Model FA Podcast

Simon Severino is the founder of Strategy Sprints, an organization that helps SaaS and Services companies double their revenue in 90 days. Over his 19 years in entrepreneurship, Simon has executed hundreds of go-to-market strategies with B2B teams worldwide. He is also a business strategy advisor for several organizations including the Silicon Valley Blockchain Society, the Forbes Business Council, and Consilience Ventures. Simon graduated cum laude with a Mag. phil. in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Vienna and studied Innovation of Products and Services, MIT Design Thinking, and Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Simon joins me today to discuss how financial advisors and solopreneurs can increase their business' "returns on life." He explains why all business owners should build, scale, and run their companies for selling, even if they don't want to sell in the future. He outlines his method for creating multiple revenue streams and elaborates on what a "key person" risk is. He also highlights daily, weekly, and monthly habits entrepreneurs should have to drive success in their business and underscores what it means to fall in love with a problem while not obsessing over its solution.

"Focus on creating multiple revenue streams that stack up on each other, improving brand strength, and systematizing everything. Even if you don't want to sell your business, run it as if you want to sell." - Simon Severino

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• "Return on life," how it's different from ROIs, and how people can benefit from it
• The value of exit planning and why many people regret selling their businesses
• How financial advisors can free up time and build more returns on life
• Removing your "key person" risk and creating activation stages in your business
• How to build a high-value sellable business
• How to create multiple revenue streams and how doing so increases your business's resilience
• Daily, weekly, and monthly habits for every successful entrepreneur and CEO
• The powerful habits of every successful entrepreneur and CEO
• The importance of determining how you spend your time throughout the day
• The four quadrants of the energy audit
• Turning fixed costs into variable costs to increase flexibility in the business
• How to create a resilient cost structure and cash flow

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Many people who exit their businesses regret doing so because they don't have a well-defined plan. Ensure that you paint a clear vision of how you're going to spend your days upon the sale of your business." - David DeCelle
• "Return on life isn't just about the future, but the here and now and ensuring that you have a well-balanced life." - David DeCelle
• "Every excellent achiever is habitual. Anybody who has built, scaled, and sold a business with success is habit-driven." - Simon Severino

Connect with Simon Severino:

• Strategy Sprints
• Book: Strategy Sprints: 12 Ways to Accelerate Growth for an Agile Business
• Strategy Sprints on LinkedIn
• Strategy Sprints on Instagram
• Strategy Sprints on Facebook
• Strategy Sprints on Twitter
• Simon Severino on LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Gregory Johnson is the co-founder and CEO of Rubicon Crypto, an organization that helps investors, financial advisors, and institutions bridge the gap between the digital and traditional investment worlds. Greg has over two decades of leadership experience that spans Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in crypto and digital assets, health and wellness, insurance, and financial services. In addition to his work at Rubicon, Greg is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and part of the GeoTech Action Council for the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center.

Greg joins me today to discuss how financial advisors can include cryptocurrency in their portfolio of services. He describes how major financial institutions are gearing up for the wide adoption of cryptocurrency. He explains how advisors can manage their emotions and expectations about cryptocurrency in a volatile market. He also reveals how financial advisors can evaluate the potential of a crypto project and underscores how Rubicon helps advisors begin their journey in cryptocurrency.

"All major institutional players are gearing up for what we believe to be the greatest reallocation of wealth in the history of the industry." - Greg Johnson

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Greg's background and journey to financial services and cryptocurrency
• Why financial advisors should think about including cryptocurrency in their client services
• Hurdles that prevent financial advisors from adopting cryptocurrency
• How Rubicon Cryptocurrency educates their partner RIAs and financial advisors about cryptocurrency
• Managing emotions and expectations through a volatile market
• Due diligence for cryptocurrency and how advisors can sift through crypto "garbage"
• Tokenomics and evaluating the potential of a crypto project
• Regulatory considerations and issues in cryptocurrency
• How managing fees are split up when advisors partner with a firm like Rubicon
• Mastery and the importance of embracing the plateaus of your life

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard
• MIT OpenCourseWare: Blockchain and Money with Prof Gary Gensler

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Whether we're in a bull market or a 'crypto winter,' people will either say 'see, I told you,' or switch camps along the way." - David DeCelle
• "Though the stock market is volatile currently, it tends to be more stable over time—more than how people perceive the crypto space." - David DeCelle
• "Most of the crypto and token projects out there look and feel like securities, behaving like stocks in many aspects." - Greg Johnson

