The Elite Financial Advisor Podcast With Sten Morgan

In this episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, welcomes Adam Knorr, CEO of Take Action Copy and co-founder of InfluenceLab, to unpack what it really takes to turn LinkedIn into booked meetings: realistic timelines, a clear niche, and DMs that sound like a person instead of a brochure.

Adam spent six years as a wholesaler at Jackson National and AllianceBernstein before leaving in 2022 to write. He now ghostwrites LinkedIn content for financial advisors and built InfluenceLab, a tool that coaches advisors on their own drafts while keeping their voice. He explains why you should give LinkedIn 90 days before judging it, why most DIY advisors get more from outbound DMs than from posts, and why the people who never comment are often the ones who book.

Prospecting is the first of the three focus areas of EAN's Elite Model, and this conversation is a practical playbook for making content one piece of your prospecting, not the whole plan. Adam also covers who shouldn't bother with LinkedIn, how to vet a content agency, and why YouTube can win on leads.

As Adam puts it: "You guys preach compound interest to your clients every single day. It's no different here."

In This Episode

• LinkedIn is the long game. Give it 90 days, and expect results to compound, not show up overnight.
• Two things have to be true: a posting rhythm you can keep without burning out, and a clear niche. The generalist is everybody's second option.
• Write DMs the way you text a friend: short messages, no paragraphs, and never the words "comprehensive" or "holistic."
• Most leads come from lurkers who read for months and never comment, so don't judge your content by the likes.
• No 30 minutes a day (or a teammate to cover it)? Don't post. If you have it, start with one post a week and build the habit.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction

00:26 - From journalism to wholesaling to LinkedIn ghostwriting

02:32 - Why LinkedIn needs 90 days before you judge it

09:05 - What has to be true: consistency and a clear niche

16:33 - Content or DMs, and how to write DMs that sound human

20:14 - Who shouldn't do LinkedIn at all

21:46 - Why YouTube can beat LinkedIn for leads

23:52 - Lurkers, lead magnets and the funnel

27:31 - How to vet a content agency

29:09 - Building InfluenceLab

Get the Free Episode Companion Guide:

Want the cheat sheet? Our one-page companion guide covers the LinkedIn blueprint, core insights, and four action steps.

Grab your free copy here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-podcast-companion-page?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Take the Free EliteIndex:

Where do you fall between average and Elite? This free 5-minute assessment shows how the Elite Model can help you get paid for what you know instead of what you sell.

Take the EliteIndex here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/eliteindex/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Sten Morgan's book shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. Claim your free copy - just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Take the Prospecting Course:

Prospecting is the first focus area of the Elite Model. Five self-guided lessons and a workbook help you find the strategies that fit you and leave with a 30-day plan you'll actually run.

Start the Prospecting Course here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/prospecting-course/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

See upcoming Elite Advisor Live events here:

https://www.eliteadvisorlive.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Apply to ElitePlus:

ElitePlus is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite: proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you grow at a higher level.

Apply for ElitePlus here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/eliteplus/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Connect With Elite Advisor Network

Website: https://eadvisornetwork.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_255_adam_knorr

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elite-financial-advisor-podcast-with-sten-morgan/id1601321140

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-advisor-network

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EliteAdvisorNetwork

#EliteAdvisorNetwork #FinancialAdvisor #StenMorgan #LinkedInMarketing #AdvisorMarketing #FinancialPlanning #AdvisorGrowth

In this episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, is joined by Chuck Downs, founder of Epic Success Coaching and a former Northwestern Mutual managing director, to talk about the inner game behind elite performance: why some advisors break through while others stay stuck, and what it takes to rewire the programming holding you back.

After 25 years as an advisor and leader of advisors, Chuck now coaches high performers on letting go of who they're not. He explains how inherited stories become adopted beliefs and conditioned behaviors, how neuroplasticity lets you rewire fear, doubt, and regret, and why success alone just gives you a bigger stage to feel the fear.

Communication is one of the three pillars of EAN's Elite Model, and this conversation shows how the inner work changes the way you show up with clients and your team - less pushing, more pulling people in. Chuck also shares a simple daily practice to start feeling the emotions you actually want.

As Chuck puts it: "Nobody lives up to their potential. Everyone lives up to their programming."

