Practical Wisdom from ACP Financial Advisors

Most advisors can describe what their ideal financial planning practice would look like. But building that practice takes intention and a commitment to your vision. Our guest, Jennifer Harper, MBA, CFP®, founder of Bridge Financial Planning, serves on ACP's Training Committee, and has grown a thriving firm founded squarely on the fiduciary standard and a commitment to how she believes clients deserve to be served. Her practice continues to grow, even after moving to Portugal and serving clients remotely.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Jennifer Harper, please visit www.BridgeFinancialPlanning.com.

Each member of ACP brings their own distinctive background to their practice, blending different ingredients into a recipe that turns out to be exactly what a particular client niche is looking for. Our guest, Marjorie L. Rand, CPA, CFP®, RICP®, founder of Rand Financial Planning, serves on ACP's Finance Committee, and fashioned her practice from her own unique blend of extraordinary tax expertise, a specialty in retirement planning, and an unshakable commitment to the fiduciary standard. And also, dogs. Learn why dogs provide a key approach to the fiduciary standard.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Marge Rand, please visit https://RandFinancialPlanning.com.

Most financial advisors would love to work with likeminded people with similar beliefs and worldviews to their own, but are wary of being too outspoken or transparent online so as to not alienate potential clients or lose business. Our guests, Zach Teutsch, Founder and Managing Partner of Values Added Financial, and Tim Caban, EA, CFP®, Founder and President of Copper Beech Advisors, have both built successful financial advisory practices by being open about their political beliefs and worldviews on social and digital media, attracting right-fit clients while discouraging those that are less compatible. In this episode exploring differing perspectives, guest hosted by Marie Swift of Impact Communications, we discuss how this strategy works in practice, how it can shape an advisor's client base, and what it means for trust and long-term relationships.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Tim Caban, please visit www.CopperBeechAdvisors.com. To learn more about Zach Teutsch, please visit www.ValuesAddedFinancial.com.

ACP members come from a wide range of backgrounds. One of the benefits all members receive from ACP is a system and set of processes that enables ACP advisors to deliver a superior financial planning experience to clients. But where does that system come from? And what's the process for keeping the ACP system not just up to date, but on the cutting edge? Our guest, Fran Goldman, CFP®, MBA, Senior Wealth Advisor with Mercer Advisors, has played an instrumental role in shaping and advancing the toolkit and practices that empower ACP advisors. Uncover the collaborative process behind keeping the ACP system both current and forward-thinking, with insights from a leader dedicated to elevating the profession.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Fran Goldman, please visit www.MercerAdvisors.com/Meet-Our-Team/Fran-Goldman

It's all too common for investors to be seduced by the illusion that careful stock-picking leads to outsized returns. Most of the time, though, the results are disappointing. Our guest, Jonathan Bird, CFP®, CWS®, explains what our clients should be doing instead, and how he plans to change the way everyone invests... by doubling the size of his practice year over year. He also discusses why he values being a member of ACP.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Jonathan Bird, please visit www.FarnamFinancial.com

Comprehensive financial planners are experts at helping our clients manage their money in support of their goals. But what about the advisor’s own financial picture? Who’s advising them? Our guest, Brooklyn Brock, CFP®, CEPA®, ChFC®, founder of Ellevate Advisors, discusses her work as an advisor to financial advisors, helping them to reach financial independence and establish successful exit plans.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Brooklyn Brock, please visit www.EllevateAdvisors.com

Recorded on location at ACP's Annual Conference held November 2023 in Spokane, Washington, this special episode is a collage of ideas from a sampling of ACP financial planners. Sharing best ideas from the last year and what they started doing in 2023 that they think would help other advisors in 2024, ACP advisors were asked to provide their top tips, tools, and words of wisdom when it comes to running and managing an independent advisory firm. Ten members are featured here (plus one ACP partner), offering thoughts on industry organizations, methodologies, niching, outsourcing, systemization, automation, fintech and software solutions, and more.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org.

Featured in this episode:

Michael Garber, CFP®, CRTP, MSEE, Founder of Michael Garber Financial Planning

Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, Founder of Padden Financial Planning

Kelly Adams, CFP®, RLP®, EA, Founder of Harbor Light Planning

Tim Massie, CFP®, Founder of Timepiece Financial Planning

Steven Jarvis, CPA, MBA, Founder of Retirement Tax Services

Wesley Stien, CFP®, MBA, Principal at Lodestar Financial Management

Steve Martin, CFP®, CPA, JD, LLM, Owner of Oasis Wealth Planning Advisors

Ken Robinson, CFP®, JD, Founder of Practical Financial Planning

Elizabeth Buffardi, CFP®, CPA, Founder of Crescendo Financial Planners

Thomas Cook, CFP®, EA, Founder of Retire To Tellico

Laura Rotter, CFA, MBA, CFP®, Founder of True Abundance Advisors

A lot of the financial planning industry focuses on investments because of their “something-for-nothing” feeling. But how do you advise clients on the whole of their financial lives? Our guest, Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, founder of Padden Financial Planning and ACP Immediate Past President, discusses what it takes to deliver a complete financial plan and why it’s important to look beyond investments alone.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Sheila Padden, please visit www.PaddenFinancial.com

Recorded on location at ACP's Annual Conference held September 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this special episode is a collage of ideas from a sampling of ACP financial planners. Advisors were asked to provide their top tips, tools, and words of wisdom when it comes to running and managing an independent advisory firm. Ten members are featured here, offering thoughts on industry organizations, methodologies, visualization methods, profiles, niching, outsourcing, systemization, automation, fintech solutions and softwares, and more.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org.

ACP members featured in this episode:

Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, Founder of Padden Financial Planning

Cordi Powell, CFP®, EA, Founder of Favored Financial Planning

Bridget Sullivan Mermel, CFP®, CPA, Founder of Sullivan Mermel, Inc.

John Scherer, CFP®, Founder of Trinity Financial Planning

Kelly Adams, CFP®, RLP®, EA, Founder of Harbor Light Planning

Rorik Larson, MBA, CFP®, EA, Founder of Essential Financial Strategies

Brian Leben, CFP®, PFS, CPA, MBA, CGMA, Owner of Midwest Wealth Solutions

Wendy Marsden, CFP®, CPA, Founder of ProsperiTea Planning

Zach Teutsch, Founder of Values Added Financial

Hannah Basil Bryant, CFP®, Financial Advisor at Savant Wealth Management

As our financial planning practices grow, we sometimes find ourselves stuck on plateaus, facing problems that can’t be solved by working harder. How do we make progress when the tools we’ve used up til now won’t get us to our next professional goal? The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) could provide the answer. Our guests, Al Davis, CFP®, EA, founder of Davis Financial Planning, and Adrianne Gordon, CEO & Partner, discuss how they use EOS to navigate the continued growth of their firm.

To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Al Davis and Adrianne Gordon, please visit www.DavisFinancialPlanning.com