Connect with Greg Johnson:

• Rubicon Crypto
• Rubicon Crypto on LinkedIn
• Greg Johnson on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Kevin Stansfield is an award-winning business coach, author, and keen golfer. He is the Founder and Director of ActionCOACH Solent in the UK, a company offering business coaching to small to medium-sized organizations. Their objective is to help clients clarify their dreams and goals for the future and make a plan to achieve those dreams and goals, whatever they may be. Before ActionCOACH, Kevin qualified as a Chartered Accountant, working with businesses, and helping them to grow successfully. After completing an MBA in 2006, he changed his career direction and focused more on business planning, growth and development and less on the financial aspects of business.

Kevin joins me today to discuss how ActionCOACH helps business owners and senior executives to realize their full potential and take their businesses to the next level of success. He explains the importance of working less so that you can spend more time doing what you love. Kevin highlights ideas around building a team and delegating the right way so that you don't get overworked and ultimately burn out.

"If you want to work less, you got to be clear what work less looks like."- Kevin Stansfield

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• How Kevin benefits from ARI; a business where he gets to do business networking while playing golf.
• Kevin's background and he got started in business coaching.
• Common mistakes business owners do which lead them to overwork and burnout.
• Kevin's simple formula to help people start building a life to better leverage their time.
• Kevin's one nugget of advice for success.
• The power of the Reticular Activating System (RAS) and its relationship with your goals.
• Finding a mentorship that can lead to achieving your time leveraging goals.
• The benefits of following through with the advice a mentor provides.
• The differences between working with a mentor vs. a business coach
• Building the confidence to delegate.
• How performing a time audit can help you assess what tasks need to be delegated.
• The importance of taking time for self-care.
• The commonality that people run their business as a technician and not as an entrepreneur.

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: The Big Dipper by Kevin Stansfield
• Book: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
• Book: The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• Book: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
• Book: How Full is your Bucket? by Tom Rath
• Book: The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
• Book: Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "You'll learn more from failure than you do from success." - David DeCelle
• "You can work because you choose to work, …not because you have to work. – Kevin Stansfield
• "Successful people are good problem solvers because they've solved their problems to get where they are." - David DeCelle

Connect with Kevin Stansfield:

• ActionCOACH Solent
• ActionCOACH Solent on Facebook
• ActionCOACH Solent of YouTube
• ActionCOACH Solent on Twitter
• Kevin Stansfield on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Justin Fitzpatrick is the Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Income Lab, the only provider of software for true, dynamic retirement income plans that help retirees adjust to evolving economic and market conditions. Justin has over 15 years of financial services experience, leading teams in advanced financial planning and portfolio strategy, managing the development of fintech tools, and designing and executing strategies to enter new markets. He served as the Head of Private Wealth and Trust of Jackson from 2008 to 2018, when he co-founded Income Lab. Prior to Jackson, Justin served for seven years in academia, teaching at Harvard University, the University of London, UCLA, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also received his Ph.D. in Linguistics.

Justin joins me today to discuss retirement income planning and the superpowers of retirees. He explains why he transitioned to financial services and entrepreneurship after working in academia. He breaks down the most significant gap in retirement income planning and how that gap inspired the founding of Income Lab. He also outlines common reasons adjustments are made in a retirement income plan and discusses how the Income Lab software helps advisors provide clients with a realistic view of what retirement could look like.

"An advisor who can leverage retirees' superpower to adjust will deliver so much more value and experience than presenting their clients with the idea that they're either going to succeed or fail." - Justin Fitzpatrick

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Justin's time in academia and his studies in linguistics
• The huge gap in retirement income planning
• How Income Lab helps advisors leverage retirees' superpowers
• Reasons to make adjustments in a retirement plan
• How advisors can communicate the advantages of Income Lab tech to their clients
• How Income Lab simulates income risk in retirement
• Income Lab's integration with other financial planning platforms and CRMs

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Life happens for you—it's up to you to determine why it's happening, how you can shift your perspective, and how you can learn and grow from it." - David DeCelle
• "Sometimes advisors have great experiences with clients; sometimes, not so much. But if you can stop, reflect, and learn, any scenario you find yourself in can be beneficial." - David DeCelle
• "Just like in their working years, people In retirement will adjust as things develop—as they learn about what world they're actually living through." - Justin Fitzpatrick