In This Episode

• Nobody lives up to their potential - everyone lives up to their programming: the stories, beliefs, and behaviors you inherited.
• Neuroplasticity means you can rewire old pathways of fear, doubt, and regret into empowering thoughts and productive behaviors.
• Success doesn't remove fear or insecurity. It just gives you a bigger stage to feel it.
• You can't hit a target you can't see: name the emotions you want to feel, write them into a first-person vision, and see and feel it daily.
• Don't let other people's reactions decide yours. Swap "that's not fair" for curiosity and compassion.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and a full-circle reunion

01:28 - From advisor to coaching human potential

03:31 - The movable middle: why some advisors break through

05:31 - Neural pathways and neuroplasticity

13:00 - Why success gives you a bigger stage to feel the fear

18:54 - Magnetism: why people want to be around you

21:52 - Step one: name the emotions you want to feel

25:29 - Don't let others determine how you react

29:26 - Balancing the inner work with running the business

Get the Free Episode Companion Guide:

Want the cheat sheet? Our one-page companion guide covers the rewire blueprint, core insights, and four action steps.

Grab your free copy here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-podcast-companion-page?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Take the Free EliteIndex:

Where do you fall between average and Elite? This free 5-minute assessment shows how the Elite Model can help you get paid for what you know instead of what you sell.

Take the EliteIndex here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/eliteindex/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Take the Prospecting Course:

Prospecting is the first focus area of the Elite Model. Five self-guided lessons and a workbook help you find the strategies that fit you and leave with a 30-day plan you'll actually run.

Start the Prospecting Course here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/prospecting-course/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Sten Morgan's book shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. Claim your free copy - just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

Learn more about Elite Advisor Live here:

https://www.eliteadvisorlive.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Apply to Elite+:

Elite+ is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite: proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you grow at a higher level.

Apply for Elite+ here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/eliteplus/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Connect With Elite Advisor Network

Website: https://eadvisornetwork.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_254_chuck_downs

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elite-financial-advisor-podcast-with-sten-morgan/id1601321140

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-advisor-network

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EliteAdvisorNetwork

Subscribe

Subscribe for more conversations and training to help financial advisors reject average and become elite.

#EliteAdvisorNetwork #FinancialAdvisor #StenMorgan #Neuroplasticity #AdvisorMindset #FinancialPlanning #AdvisorGrowth

In this episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, talks with Dr. Jordan Hutchison, VP of Technology and Operations at RFG Advisory, about what keeps great advisors in flow: time well spent, technology that removes friction, and a business built around the work that actually fulfills you.

Jordan has sat in nearly every seat in the industry - advisor, coach, fintech builder, XY Planning Network, Shaping Wealth, and now RFG - while earning a doctorate in behavioral finance. He shares why a financial plan is an ongoing process rather than a static printout, and why clients still come back to one question: am I going to be okay?

Communication and building a financial plan are two of the three pillars of EAN's Elite Model, and Jordan makes the case that great communication only works when you know the nuts and bolts - plus why change isn't always the answer when deciding where your practice should land.

In This Episode

• Time well spent: build and choose tools that remove friction instead of draining your day.
• Planning is an ongoing process, and clients still want to know "am I going to be okay?"
• The future advisor is a great communicator who still knows the nuts and bolts.
• Beware the action bias. Change isn't always the right move - self-reflection comes first.
• Build around what fulfills you, and pick a platform that supports it.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and basketball

05:06 - A senior-year wake-up call and a financial planning master's

07:51 - Trying almost every job in the industry

15:57 - What RFG does and Jordan's role

17:04 - Click One and the principle of "time well spent"

20:28 - Is financial planning the tip of the spear?

22:23 - Why planning is ongoing, not static

25:27 - The future advisor's core skill set

27:20 - "If I close that open book, do you know what you did?"

30:20 - Is change a good thing? The action bias

31:46 - Build the business that fulfills you

Get the Free Episode Companion Guide:

Want the cheat sheet? Our one-page companion guide covers the flow blueprint, core insights, and four action steps.

Grab your free copy here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-podcast-companion-page?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Take the Free EliteIndex:

Where do you fall between average and Elite? This free 5-minute assessment shows how the Elite Model can help you get paid for what you know instead of what you sell.

