The Wealth@Work Show

Join Ross as he talks to Josh Itzoe, Founder & CEO of FiduciaryWor(k)s, an "idea factory" focused on developing insights, research, technology, fiduciary consulting, and practice management coaching to assist retirement plan advisors in the areas of fiduciary responsibility and workplace retirement. Josh is also the author of two books - The Fiduciary Formula: 6 Essential Elements to Create the Perfect Corporate Retirement Plan and Fixing the 401(k): What Fiduciaries Must Know (And Do) To Help Employees Retire Successfully, as well as the host of the Fiduciary U™ Podcast. What is the most impactful thing Josh did as the Co-Founder of Greenspring Advisors to help drive significantly better outcomes in his plans? What four critical elements drive participant outcomes in plans? Learn more about FeeMetri(k)s™ a web-based tool to help retirement plan advisors analyze, compare, and negotiate retirement plan fees.

The Fiduciary U Podcast

Books by Josh Itzoe:

• The Fiduciary Formula
• Fixing The 401(k)

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn

When OneDigital acquired Resources Investment Advisors in early 2020, it was the first of One Digital’s deals to bring retirement plan consulting and wealth together with healthcare benefits under the OneDigital brand. Join Ross as he talks with Vince Morris, President of OneDigital Retirement + Wealth. Vince discusses the firm’s name change, how to approach plan sponsors when offering personal financial planning, post-pandemic plans for remote working for the firm’s team, and whether “purist” 401(k) advisors will find it harder to compete in the future.

Resources:

• OneDigital Retirement + Wealth

Join Ross as he talks with Brian Graff, CEO of the American Retirement Association. We all have our stories about how we got into the retirement plan industry-hear Brian’s personal story. What is his perspective on ESG funds, are they a must-do for retirement plan advisors? Learn more about ESG(k), NAPA’s new certificate program. What might the Biden administration mean for the retirement plan industry, specifically surrounding the fiduciary rule? What potential changes regarding the tax code should be on our radar? What is the biggest potential legislative change that our industry may not be paying enough attention to, and why could it create opportunity for advisors? As Brian nears his 25th anniversary as CEO of the American Retirement Association, hear what he is most proud of looking back, as well as what he hopes for in the coming years.

Resources: 

• NAPA Summit 2021
• NAPA-Net

Join Ross as he speaks with industry veteran Berta Aldrich. Berta is the author of the book Winning the Talent Shift: Three Steps to Unleashing the New High Performance Workplace. Berta’s inspiration for the book was to prepare her daughter to enter the corporate world, where she will likely encounter the tactics high performers experience all too often: bad bosses, targeting, and gaslighting. What were some of the surprising research Berta encountered as she wrote the book? What was most alarming? What does a high performer in the workplace look like? If these issues are so pervasive in our corporate culture, why do they still exist? What is the difference between a high achiever and a high performer? Practically speaking, how can we hire to increase diversity at our firms, while not violating the law during the hiring process? Why is addressing all of this important for the next generation? With years of experience working in many areas of our industry at the C-level, Berta’s understanding of corporate culture along with her practical experience and research brings real help to those looking to grow their firms through building high-performing teams.

Resources:

• Winning the Talent Shift Book 
• www.bertaaldrich.com

JD Carlson is the owner of Plan Design Consultants, a TPA firm in California. TPAs provide us an interesting perspective on the industry and our clients. How does JD view the “ownership” of a 401(k) plan participant relationship? What does he see happening right now in the industry that he thinks advisors should be watching closely? Who “owns” the participant and the control of the plan sponsor relationship? How is data going to change the way our industry looks in the next 3-5 years? What should advisors be doing right now to prepare? Can specialist 401(k) plan advisors continue to survive? What opportunities does JD see for advisors to battle against fee compression and expand services and revenue? Join Ross for a deep conversation into where our industry is headed from an industry veteran who has seen it all!

