Your Financial Planning Maestro

In the final episode of this series, we talk to Andy Bounds, one of the best communicators I know!

We waste many hours each week cc'ing people into needless emails, covering your backside and preparing to blame your manager when they don't instantly recall said email and swoop in to fix mistakes.

We are swamped with so many emails that we miss the critical ones, we can't make decisions quickly.

Andy shows us how to stop all that today by thinking about the 'afters' - what will be better after they've read your email.  We talk about how you can improve your website content, how to structure newsletters (I'm looking at mine right now) and how to tackle the email mountain to make better business decisions and help clients find you faster.

We are ending the series with a bang!!

Andy's bio:

Awarded the title Britain’s Sales Trainer of the Year, and described by AstraZeneca’s Global Communication Director as “a genius, whose advice can’t be ignored”, Andy’s insights and passion stem from the fact his Mother is blind. This has given him a lifetime’s experience of communicating from someone else’s point of view… a critical skill to master when persuading others!

Andy’s three books are all international best-sellers. The first was only kept off Amazon's #1 spot by Harry Potter!

Andy has worked in 40+ countries, with some of the world's largest and most famous companies, as well as for Governments, professional bodies and business experts. He's presented alongside experts from business (like Michael Gerber and Drayton Bird) and sport (like Manchester United's Assistant Manager Mike Phelan).

His core belief is “AFTERs drive everything. It's not what you say that counts. It’s what people do differently AFTER you’ve said it.”

In this week's episode we talk to Brett Davidson, FP Advance, about how to attract and communicate with clients.

When trying to attract new clients, it's tempting to try to appeal to a wide audience, but that's not how things work when it comes to attracting clients.

Growth doesn't come from comfortably blending in and in this episode we take a deep dive into:

- Focus on what makes you unique

- Own your point of view and get it out into the world

- Get comfortable that 50% of people will love you and 50% will think you're a goose 😱

Brett's Bio:

Brett is the Founder of FP Advance and the Uncover Your Business Potential programme. He helps great financial planners become great business people, so they can stay in love with their business and fulfil their potential. 

You can follow Brett online and via social media:

Website: www.fpadvance.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brettdavidson 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsonbrett

In this week's episode we talk to Ian McKenna, Director of the Financial Technology Research Centre about all things technology in the financial planning profession.

Find out what new tools are coming on to the market and where you can achieve more efficiencies in your business.

We also talk about how the FCA is changing the face of tech and what are the likely changes on the horizon for advisers in our profession.

This episode is packed with up-to-date information to help keep your business running smoothly.

Ian's bio:

Ian McKenna is an industry veteran with a long history of providing added value services to advisers. Having started his career with an insurer he quickly moved to being an adviser by the age of 18 and set up his first advice firm at the age of 22. Having been involved with a number of advice firms throughout the 80s and 90s in 1995 he founded Finance Technology Research Centre (FTRC) nearly two decades before "FinTech" became part of the industry lexicon. 

He has been columnist with various trade publication since the late 80s and continues to write for Money Marketing and Corporate Adviser. Over the past decade Ian has focused on the evolution of technology, spending time in the US and other countries to understand the advances being achieved in digital financial advice around the world.

More recently Ian has launched a range of technical information services for advisers including Benefits Guru, AdviserSoftware.com and Protection Guru.

Links to the event we talk about in this episode: 

Empowering Advice Through Technology event on 26th May www.advisersoftware.com/eatt-2022 for details of the event, the agenda and how to register to attend. 

In this week's episode we talk to Jonathan Gibson CFP™ about how his journey to build his own financial planning firm and how he's so passionate about attracting new talent, that he's doing things differently.

We talk about the biggest influencers in his life, the successes and failures along the way and what he's doing to attract new talent to the profession.

Jonathan's firm has the Lockie Consultants 'Your Financial Planning Symphony' Training and Development scheme too which gives structure and content to support his vision to build a more vibrant financial planning profession.

A fascinating discussion about the ups and downs of running your own business, sharing a vision and developing a core team to take on the thriving business in the years to come.

Jonathan bio:

Jonathan Gibson CFPTM, Chartered FCSI, Managing Director of Wells Gibson Limited & Author of Purposeful Wealth

Prior to establishing Wells Gibson, Jonathan was a co-founder and director of Verus Wealth, Dundee (est. 2005) and AAB Wealth, Aberdeen (est. 2011), two successful and national award winning businesses, which were established in conjunction with two leading firms of accountants.