Take the EliteIndex here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/eliteindex/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Sten Morgan's book shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. Claim your free copy - just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Take the Prospecting Course:

Prospecting is the first focus area of the Elite Model. Five self-guided lessons and a workbook help you find the strategies that fit you and leave with a 30-day plan you'll actually run.

Start the Prospecting Course here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/prospecting-course/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

See upcoming Elite Advisor Live events here:

https://www.eliteadvisorlive.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Apply to Elite+:

Elite+ is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite: proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you grow at a higher level.

Apply for Elite+ here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/eliteplus/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Connect With Elite Advisor Network

Website: https://eadvisornetwork.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_253_jordan_hutchison

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elite-financial-advisor-podcast-with-sten-morgan/id1601321140

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-advisor-network

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EliteAdvisorNetwork

#EliteAdvisorNetwork #FinancialAdvisor #StenMorgan #BehavioralFinance #WealthTech #FinancialPlanning #AdvisorGrowth

This is Part 2 of our prospecting roundtable. If you missed Part 1, go back and start with Episode 234.

In this roundtable episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, gets the band back together with Wes Young, Founder and CEO of Wes Young & Associates, and Gavin Filasek, Co-Founder and Partner of Highland Wealth, to get practical about prospecting: how to stop chasing prospects and start creating demand. Prospecting is one of the three pillars of EAN's Elite Model, alongside communication and building a financial plan, and this conversation goes deep on it.

They open on the thing most producers get wrong - balance - and why you need a 90-day family plan, not just a business plan. Then they dig into how fee-based planning turns call-outs into call-ins, how each of them prices and structures their service models, and why "never a thousand" is a rule worth keeping.

The heart of the episode is process and language: the three-part way to answer "what do you do?" so you are memorable and magnetic, why your process is what makes clients refer you, and the weekly system Gavin's team runs to drive growth instead of letting the market dictate it.

As Gavin puts it: "I used to have to call out. Now they call in."

In This Episode

• Stop chasing, start creating demand: why fee-based planning turns call-outs into call-ins.
• You need a 90-day family plan, not just a business plan. You will not default your way into great relationships.
• How to answer "what do you do?" in three parts so you are memorable, not forgettable.
• Pricing and service models: flat fees, annual retainers, and why "never a thousand."
• Build a weekly prospecting system and a scorecard, and do not let the market dictate your growth.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - The band is back together

00:40 - Balance, seasons, and guardrails

02:00 - The 90-day family plan

06:00 - Blending work and life instead of "balance"

08:30 - Getting practical on prospecting

09:20 - How fee-based planning creates call-ins

11:00 - Using planning to earn the AUM and insurance work

12:30 - Pricing: Gavin's flat fees (6k, 12k, 24k)

14:00 - Wes on annual retainers and moving every client to them

16:00 - The juice has to be worth the squeeze

17:10 - Why process is the foundation of demand

18:00 - Mid-years, year-ends, and strategy summaries

19:00 - Answering "what do you do?" in three parts

23:00 - Don't give a label or a book report

24:00 - Gavin's weekly team prospecting system

27:00 - Don't be an "ask-hole": how to ask for introductions

29:00 - Don't let the market dictate your growth

31:00 - Give value with ideas: the book-and-quote move

33:00 - Put yourself where your ideal clients are

Missed Part 1? Start There:

This is the second half of our prospecting roundtable with Wes Young and Gavin Filasek. If you have not heard Part 1 (Episode 234), listen to it first.

Listen to Part 1 here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elite-financial-advisor-podcast-with-sten-morgan/id1601321140

Get the Free Episode Companion Guide:

Want the cheat sheet for this episode? We turned the biggest ideas into a one-page companion guide - the demand-creation playbook, core insights, and three action steps.

Grab your free copy here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-podcast-companion-page?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_252_young_filasek

Free Resources for Financial Advisors:

Want to become a more elite advisor? Get our free course on how to become an Elite Advisor, plus training videos that show you how to whiteboard ideas with clients using real examples.

