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From the moment I met Henri le Grange, CFP® I was intrigued by the way they are building their practice, especially because it is inside a tied environment (not a franchise!) with a large well-known life assurance company.

In 2018 Henri entered the prestigious Financial Planner of the Year Competition and was one of the top five finalists.  We speak in depth about the competition, the lessons he learned and how they are using these lessons to better the practice.

A specific aspect that stood out is how they are building the practice around the practice itself and not around Henri or one of the other partners.  They extensively use Xplan in their business and we get Henri to share more about why they are using Xplan and the extent to which this is benefiting their practice.

Being situated in Kimberley, it was interesting to talk about how they get 95% of their clients, who sometimes have to drive 140 km, to have their meetings at the practice's office instead of going to see clients at their place of business or home.  Their approach to getting quality referrals instead of quantity is also interesting.

We end off the interview with Henri sharing some real pearls of wisdom.  Enjoy the episode!

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This is our tenth episode, but the first episode dedicated to talking about technology for financial advisers and planners.  Kirsty du Toit, CFP® together with Bennie Gouws, CFP®, Gary Winslow, CFP®, and Jonathan Brummer, CFA, CFP® recently started Work.That.Matters.

Their entire purpose is to help financial advisors have better conversations with clients.  Essentially, they are setting out to connect not only the head and the hands but also the heart. They believe that technology can be a critical enabler for this.  

They brought Asset-Map from America to South Africa.  Asset-Map is software-as-a-service (SaaS) that puts the client and the professional advisor on one page in a way that humans can actually understand.

We discuss the changing landscape, how technology has evolved and where technology is going.  We then discuss Asset-Map in detail and how it differs from the financial planning technology we have become accustomed to.

There is no "one system".  In future, practices will create their own technology stack that will enable them to achieve the outcomes they want and to run the practice in the way they want instead of trying to mold their practice around the software they use.

We also talk about what clients really want from Financial Advisors today.

We end off the episode with four questions Financial Advisors must ask and answer when evaluating financial planning software for their practice. 

If you are interested to learn more after listening to the episode:

Contact details: [email protected] or [email protected]

Website: www.workthatmatters.co.za

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Mduduzi Luthuli started Luthuli Capital, with his wife Trudy, two and a half years ago after he couldn't find the kind of wealth management job he envisioned.  He went through a horrendous ordeal in 2014 that strengthened his views, commitment and determination to become the best financial adviser and investment manager he can be to his clients.

Mduduzi managed to become a regular on both radio and television in this short space of time.  We delve deep into how he managed to do that and shares open-heartedly of how others can do it too.

We also talk about the importance of content creation and what to prepare yourself for when putting yourself and your brand out into the world of media.

He also uses social media and has a very interesting approach in how he learns to use social media and how to find guidance on what to do next and how to get better at social media.  He shares all of this in the podcast.

Mduduzi talks about being a Financial Therapist to clients and that the core function of a financial adviser is not creating strategies, determining asset allocation or finding the best opportunities.  It is translating the finance world into a meaningful language for the client and managing their behavior.

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Financial wellness is a topic we often discuss in relation to clients and consumers.  However, a challenge for many financial advisers, especially in the early days, is to manage their own finances while building a new practice and ensuring their own financial wellness.

Francois du Toit, CFP® discusses the first step that financial advisers can take to ensure financial wellness in their own lives.  He goes on to discuss good and bad debt for financial advisers, the "fake it 'till you make it" myth, the ramifications of financial unwellness on financial advisers, the two types of expenses and how it can help you make better money decisions, who financial advisers are taking advice from and he ends off with a solid strategy that will set financial advisers on the path of financial wellness.  From day one.

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Arno Burger, CFP® started his practice as a young, 25-year old in a flatlet at the back of his house in 1992.  His clear vision and strong work-ethic quickly got him to move to bigger offices.

In 1994 he started charging fees, and although it was by no means perfect, he pioneered the business model in South Africa in his own unique way.

We discuss what led him to make the change and the journey and learnings over the years and we get into detail about his model.  We discuss setting prices, something that is a challenge for most financial planners.