Connect with Justin Fitzpatrick:

• Income Lab
• Income Lab on LinkedIn
• Income Lab on Facebook
• Income Lab on Twitter
• Income Lab on YouTube
• Justin Fitzpatrick on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Nic Nielsen is a certified financial planner and the Co-founder of Know My Plan, a firm that helps sales executives feel confident and reduce financial anxiety with a one-page financial plan. He is the author of Visual Finance, which shares illustrations of financial planning topics alongside corresponding QR codes to short videos that elaborate upon real-life financial planning applications. Before co-founding Know My Plan, Nic served as Vice President and Financial Advisor for SunTrust Investment Services. He was also a financial advisor for PNC, where he worked for over five years before joining SunTrust. Nic graduated from the University of Saint Francis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration.

Nic joins me today to discuss the one-page financial plan, its contents, and its impact. He shares what made him transition to the world of finance after initially studying engineering in college and the inspiration behind the one-page financial plan. He explains what his clients think about the one-page financial plan and how content creation on LinkedIn transformed Know My Plan's business. He also highlights how creating content shortens the sales process and underscores the power of simplifying financial plans.

"There's no one way to do a financial plan. The best financial plan is the one that somebody can stick to and implement." - Nic Nielsen

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Nic's background, how he learned about investing, and his beginnings in financial planning
• Why people transition to the independent financial advisory world
• The origins and content of the one-page financial plan
• How clients perceive the one-page financial plan
• The DIEM process and how creating content transformed Nic's business
• The value of diversifying content and how often Nic posts on LinkedIn
• How many leads Nic would get in the early stages of creating content
• The power of networking on LinkedIn and why salespeople appreciate the one-page financial plan
• Breaking the feast/famine cycle and how creating content shortens the sales process

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Social media, when executed properly, can really be a Swiss army knife for prospecting, lead flow, adding value, and staying relevant in between your reviews with clients." - David DeCelle
• "Salespeople are one of the biggest groups of people that will appreciate the simplicity of a one-page financial plan." - David DeCelle
• "The beauty of marketing is that when you put out to the world what your process is, the people you attract self-select." - Nic Nielsen

Connect with Nic Nielsen:

• Know My Plan
• Email: [email protected]
• Book: Visual Finance
• Know My Plan on LinkedIn
• Nic Nielsen on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Erica Pauly is a data storyteller for financial advisors and the Founder of Track That Advisor, a data analytics company that helps financial advisors bring clarity to company statistics. Before founding Track That Advisor, Erica worked as the Office Operations Manager and Marketing Director for GrowSecure Inc. Insurance and Financial Services and as the Marketing and Office Manager for the Layman Lewis Financial Group. As a data analyst and storyteller, Erica's unique perspective and approach to data storytelling bring a fresh perspective and holistic view to financial advisory practices across the nation.

Erica joins me today to discuss the power of tracking various metrics in your financial advisory practice. She outlines the top activities financial advisors should track in their practice and shares her recommendations on costs-per-client, close rates, and average case sizes. She describes the data analytics and storytelling process and explains how Track That Advisor fills in the gap between data gathering and data analytics. She also debunks common misconceptions about data tracking and analytics and discusses the first steps financial advisors can take to start tracking their data.

"Advisors are salespeople, but owning an advisory practice means you need to put on a CEO hat—and that's where good data and reporting can help." - Erica Pauly

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Erica's background and her journey to data analytics and founding Track That Advisor
• Model FA's energy audit and the power of making data-informed decisions
• Creating a constellation of data points and the top five activities or metrics to track in an advisory practice
• The value of tracking your practice's close rate and average case size
• Erica's recommended benchmark for costs-per-client and ROIs
• Why new financial advisors need to focus on referrals and building relationships with centers of influence
• Why ROIs could be a false summit
• Debunking myths around tracking metrics and data analytics
• Building the habit of tracking your business's data and how much time it takes to track data daily

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
• Book: What the Heck Is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer
• Book: Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best by Eugene H. Peterson

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Anything you can track and measure, you can manage and improve." - David DeCelle
• "Regardless of your industry or experience, you're not going to close 100% of the people you meet." - David DeCelle
• "Data analytics shows the picture, but identifying the problems and taking action on them is where the gold is." - Erica Pauly

Connect with Erica Pauly:

