were difficult, as we were building and growing the Orion business, were also opportunities…When you solve those challenges, those challenges your competitors will face as well, hopefully you and your team are coming up with ways to innovate and create some opportunities to win [and to create] some additional competitive moats around the business.” - Eric Clarke

Links

• Eric Clarke on LinkedIn
• “Beautiful Day” by U2
• The Soul of Wealth by Dr. Daniel Crosby

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss Jim’s career, the relationship of company culture to performance, the human-side of investing and how firms that work remotely can still cultivate a strong company culture.

• What experience shifted Jim’s focus to the “human-side” of investing?
• Which one of Jim’s books best captures his philosophy today and what core message from that book still resonates with him?
• What separates high-performing investment cultures from the rest? Are there consistent traits or practices that stand out to Jim?
• What are some of the blind spots people have in regard to company culture?
• How does Jim define and measure culture in a firm in a way that’s practical and repeatable?
• What are some of the traits of what Jim calls “Red X Employees?” How should employers manage individuals like this?
• How can firms encourage and sustain curiosity and creativity in high pressure environments?
• For teams that work remotely, what are some of the best ways to create and sustain culture?
• What personal practices does Jim lean on to stay grounded, high-performing and aware in his life and in his work?
• Looking ahead, what gives Jim the most optimism about the future of investment leadership and culture?

Quotes

“In [my book, High Performing Investment Teams], we talk about seven behaviors we’ve seen with clients, overtime, that really make a difference. They are things like curiosity…they’re all skills, they’re all learnable. It’s not like you’re born curious or not. You may show up in life as more curious, for various reasons, but everybody can become curious ” - [06:00] Jim Ware

“[EQ] is the ticket to success. You know Warren Buffet said: ‘IQ gets you into the game and EQ puts you in the winner’s circle.’” - [52:00] Jim Ware

Links

• Jim Ware on LinkedIn
• Focus Consulting Group
• “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss Jurrien’s career, his uniquely narrative approach to technical analysis and his secrets for unlocking resilience and wellness in daily life.

• What has been most rewarding about working and growing in Jurrien’s career at Fidelity? Also, learn more about his current position
• Was there a formative moment in Jurrien’s career that shaped his approach to technical analysis?
• What does taking a long-term, historical approach mean to Jurrien in a world where there is so much noise, 24/7 news and market data?
• Where are we in the current cycle and what should long-term investors be paying attention to?
• What is going on with gold, and the dollar, and what does this all mean for asset allocation moving forward especially when the 60/40 model is being challenged?
• How does Jurrien use analogies and historical charts to communicate stories and how important is narrative in shaping investment strategy and guiding investor behavior?
• How can investors better accept the reality that “volatility is price of admission” in investing and stay disciplined when markets get turbulent?
• How does Jurrien maintain his physical, emotional and mental wellness?
• What is a book, idea, philosopher or thinker that has influenced Jurrien in investing or in life lately?
• Does Jurrien intentionally lean into difficult situations to build mental toughness?
• Does Jurrien have any other daily rituals, or tools, that help him stay creative and help him conserve mental bandwidth?

Quotes

“Some people want that big, bombastic call, like ‘buy or sell, you know crash or boom.’ To me, there’s not a lot of use in…these binary calls, you [have] like a 50/50 shot of being right [and] it’s not how people, in my view, should be making investment decisions. So, my stuff can seem a little hedged, nuanced or boring, but I want to help people make the best decisions…so there are no easy answers, people have to do it themselves. They have to do this with conviction so that whenever the market they’re investing in draws down, they have that sense of conviction and can bear through this.” - Jurrien Timmer

“The 60/40 paradigm is completely predicated on the assumption that bonds are inversely, or negatively, correlated to stocks. The point is that equities are the anchor, they are driving the bus in terms of your returns. Nothing compounds like equities over the long-term. The price for that compounding, of course, is that every other year you get a 10% correction, every four years you get a 20% bear market. So, that volatility, or those draw downs, are the price of admission...for gaining that 10-11% over time, which over decades really compounds in a meaningful way…From the late 90’s until 2021 that’s exactly what happened, but there have been many many decades before then, and certainly the last few years since then, where bonds have been positively correlated to equities” - Jurrien Timmer

Links

• Jurrien Timmer on LinkedIn
• Jurrien Timmer on Twitter
• Fidelity Investments
• “Watching the Planets” by The Flaming Lips

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we discuss the connection between cultivating discipline in your personal health routine and in the markets with Dr. Phil Pearlman.