Jonathan is a Chartered Fellow of Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and his qualifications include:

•         Chartered Financial Planner

•         CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional

•         Chartered Wealth Manager

 Jonathan has 25+ years experience as an advisor for private clients and 15+ years as a business owner.

Jonathan is married to Claire and has 3 daughters, Christina, Hannah and Katie.  A member of St. Peter’s Free Church, Dundee, Jonathan also enjoys playing golf and going to the gym when time allows.

About Wells Gibson:

Wells Gibson is a CISI Accredited Financial Planning Firm ™ and boutique, family owned business, founded in 2016 by Jonathan Gibson, Managing Director.

In 1988, Jonathan was introduced to the banking sector by his late grandfather, James Wells Gibson and in 1991, was introduced to the financial advisory sector by his late father, Terry Wells Gibson.

We believe real wealth is about much more than money and possessions and our vision is to see lives change, one client, one family at a time, by bringing clarity, contentment and certainty to the financial lives of those we serve and advise.  We deliver lifetime wealth planning, incorporating investment consulting, advanced financial planning, and an ongoing relationship-driven service.  

In January 2021, Jonathan published his book, Purposeful Wealth which introduces Jonathan’s principles for living a fulfilled and purposeful life.  Available via Amazon, Purposeful Wealth guides you through the concepts of a fulfilled life and authentic investing before sharing wise financial strategies and advice on how to implement each in your life, including how to find a financial planner and what attributes to look for.  Following the successful launch of the book, the Purposeful Wealth podcast was launched to promote proper financial planning and sensible investing. 

Better client questions leads to better information, better outcomes for clients and ultimately happier clients!  Do you think you ask great questions?  Think again!

In this week's episode we talk to Brendan Frazier, the founder of Wired Planning in the US.  He has a refreshing way of improving the quality of the questions you ask your clients.  We discuss the content of questions as well as the approach and order to ask them.

His 'Pillars of great questions' include:

1) A great question minus listening is no longer a great question

2) Order and Structure play a crucial role

3) Don't stress over closed-ended questions

4) The most powerful question is a follow-up question

and there's so much more...

We explore in detail the issues to improve our skills; what to worry about and where we shouldn't get hung up!

No-one has the monopoly on a great question.  Challenge yourself by listening to this episode and understand where you can improve.

Brendan bio:

Brendan Frazier is the founder of Wired Planning, the host of The Human Side of Money podcast, a keynote speaker and was named one of Investopedia’s Top 100 Financial Advisors. He helps financial advisors around the world master the human side of advice to enhance client outcomes and ignite growth in their business.

To sign up for his newsletter go to: www.wiredplanning.com 

In this week's episode we talk to Katie Braden, CFP® at Innovating Advice, about all things marketing.

Why are so many financial planning business websites the same?  Why do so many feel static and (dare I say it) boring?  How can you stand out from the crowd of financial planning businesses?

There's that age-old saying that only 20% of your marketing is effective, but no one knows which 20% it is!  In this conversation we delve much deeper into all these issues, including common misconceptions that marketing has to project a corporate image and video recordings professionally edited.

In order to reach clients of the future, we need to change the way we market ourselves - let Katie challenge you to do just that.

She also kindly offers a BIG discount on her community group content too - listen to find out the code.

I took onboard a lot of what Katie teaches and it really works.  Why don't you try it?  It might just work for you too.

Katie Braden Bio:

After 16 years in the profession, Katie Braden, CFP® has combined her passions and expertise to focus on helping financial advisors leverage video to grow their businesses. She obtained a degree in photography from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia before returning to the U.S. and joining her mother's RIA. She left in 2013 to start one of the first completely virtual, subscription-model financial planning business and then pivoted to working, speaking and consulting with financial planners in 35 countries, encouraging them to innovate in all areas. Katie is also a Private Pilot and loves the freedom of the skies, whether flying herself or traveling around the world with her husband. 

There are so many different terms surrounding ESG that understanding them all and thinking through how they impact the type of service you offer your financial planning clients can be tricky.

I saw three fund manager presentations recently, each fund manager said only one aspect E, S or G was the most important.  Funnily though, they each said something different to the others!

In this week's episode we talk to Sam Adams, CEO and Co-Founder of Vert Asset Management and we delve deep into the practical aspects that need to be considered when making changes to your financial planning business offering to clients.  We talk through the practical differences of ESG, Socially Responsible and Impact investing and what you need to do to overlay these any of these areas in your investment advice process for clients.

We look at the technical aspects and, for those firms who offer evidence-based investment solutions, we discuss how you can incorporate these areas too.