• Track That Advisor
• Book: Tracking Your Trek: Looking Backward to Determine Your Forward
• Track That Advisor on LinkedIn
• Erica Pauly on LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

James Jurica is the Director of Advisor Development at Wealth Watch Advisors, a discretionary, fee-based money management firm committed to developing and implementing financial strategies to meet the personal goals of its clients. Within Wealth Watch Advisors, James founded Taggart Wealth Management, in which he serves as the Lead Financial Advisor. Before joining Wealth Watch Advisors, James worked as a development manager at New York Life Insurance Company, where he started his career in the financial services industry as an agent. James holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

James joins me today to discuss how financial advisors can thrive in the independent space. He describes his transition from studying psychology in college to working in the financial services industry. He explains how he began his journey in the independent financial advisory space after working with New York Life Insurance Company. He also highlights the value of differentiating yourself as a financial advisor and offers advice to young people who want to work in the financial services industry after graduating from college.

"Seeing the unique ways you can work with your clients, as well as the solutions and planning opportunities in the RIA space, was extremely eye-opening; I knew it was going to be where I'd spend the rest of my career." - James Jurica

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• James' background and how he began his career in the financial services industry
• How having mentors helped James manage the struggles of starting a career in financial services
• Common issues and challenges new financial advisors face
• What encouraged James to explore the independent financial advisory space
• James' advice to young people who want to get started in the independent financial advisory industry after studying in college
• His role as Director of Advisor Development at Wealth Watch Advisors and how it's different from his previous experiences
• Building relationships and the value of staying relevant to your prospects' lives
• James' vision for the future of his financial advisory practice

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Blend Out: From Ordinary To Irresistible: How Advisors Can Market Like the Greatest Brands in the World by Robert Sofia
• Book: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by John David Mann & Bob Burg
• Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Book: The Latte Factor: Why You Don't Have to be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach and John David Mann

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Having the appropriate mentors that can communicate their intentions for staying on top of you could be instrumental to people's success." - David DeCelle
• "Advisors who have been in the business for over 20 years are still learning; you've got to speed up your learning curve by having conversations with different types of personalities." - David DeCelle
• "Ask for referrals and have your centers of influence. If you focus on building a database of names, marketing to and cultivating it for years, you may never need to prospect ever again." - James Jurica

Connect with James Jurica:

• Wealth Watch Advisors
• Wealth Watch Advisors on LinkedIn
• James Jurica on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Natalie Wolfsen is the CEO of AssetMark, a WealthTech platform that empowers independent financial advisors to deliver impactful investor outcomes and grow their practices. As CEO of AssetMark, Natalie is focused on leading the company's strategic vision, which encompasses its platform of curated investment and tech solutions, business consulting and operations support, and strategic acquisitions. Before joining AssetMark, Natalie served in several leadership roles, including Head of Marketing for First Eagle Investment Management and Head of Product Management and Development for Pershing. Natalie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Master of Business Administration from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.

Natalie joins me today to discuss how financial advisors can ensure that service is at the heart of everything they do in their practice. She explains how advisors can maintain deep and meaningful relationships with their clients during unstable market conditions. She outlines the different growth paths financial advisors can follow to take the next step in their careers and offers advice on being a senior leader in an organization. Natalie also describes the financial behaviors of different generations of investors and underscores why communication is essential to a financial advisor's success.

"Service is a choice—you choose to invest in it, you choose to be client-focused, and you have to be investing and improving all the time. A client culture means a service culture" - Natalie Wolfsen

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Natalie's background and her journey to becoming the CEO of AssetMark
• How to thrive in a senior leadership role
• Why knowing a broad range of topics is essential to being a leader
• Finding career opportunities and how to not let fear get in the way
• How to help clients stay the course and reach their goals during a turbulent market environment
• AssetMark's volatility toolkit
• The importance of communicating with clients during a bad market condition
• Specialization and other multiple growth paths for financial advisors
• How AssetMark is helping independent financial advisors thrive in a mass of players around them.
• Model FA's Energy Audit and what a client-focused service model looks like
• The feedback marketing methodology and what it means to have a "client culture"
• Servicing the emerging generation of investors
• Understanding the fears and behaviors of different generations of investors

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
• Book: Who, Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "A lot of the problems advisors face could be solved by just being a good human." - David DeCelle
• "Your business becomes more valuable if you're working with multiple generations—especially with younger investors who are in the accumulation stage." - David DeCelle
• "It feels great to be an expert in one thing; but it's hard to take that to the next level, because you need to lead people and teams that do more than that, and your perspective needs to be a lot broader." - Natalie Wolfsen