Get the free resources here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-path-resources?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_252_young_filasek

Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Most advisors were trained to sell first and hope trust shows up later. Value First Prospecting shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. You can claim a free copy of Sten Morgan's book, Value First Prospecting. Just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_252_young_filasek

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Elite Advisor Live is our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

Learn more about Elite Advisor Live here:

https://www.eliteadvisorlive.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_252_young_filasek

Join Elite+:

Elite+ is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite. Inside Elite+, you get proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you remove resistance and grow at a higher level.

Join Elite+ here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/join-ean?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_252_young_filasek

Connect With Elite Advisor Network

Website: https://www.eliteadvisornetwork.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_252_young_filasek

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elite-financial-advisor-podcast-with-sten-morgan/id1601321140

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-advisor-network

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EliteAdvisorNetwork

Subscribe

Subscribe for more conversations, training, and practical ideas to help financial advisors reject average and become elite.

#EliteAdvisorNetwork #FinancialAdvisor #StenMorgan #Prospecting #FinancialPlanning #AdvisorGrowth #CreatingDemand

In this episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, sits down with Larry Shumbres, Founder and CEO of Archive Intel, to unpack a shift most advisors have not caught up to yet: the move from SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), and what it takes to get found when your next client asks ChatGPT or Claude for an advisor.

Larry shares his path from IBM and Wall Street to building compliance technology, and why he believes compliance is not just a box to check but the thing that frees advisors to grow. They dig into why so many advisors leave growth on the table by avoiding the apps clients actually use - text, WhatsApp, TikTok, Reddit - and how modern archiving makes those channels safe.

Then they get practical on AEO: why generic "top five retirement tips" content will not rank, why specificity about who you serve and how is what answer engines reward, and how tools like Claude can help you build the content that gets you surfaced.

As Larry puts it: "If you're doing everything every other advisor is doing, you're not going to rank higher on AEO."

In This Episode

• SEO to AEO: how getting found is changing now that clients ask AI, not just Google, for an advisor.
• Why specificity wins. Generic content does not rank; naming exactly who you serve and how does.
• Compliance is not the afterthought. It is what frees you to grow into new channels.
• Meet clients where they already are - text, WhatsApp, TikTok, Reddit - and archive it so it is safe.
• Use AI like Claude to build the content that ranks in answer engines.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and the heat wave

01:20 - From IBM and Wall Street to fintech and compliance

04:00 - Turning around a failed startup, then building Archive Intel

05:30 - Where AI actually saves time (and why you keep a human in the loop)

06:20 - Always raising the bar: the founder's drive

07:20 - Was AI a thing years before the rest of us saw it?

09:40 - The growth advisors leave on the table by avoiding apps

11:30 - When advisors realize they need to archive texts

13:20 - Compliance as a growth enabler, not just protection

14:10 - The "easy button" for compliance and marketing review

17:10 - Scaling the compliance officer with AI review

20:00 - What is hardest right now: more apps, more channels

21:30 - SEO vs AEO: getting found when clients ask AI

23:40 - Why specific content ranks and generic content does not

25:50 - Matching the right advisor to the right client

28:30 - Which advisors will adapt, and where to start with Claude

Get the Free Episode Companion Guide:

Want the cheat sheet for this episode? We turned the biggest ideas into a one-page companion guide - the SEO-to-AEO playbook, key takeaways, and three action steps.

Grab your free copy here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-podcast-companion-page?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_251_larry_shumbres

Free Resources for Financial Advisors:

Want to become a more elite advisor? Get our free course on how to become an Elite Advisor, plus training videos that show you how to whiteboard ideas with clients using real examples.

Get the free resources here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-path-resources?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_251_larry_shumbres

Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Most advisors were trained to sell first and hope trust shows up later. Value First Prospecting shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. You can claim a free copy of Sten Morgan's book, Value First Prospecting. Just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_251_larry_shumbres

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Elite Advisor Live is our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

Learn more about Elite Advisor Live here:

https://www.eliteadvisorlive.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_251_larry_shumbres

Join Elite+:

Elite+ is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite. Inside Elite+, you get proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you remove resistance and grow at a higher level.

Join Elite+ here:

https://eadvisornetwork.com/join-ean?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_251_larry_shumbres

Connect With Elite Advisor Network

Website: https://www.eliteadvisornetwork.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_251_larry_shumbres

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elite-financial-advisor-podcast-with-sten-morgan/id1601321140

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-advisor-network

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EliteAdvisorNetwork

Subscribe

Subscribe for more conversations, training, and practical ideas to help financial advisors reject average and become elite.