Crucially, we discuss how to set your firms ESG agenda and how to discuss that with clients.

If you are struggling with setting out your business proposition on ESG and want practical help in doing so, this is a must listen episode.

Sam Adams Bio:

Sam is CEO and co-founder of Vert Asset Management.  He also chairs the Investment Research Group. Sam leads the development of new products to help make sustainable investing easier for investors. He has been a featured speaker on sustainable investing at financial advisor conferences in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia.

Sam is the author, with Larry Swedroe, of ‘Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing’.  He is an instructor for the College of Financial Planning’s Chartered SRI Counselor Program, and is member of the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s Investment Committee.

Prior to launching Vert, Sam spent 20 years at Dimensional Fund Advisors where he led the European Advisor business and launched the Global Sustainability Core Fund.  

Sam has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Davis. 

In this week's interview we talk to Noel Maye, CEO of the Financial Planning Standards Board, about the global financial planning profession and what it means to be a CFP professional in the UK and across the world.

We talk in detail about the key areas that CFP professionals are changing to support more clients both during the pandemic and beyond.

We also look at how the global numbers of CFP professionals is growing, why that might be as well as future projects for financial planners and the professional bodies that support them.

Sometimes it is good to step back and look at the global picture and consider the role we all play in helping more people receive good quality financial planning advice.

Noel Maye's Bio:

Noel Maye is Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB). Before joining the organization, Maye was Senior Vice President of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) in the United States, where he oversaw the international, legal, consumer and public affairs, and communications departments, and served as corporate spokesperson.

Prior to CFP Board, he was an associate with Ogilvy, Adams & Rinehart, a New York-based public relations firm, where he specialized in working with financial services clients.

Maye holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, completed the National Association of Corporate Directors’ director training program, and qualified as a lead auditor for certification bodies through the American National Standards Institute. Born and raised in Ireland, he holds an undergraduate degree in electronic engineering from Trinity College Dublin, an MBA in business administration from the University of Colorado and INSEAD’s Executive Certificate in Global Management.

In the first in our series of business planning podcast episodes, we talk to Marlene Outrim CFP™ at Uniq Family Wealth.

Marlene shares her approach to clients, how she explains what financial planning is and how she identifies and deals with conflict between couples. We also talk about how those insights gave her drive to write several books including her most recent, Cascading Your Wealth.

A fascinating and thought provoking episode to challenge the way you deal with clients.

Bio: Marlene J Outrim MSc.Econ

Author of: 

Cascading Your Wealth: December 2021 (How to create a family wealth plan for the next generation)

Boomers: Redefining Retirement January 2018

My first career was as a Probation Officer and have 13 years’ experience in counselling & therapeutic skills. In 1991 I established a Financial Planning practice, aiming to provide a personal but professional service. Such was its success, in 2007 I sold the company. I continued as a Planner for that company until 2012. However, I saw a need for a more family focussed approach and set up UNIQ Family Wealth in 2013. I only want to work with those who are committed to achieving their lifetime goals and objectives.

Qualifications

• Certified Financial PlannerTM Professional

• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (FCSI)  

• Chartered Wealth Manager

• Chartered Financial Planner

• STEP Advanced Certificate in Enterprise Family Advising 

• Certificate in Professional Consulting

Awards

2018

Winner of “Best Use of a Tax Efficient Investment” Tax Efficiency Awards 

Moneyfacts Commended for Retirement Adviser of the Year

CISI Finalist Certified Financial Planner

Professional Adviser Awards - Best Client Engagement in UK

2016 Professional Adviser Awards - Best Client Engagement in UK

2016 Professional Adviser Awards - Best UK Adviser in Wales

2014 Retirement Planner, for excellence in advice on Retirement. Retirement Planner magazine & sponsored by Scottish Widows.

2009 Financial Planner of the Year in the New Breed Adviser awards (supported by High Net Worth magazine)

2009 New Model Adviser for Wales 

2008 Retirement Planner of the Year New Breed Adviser Awards

Areas of Expertise

I founded UNIQ Family Wealth a Financial Planning practice to helps families, individuals & Family Businesses lead more fulfilling & financially secure lives by making the most of their assets, and to cascade wealth seamlessly from one generation to another.  Whatever life throws at you. We will be on hand to guide you with your own personal Financial Plan. As a past President of the IFP (2010-12), I am passionate about Financial Planning and voice this regularly in the media.

Personal Interests

A mercurial go-getter who loves her grandchildren, art, music, entertaining, fine wine, skiing & dance.