Connect with Natalia Wolfsen:

• AssetMark
• AssetMark on LinkedIn
• AssetMark on Facebook
• AssetMark on Twitter
• Natalia Wolfsen on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Blake Brewer is the founder of the Legacy Letter Challenge, which helps parents create a lasting legacy beyond finances for their children and partners with financial advisors to help them become trusted partners in their clients' lives. Blake has created a 10-step online program in the Legacy Letter Challenge to help parents create well-written, meaningful, and lasting letters that their children will cherish. Before founding the Legacy Letter Challenge, he worked for over 12 years as a campus director for the non-profit, Student Mobilization. Blake holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas.

Blake joins us today to share how his father inspired him to help parents create legacies for their children. He discusses the power of words and writing letters and explains how he helps financial advisors become trusted partners in their clients' lives. He also highlights the importance of writing Legacy Letters and describes how it's impacting parents and their children.

"We want to help our clients to have more than financial legacies. We want to help them pass down their virtues and invest in their children." - Blake Brewer

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Blake's story and why he's passionate about helping parents create legacies for their children
• The impact of having really good life insurance
• The value of having a trusted financial advisor in your life
• How the Legacy Letter Challenge has helped financial advisors
• How the Legacy Letter Challenge program works for families and their financial advisors
• The best time to give a Legacy Letter to children

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Take Back Your Family: From the Tyrants of Burnout, Busyness, Individualism, and the Nuclear Ideal by Jefferson Bethke

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Sometimes, I'm not the best with spoken words. I always buy a blank card and write, because it's difficult to articulate at the moment—and you can articulate your message differently or better in writing." - Davi DeCelle
• "The Legacy Letter's impact on families is priceless and invaluable." - David DeCelle
• "Your children will have decisions they'll get through. You'll want your words to influence them and have that deeper relationship—your words can provide the confidence they need to do well." - Blake Brewer

Connect with Blake Brewer:

• Legacy Letter Challenge
• Legacy Letter Challenge for Model FAs
• Legacy Letter Challenge on LinkedIn
• Legacy Letter Challenge on Instagram
• Legacy Letter Challenge on Facebook
• Blake Brewer on LinkedIn
• Blake Brewer on Instagram

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Michael Hanna is a certified financial planner, retirement income certified professional, and an accredited estate planner. He is also an investment adviser representative at Azura Wealth Advisers LLC, a company dedicated to helping clients navigate the real financial world. Michael graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Philosophy from New York University, where he also completed his Master of Business Administration degree at the Stern School of Business. He is the author of the book, Get Your Money Right, which shares a roadmap and infrastructure—drawn from his personal experience—that can help create real and permanent wealth in readers' lives.

Michael joins us today to discuss why financial advisors should build financial infrastructures for themselves. He explains the importance of keeping the right investing mindset during an economic downturn and keeping the end in mind when creating financial goals. He shares his thoughts on financial advisors sharing their personal financial plans and goals with their clients. Michael also highlights the value of celebrating your progress toward your financial goals and outlines the first steps advisors can take to keep their financial house in order.

"It's important for financial advisors to care for their finances because it puts them in a position to lead by example. It's hard to show somebody what to do with their money when you have not done it yourself with your own money." - Michael Hanna

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Michael's background and how he realized the importance of having a strong financial infrastructure in business
• Why it's important to continue making contributions to your 401k even during a market downturn
• What it means to begin with the end in mind when creating financial infrastructures
• Gamifying progress toward your financial goals
• Whether financial advisors seek other advisors when making financial plans
• How financial advisors can put themselves and their families in a better financial situation
• The first steps to take toward getting your financial house in order

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Advisors should have an advisor. It's always great to have a second pair of eyes, a sounding board, someone to support you or keep you on track if you're slightly going off." - Michael Hanna
• "Everyone's a great investor when doing it in hindsight, but making changes based on emotions will bite you in the butt moving forward." - David DeCelle
• "Clients can feel if you're actually empathetic or if you're blowing smoke to keep them contributing for your personal benefit." - David DeCelle

Connect with Michael Hanna:

• Azura Wealth
• Book: Get Your Money Right: An Insider's Guide to Simplified Wealth
• Michael Hanna on LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.