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In this solo episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, introduces PlanScore - the software his team built to deliver financial plans clients actually understand - and shares the journey that took him from selling products to selling a process.

Sten walks through his path into the business on the insurance and AUM side, the moment he realized advisors could get paid for their time and ideas, and the roadblocks he hit adding financial planning: it was heavy, slow, and hard to scale. His answer became a mantra - maximum value with extreme efficiency - and a clear framework for what a complete financial plan actually covers.

He breaks down the categories every plan should include, why scoring each one from 1 to 5 turns a plan into something clients can see and act on, and why the advisor of the future is a communicator and coach who sells a process, not a product.

As Sten puts it: "The advisor of the future delivers a process, not a product."

Try PlanScore Free (Code: PODCAST):

PlanScore helps you build financial plans people actually understand - the complete-plan framework, a simple 1-to-5 scoring rubric, and a proposal built for you, so you deliver maximum value with extreme efficiency. Start your free trial and use code PODCAST for your first month free.

Get PlanScore here:

https://www.planscore.com/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_250_planscore

In This Episode

• Maximum value with extreme efficiency: deliver a plan that feels like it took 30 hours in an hour or less.
• You can get paid for your process. When clients pay for advice, they value it and actually follow through.
• Define a complete plan. A cash flow report and a Monte Carlo is not a plan; do not let clients believe a collection of products is one.
• Score every category from 1 to 5 (red, orange, green). Clients do not want to be red, and now they can see the path to green.
• The advisor of the future is a communicator and coach who sells a process, not a product.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Launching PlanScore, and why we built it

00:40 - Maximum value with extreme efficiency

01:30 - Starting in insurance: trained to sell products

02:27 - The business owner I tried to talk out of his own business

03:30 - Moving to AUM: still gated by "do you have money to invest?"

04:00 - The $5,000 onboarding fee that broke my brain

05:00 - My first paid plan: $1,500 for 12 months

06:00 - Adding planning slowed the rest of the business

07:30 - Deciding what kind of advisor I wanted to be

08:30 - Where it broke down: expectations and the deliverable

10:00 - Simplicity is a gift: a plan people understand

11:00 - The categories of a complete financial plan

13:00 - Scoring each category 1 to 5 (red, orange, green)

15:00 - Building a plan in an hour instead of ten

17:00 - Pricing and the average planning fee

19:00 - Service models: 3-month, 12-month, and AUM-only

22:00 - PlanScore Light: re-energizing existing clients

25:00 - The advisor of the future sells a process

27:00 - Try PlanScore with code PODCAST

Get the Free Episode Companion Guide:

Want the cheat sheet for this episode? We turned the biggest ideas into a one-page companion guide - the complete-plan framework, key takeaways, and three action steps.

Grab your free copy here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-podcast-companion-page?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_250_planscore

Free Resources for Financial Advisors:

Want to become a more elite advisor? Get our free course on how to become an Elite Advisor, plus training videos that show you how to whiteboard ideas with clients using real examples.

Get the free resources here:

https://gobeelite.com/elite-advisor-path-resources?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_250_planscore

Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Most advisors were trained to sell first and hope trust shows up later. Value First Prospecting shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. You can claim a free copy of Sten Morgan's book, Value First Prospecting. Just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_250_planscore

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Elite Advisor Live is our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

Learn more about Elite Advisor Live here:

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In this episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, sits down with Tim White, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of wealth.com, to make the case that estate and tax planning is the biggest untapped growth opportunity in the advisory business.

Tim shares how he and his co-founders sold their fraud-prevention fintech to LexisNexis for $500 million, then built wealth.com after living through a broken, pen-and-paper estate planning referral themselves. He explains how the platform's AI reads existing plans in minutes, generates state-specific documents across all 50 states, and now folds in tax - the peanut butter and chocolate of a connected plan.

They get practical about why estate planning deepens client relationships and unlocks the next generation, how advisors can deliver a comprehensive experience without becoming experts, and why "I'm too busy to evaluate new tools" is a warning sign, not a badge of honor.

As Tim puts it: "It's about giving time back. It's not taking time away."