Arno discusses the structure of the business, FIDIUS, and their intentional approach to ensure clients do business with FIDIUS and not the individuals in the business.  We talk about the FIDIUS client experience, all the technology they employ and we get to know Arno a little better and find out how he gets away from the business when not working.

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With a career spanning over 25 years, Mariette Tappan decided to take herself out of her comfort zone.  To challenge herself.  With the aim of providing her clients with a powerful proposition by helping them through significant changes in their lives, so they can move forward.

This led her to the Financial Transitionist® Institute in America, founded by Susan Bradley.

It took her 12 months and lots of effort to receive her certification and to become the first Certified Financial Transitionist® Planner in Africa.

In this episode, we talk to Mariette about her early business life where she ran a successful import and export business and where the Helderberg disaster had a significant and unforeseen impact on the business (she shares the story with us).

She then joined the financial services industry and we find out what is driving her.

We talk in depth about what a Financial Transitionist® is, the process of becoming one and what it truly means for her and her clients.  We also talk about the concept of adaptive planning and the importance of resilience.

Something Mariette learned early on in her career... if you stand still, you fall behind.

Enjoy the episode!

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Wessel Oosthuizen, CFP® was the Director for the Centre for Financial Planning Law at the University of the Free State. A Centre entrusted with delivering financial planning education at undergraduate and postgraduate level to more than 1 000 students per year.

Today he is the Managing Director of Verso Wealth in Cape Town.

In the interview, we cover many aspects and challenges numerous people face in the financial planning profession and industry.

Wessel shares how he pushed himself from being in education to running a business with multiple offices.  He provides the best explanation we have ever heard about what Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) is in its essence.

We talk about ways that planning tools can be improved to be more client-centric.

A big challenge for the industry and profession as a whole is attracting young people.  A further challenge is to ensure they are successful.  We discuss the ways in which we can attract, accommodate and support these youngsters to offer them the highest possibility of long-term success in great detail.  Wessel also shares strategies and tactics young financial planners can use to set themselves up for success.

We also get into the whole fee vs commission debate.  How much fun can we have in one episode?

We end off the episode revealing some interesting facts about Wessel that very few people know!

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Russell Ho is a young, energetic, focused, driven and ambitious financial planner from Port Elizabeth.  Listening to him, it is hard to believe he has been in the financial planning profession for only 6 years.

This self-admitted addict of learning has amazing insights and valuable ideas, thoughts and advice for all financial professionals.

Russell talks about the experience he offers his clients and the process he follows to ensure he delivers every time.  Apart from talking about this in detail, we also get into the technology he uses to simplify his business and how to spot opportunities to automate aspects of one's practice.

We further talk about opportunities that older, more experienced and settled financial professionals are not utilizing and what they can do about it.

Lastly, Russell shares his opinion on where the industry and profession are going in the next 5 years and beyond.

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Many are considering to start their own FSP, brokerage or practice in 2019.  Of those, several want to build a bigger business employing a team of financial advisers.  Many are afraid to take the plunge in 2019 because of the uncertain times we are living in today.

In this episode we talk to Lizette Gerber CFP®, MBA, Head of Operations at Financial Solutions for Professionals, FS4P for short, a new independent financial services provider she is helping to build.  

She discusses their challenges, value proposition, unique remuneration structures, their unorthodox approach to targets (or are they targets?) and the approach they followed to ensure speed to market.

We also discuss their approach to recruitment and how they try to ensure they appoint only the right people for their business.

At the end, Lizette reveals some crazy facts about herself that left us in awe!

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Kobus Kleyn is a well-known financial planner who built his personal brand using the power of social media.  More specifically, Linkedin.  In this episode, Kobus opens the proverbial kimono and shares everything he does, how he does it, why he does it and how other financial professionals can do it as well.

 We get to know the man behind the well-known brand he created for himself.  Kobus reveals information about himself that has not been discussed on any other platform before, and why he does what he does.

 His story is inspirational, his purpose is noble, and his reasons for doing what he does is sincere.  The episode is jam-packed with value and golden nuggets of wisdom are handed out at every turn.

 Visit www.propulsion.co.za/ep2 for a free copy of Kobus Kleyn's book!