• Learn more about Phil’s professional background and what he’s up to now.
• Why did Dr. Pearlman have to help himself before he was able to help others?
• When did Dr. Pearlman’s idea of “fitness alpha” take shape for him? Was there a personal tipping point?
• What does “fitness alpha” look like for Dr. Pearlman on a day-to-day basis?
• When it comes to activity and physical fitness, what are some of the biggest misconceptions people have?
• What kind of physiological changes are the most underrated in how they can impact resilience and adaptability?
• Behavioral Economics is often more focused on diagnosing problems than coming up with solutions. How can we do a better job of implementing the lessons of Behavioral Economics?
• How does cultivating discipline around your health translate to having discipline in the markets, or vice versa?
• What does Dr. Pearlman’s fitness routine look like today?
• Why are sleep and recovery so crucial in Dr. Pearlman’s idea of “fitness alpha?”
• What is “interoception” and why is it so commonly overlooked in the modern world?
• How does Dr. Pearlman help people cut through all the noise in the wellness sector and get started on their personal wellness plan?
• Is there one book, or one quote, that Dr. Pearlman comes back to again and again?

Quotes

“The idea of Alpha is that it’s outsized gains, or outsized losses, but in this case outsized gains relative to a benchmark…As I was getting healthier and healthier — losing  a bunch of weight, improving my cardiovascular capacity, improving my muscle mass, I was finding that I was performing better. Whether it was consulting, whether it was professionally…relationships improving in my private life, all aspects of my life were improving in the present…When we think about getting healthy, we usually think about the long-term…but there’s also…there’s multiple time frames, there’s the future aspect and there’s also the present aspect. Our performance improves as we get healthy and so it’s like fitness alpha and then the tagline is ‘get healthy, perform better.’ As I started looking into it more deeply, I started finding that there was all of this research that supported this.” - Phil Pearlman

“Once concept, that I think has really resonated with people, is this idea of priority stacking…because we take our health, we take arguable the most important thing in the universe…and a lot of times…we’re just kind of trying to fit it in [at the bottom of] this incredibly busy schedule…So for me, it’s like what is really your priority? [We take] that sort of smooshing it in at the bottom, if we have time, and pulling it out and putting it at the top of the stack.” - Phil Pearlman

Links

• Dr. Phil Pearlman
• The Pearl Institute
• “Ab-Souls Outro” by Kendrick Lamar
• No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners
• Tao Te Ching

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn

In this episode, we take a closer look at Dr. Daniel Crosby’s new book, The Soul of Wealth and some of its Behavioral Finance applications. In particular, we look at some of the most common behavioral mistakes investors make and what accounts for their persistence.

Tune in to hear:

• What brought Dr. Daniel Crosby from practicing Clinical Psychology to Behavioral Finance?
• What does the phrase “Soul of Wealth” mean to Dr. Crosby personally?
• How do Psychology, Finance and Philosophy all come together in Dr. Crosby’s new book, The Soul of Wealth?
• How would Dr. Crosby describe his three books and how they differ from one another?
• What does Dr. Crosby think is one of the most common behavioral mistakes that investors still make today and why are they so persistent?
• Has investor behavior actually improved with all of the tools and information that Behavioral Finance provides to investors?
• How can advisors instruct their clients on how to navigate their biases and better align their investments with their values using Behavioral Finance?
• What role does self-awareness play in becoming a better investor?
• How can we better integrate emotion and reason when making financial decisions?
• How does Dr. Crosby personally define a successful life?
• What routines, or practices, help Dr. Crosby maintain clarity, focus and purpose in his work?
• If someone only has the time to improve one thing about their financial life this year, what would Dr. Crosby recommend?

Quotes

“Those are the three things advisors can do. They can teach their clients, they can educate their clients on how markets work. They can attend to the environment, give them a portfolio that maximizes the likelihood of their ability to stay the course. [Lastly]...they can be a friend, they can encourage them, during that dark night of the soul, to stay the course” - Dr. Daniel Crosby

“Rather than trying to grit our teeth, and just be emotionless, I think it pays to put emotion on our side in ways that matter and try to make it work for us, because it’s always there” - Dr. Daniel Crosby

Links

• Dr. Daniel Crosby on LinkedIn
• The Soul of Wealth
• “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys

Connect with Us

• Rusty Vanneman on LinkedIn
• Robyn Murray on LinkedIn