Resources: 

• Plan Design Consultants
• Retireholi(k)s
• Headspace
• Book: Shaping Change
• Book: The Innovator's DNA

Even before the pandemic, David Griffin had a virtual practice born of his desire to provide flexibility to his employees and a desire to have an efficiently run practice. What benefits did he see initially, and what challenges did he face as his practice grew? How does he know that employees are truly productive working from home? Join Ross as he talks with David Griffin, Founder of Atlanta Retirement Partners, LLC. (now part of OneDigital). In addition to chatting about virtual practice management, David shares how different businesses have fared during the pandemic and how that has exacerbated the wealth gap, why he decided to partner with OneDigital, what advice he would give to advisors looking to partner up with a larger organization, and how to help employees manage change. 

Time management is a challenge for all of us. Join Ross as he talks with Dr. Travis Perry. Dr. Perry spent nearly a decade working as a financial advisor before founding the Make Time Institute, which helps financial professionals and business owners achieve work/life balance. How can you do more than just write out your goals and related tasks, but actually get things accomplished? How can advisors better manage distractions to be more productive? What is the most important factor that determines your level of productivity? How does fear impact motivation and decision-making? Listen to this episode to hear the science and brain chemistry behind it all!

Resources:

• Dr. Travis Parry: Speaker, Coach, Podcaster, Author
• Book: Achieving Balance: The Make Time Method To Help Advisors Reach Business AND Personal Goals in an Overworked World.
• Book: Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life 

“Corporate America is reaching and stretching to be more inclusive and to promote the skills and the brands of women”, says Cindy Horn Kennedy, Founder of You Say Kennedy and Board Chair of the Women in Pensions Network (WiPN). That’s why Lindsey Dickman, Senior Vice President at Escalent and Co-Chair of the Atlanta regional WiPN chapter, approached WiPN with the idea of amplifying the voices of members of WiPN through a research project. Two years later, the research report is complete, and it has yielded some fascinating data about women in the retirement field. What did the research show about how women in our industry view their job satisfaction, and what does that mean business owners should focus on to best retain top female talent? What surprising percentage of the burden of household tasks (still!) disproportionally falls on women, and what might that mean for the level of training and continuing professional development women in our industry have access to? What percentage of women feel that it is difficult speaking up and feeling heard in their workplace, and how can business owners respond to this information to create a culture of open communication? How can leaders of a firm manage virtual and in-person staff meetings better to ensure that diverse opinions and viewpoints are captured? What did the data from the research study show about women of color regarding pay, retention, and career satisfaction? What specifically are women looking for men to provide in a mentorship or sponsorship? What was the biggest surprise that came out of the research? The WiPN research project magnified some things we all have known, brought out some surprises, and highlighted some great news about women in our industry!

Resources:

• Learn more: Women in Pensions Network

Join Ross as he talks with Matt Daniels, Director of Retirement Plans at Wilshire Benefits Group. Matt has been in the industry for over 15 years and has extensive knowledge of employee benefits. We all know the workplace is shifting toward increased integration of benefits that combine to provide holistic wellness to employees. 401(k) plan advisors are actively working to become central to that process. Matt provides a different perspective from a firm that historically has been focused on health benefits and has now deepened its practice to incorporate retirement plan financial wellness benefits. How does having a practice that provides specialists in many benefit areas help make the sales process easier? What two questions does Matt ask to identify his target prospects? Wilshire offers both a 3(21) and 3(38) options-why does Matt think most clients choose the 3(21) option? And what concern does he have about 3(16)? Listen to the end for Matt’s reply to the “magic wand” question Ross poses to every guest.

Resources:

• Wilshire Benefits Group
• Ted McDermott
• Alan Goldstein

Join Ross as he talks with Ronni Burns, adjunct Professor of Management Communications at the NYU Stern School of Business, and Coach and Consultant with her firm, RonniBurns.com. Ronni is an expert in effective and persuasive communication. What are the similarities and differences in live versus online communications, and how can advisors better approach these communications for better outcomes? Zoom fatigue is real. But why do we all find ourselves so exhausted after a full day of Zooming? There’s actually a science behind it! What do clients and prospects notice about us online, regarding our physical appearance and mannerisms as well as our environments, and how can advisors manage those impressions? How much of our environments should we try to control and manage, and how much “real life” is okay to show on video meetings? What is a “word diet”, and why do most of us need to go on one? Hear some tips about which hand gestures you should never use when presenting and how to finally stop creating terrible PowerPoint presentations! Don’t miss this information-packed episode!

Resources:

• Webpage: RonniBurns.com
• NYU Stern School of Business