In This Episode

• Estate planning is the biggest untapped growth opportunity, and the fastest way to a deeper, stickier client relationship.
• You do not have to become the expert. The right technology puts the equivalent of 500 analysts behind every advisor.
• Estate conversations surface held-away assets and unlock the next generation - real AUM and real wealth-transfer opportunities.
• Compliance is no longer the barrier; the barrier is change. "Too busy to evaluate new tools" is a red flag.
• Done right, technology gives time back instead of taking it away, so advisors can have the conversations that matter.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction: how do advisors get attention differently?

01:00 - From a fintech fraud startup to a $500M exit

02:30 - Buying wealth.com (and the domain story)

04:40 - Why legal first, then tax

05:30 - "Ester": AI that read estate plans before ChatGPT existed

07:15 - Shipping a product instead of chasing perfection

08:30 - The shift from "I know a guy" to comprehensive planning

09:20 - Why estate planning is becoming a tech-stack requirement

11:00 - Adding value with efficiency: you do not have to be the expert

13:40 - Reading existing plans in minutes, not hours

17:20 - What wealth.com actually is: documents, reports, attorney network

19:15 - Proactive intelligence: the plan that updates itself

20:00 - Estate planning as a prospecting tool and AUM unlock

21:40 - Pricing: the license and how advisors monetize it

23:00 - Is AI a threat to estate attorneys? Why it is complementary

24:50 - Why advisors are slow to adopt, and how to fix it

27:00 - Giving time back, not taking it away

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In this episode of the Elite Financial Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, sits down with two of the most thoughtful voices in the profession - Carl Richards, CFP®, creator of the Sketch Guy column and founder of The Society of Advice, and Steve Sanduski, CFP®, founder of Belay Advisor and host of the Between Now and Success podcast - to war-game how financial advice will change over the next ten years.

They dig into the two layers of every advisory practice: the execution layer that AI is rapidly automating, and the human layer it cannot touch. As the technical work becomes table stakes, the floor for what counts as a great advisor rises, and Carl and Steve make the case that the future advisor has to be bilingual: fluent in money and fluent in humans.

They also get practical about where the business is headed - whether AUM and commission comp survive, why clients pay for trust and outcomes rather than process, and how a young advisor can intentionally build the craft of curiosity instead of waiting for life to humble them.

As Carl puts it: "AI is not a threat. It is a reminder of the deeply human work we do."

In This Episode

• Every practice has two layers: the execution layer AI is automating, and the human layer it cannot. The human layer is where advisors win.
• The floor is rising. A great financial plan is becoming table stakes; the EQ to sit with clients in their hardest moments is the real edge.
• Be bilingual. Major in money and major in humans. The messy intersection of the two is where the value lives.
• Greet clients at the "presenting problem" with empathy, then watch for the "crunchy bits" that open the door to deeper work.
• The way you get paid tells a story. If any part of it is something you would not be comfortable explaining to a client's face, change it.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction: sailing, motorcycles, and catching up

04:30 - The war game: what should advisors be ready for?

05:45 - Carl: the deeply human craft AI is pointing us back to

09:00 - Steve: the execution layer versus the human layer

11:00 - Will AI actually increase an advisor's capacity?

13:00 - Advice to the next generation of advisors

16:00 - Be bilingual: major in money and major in humans

19:00 - Why life planning is a small market at any given moment

20:30 - Greet clients at the presenting problem

23:30 - Will AUM and insurance comp survive?

29:00 - Carl: the way you get paid tells a story

31:20 - From stockbrokers to goal-based planning

35:00 - Process versus outcome in the age of AI

38:40 - You cannot market trust, you can only build it

43:30 - A practical path to the craft of curiosity

48:00 - What has these two most excited right now

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Most advisors were trained to sell first and hope trust shows up later. Value First Prospecting shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. You can claim a free copy of Sten Morgan's book, Value First Prospecting. Just cover shipping.

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In this episode of the Elite Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan, CFP®, ChFC®, sits down with Tim Maurer, CFP®, Partner and SVP of Advisor Growth at SignatureFD, to expose the biggest lie the industry sold financial advisors: that growing means selling harder - using better scripts and more products.

Tim shares how he spent his early career hunting for the "professional version" of financial advice, why the CFP coursework revealed a real craft, and why the best advisors win with the best questions, not the best answers. He makes the case that we are in a "system one" business where clients decide emotionally, so technical knowledge is only table stakes.

They also get practical about becoming the advisor of the future: how to keep client conversations alive instead of sliding into a rut, why the industry quietly breeds burnout, and the permission most advisors need: to build a practice around who they actually are, not what they do.

As Tim puts it: "Doing the work creates certainty. Winning the work creates possibility."

In This Episode

• The biggest lie: that selling harder and pushing product is how you grow. The best advisors do it differently.
• Doing the work vs winning the work: expertise creates certainty, but curiosity and great questions create possibility.
• We are in a "system one" business - clients decide emotionally. Technical mastery is table stakes; connection is the edge.
• Be a guide, not a teacher or a consultant - someone walking beside the client, not above them.
• The industry quietly breeds burnout. You have permission to build a practice around who you actually are.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction

00:29 - Getting Into the Business the Hard Way

05:00 - Where Is the Industry Actually Going?

08:04 - The CFP Coursework and Finding the Craft

11:30 - From Technician to Guide

14:15 - Know Your "S Word": The Behavioral Edge

16:56 - Practice, Curiosity, and the Coaching Pyramid

23:00 - Why the Industry Breeds Burnout

32:12 - The 80/20 of Adding Planning

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Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Most advisors were trained to sell first and hope trust shows up later. Value First Prospecting shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. You can claim a free copy of Sten Morgan's book, Value First Prospecting. Just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

https://gobeelite.com/free-book?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_247_tim_maurer

Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Elite Advisor Live is our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

Learn more about Elite Advisor Live here:

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Join Elite+:

Elite+ is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite. Inside Elite+, you get proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you remove resistance and grow at a higher level.

Join Elite+ here:

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Connect With Elite Advisor Network

Website: https://www.eliteadvisornetwork.com?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep_247_tim_maurer

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In this episode of Elite Advisor Podcast, Sten Morgan sits down with Shruti Joshi, President and COO of Facet, to unpack where financial advice is heading - and why the future advisor is defined by holistic, ongoing planning rather than the products they sell.

Shruti explains why consumers now want an accountability partner who helps them take action, how Facet's flat-fee, CFP-led model removes the conflicts of commissions and asset-based fees, and why the real superpower in an AI world is human connection and behavior change - what she calls "therapy with a calculator."

They also get practical for advisors: how to align your service model and pricing, why planning is the product and investing is how you deliver it, and the small steps any advisor can take to adapt without abandoning what already works. If you have felt the ground shifting under the old model, this conversation shows what to do about it.

In This Episode

• The future advisor leads with holistic, dynamic planning, not products, because that is what consumers now demand.
• Objectivity builds trust: a flat fee with no commissions or asset-based conflicts is what drives real behavior change.
• Technology plus humans wins. AI handles the computation; your superpower is communication, accountability, and encouragement.
• Planning is the product and investing is how you deliver it - the opposite of giving away the plan to win assets.
• You can evolve in small steps. Align your service model and pricing to who you actually serve, without abandoning AUM or insurance.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction

00:38 - Where Financial Advice Is Heading

02:05 - Money, Stress, and What Consumers Really Want

05:16 - Redefining What "Financial Advisor" Means

08:18 - Therapy With a Calculator: The Human Superpower

09:48 - Facet's Flat-Fee, No-Commission Model

12:29 - Aligning Your Service Model and Pricing

15:54 - How to Start Becoming a Different Advisor

32:17 - Maslow and the Top of Financial Planning

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Get the Free Book: Value First Prospecting

Most advisors were trained to sell first and hope trust shows up later. Value First Prospecting shows you how to create demand, lead with ideas, and turn first meetings into strategy conversations instead of sales meetings. You can claim a free copy of Sten Morgan's book, Value First Prospecting. Just cover shipping.

Get the book here:

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Attend Elite Advisor Live:

Elite Advisor Live is our in-person training where advisors get the reps, feedback, and proven system to start charging for advice and clearly communicate their value.

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Elite+ is for advisors who are done dabbling and ready to become Elite. Inside Elite+, you get proximity, accountability, real-time coaching, and a complete operating system to help you remove resistance and grow at a higher level.

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