Business Planning, Clients and Retirement

Gathering Feedback That Counts: Crafting Client Surveys To Offer Services That Matter Most

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 10, 2025

These services may range from 'standard' offerings like retirement planning to less traditional areas like credit card consulting. In a firm's early years, there tends to be more room for experimentation, with advisors adding new services to provide value and attract clients.

Clients

Clients Financial Advice Retirement Planning Financial Services

Inspired Discovery: Asking Vision Questions To Focus On Clients’ “Ideal Self”

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 9, 2025

It's natural for advisors to begin discovery meetings by asking questions about a client's current financial situation – understanding cash flow, debt, investments, risk tolerance, or even the burning tax concern that brought them to the advisor's door in the first place is crucial for financial planning.

Clients

Clients Financial Planning Risk Tolerance Planning

#FASuccess Ep 409: Adding 1,400 New Clients In A Year As An Extension Of Doing (Profitable) Student Loan Consulting At Scale, With Travis Hornsby

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Travis is the founder of Student Loan Planner, an RIA and student loan consulting company based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that serves nearly 1,400 households with ongoing financial planning (as well as consulting with over 15,000 clients on student loan debt).

Consulting

Consulting Clients Financial Planning Financial Advisor

Webinars

What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

How To Avoid Pitfalls In Automation: Keep Humans In The Loop

Data Talks, CFOs Listen: Why Analytics Is The Key To Better Spend Management

MORE WEBINARS

A 3-Step Sales Process To Clearly Demonstrate Financial Planning Value To Prospects

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Over the past decade, a growing number of advisors have expanded into offering comprehensive financial planning services, reflecting a shift that not only helps them stand out from (increasingly commoditized) portfolio management offerings but also supports clients' broader financial goals.

Financial Planning

Financial Planning Sales Planning Retirement

Five “Self-Persuasion” Questions To Connect With Prospects Who Say They’re Interested… But Aren’t Moving Forward

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 22, 2025

Some prospects approach an advisor with an immediate 'problem to be solved', such as a fast-approaching retirement date. I help clients in retirement by doing X, Y, and Z."). These situations often narrow the focus of the prospecting conversation, giving the advisor a clear opportunity to affirm their value (e.g., "I

Financial Advice

Financial Advice Financial Planning Retirement Clients

Firms Not Offering Tax, Retirement Planning Are Getting it Wrong

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Advisors are overdelivering services such as health care, estate and business planning, while falling short in the areas their clients most desire.

Retirement Planning

Retirement Planning Planning Retirement Business Planning

#FASuccess Ep 432: Crafting “Input Deliverables” That Show Financial Planning Value To Clients Without Creating Busy-Work, With Seth Scott

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 8, 2025

Seth is the founder of Heartwood Financial Planning, an advisory firm affiliated with PlanMember Securities Corporation that is based in Fresno, California, and oversees approximately $100 million in assets under management for 850 client households.

Financial Planning

Financial Planning Clients Planning Financial Advisor

#FASuccess Ep 426: Rolling Out An Equity Compensation Plan To Align The Entire Team On Client Service And Profitable Growth, With Jennifer des Groseilliers

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Jennifer is the CEO of The Mather Group, an RIA based in Chicago, Illinois, that oversees $15 billion in combined assets under management and advisement for approximately 4,400 client households. Read More.

Compensation Planning

Compensation Planning Clients Planning Wealth Advisor

Values, Purpose, Action: A 3-Part Approach To Establish A “Statement Of Financial Purpose” And Unlock Deeper, More Meaningful Planning Conversations With Clients

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

In the early days of financial planning, serving clients often meant developing transactional relationships focused on facilitating trades and selling insurance. Over time, advisors shifted toward more analytical approaches, such as investment management and retirement planning.

Clients

Clients Planning Financial Planner Financial Planning

#FASuccess Ep 421: Integrating Tax Preparation Without Hiring In-House CPAs To Bring More Tax-Focused Value, With Daniel Friedman

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 21, 2025

Daniel is the CEO of WMGNA, a hybrid advisory firm based in Farmington, Connecticut, that oversees approximately $270 million in assets under management for 200 client households.

Taxes

Taxes Tax Planning Financial Advisor Compensation Planning

Implementing Retirement Income Guardrails To Facilitate (The Right) Spending Raises And Spending Cuts

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 4, 2023

Financial advisors have a wide range of strategies at their disposal to create financial plans for their clients. This strategy is valuable because it generally allows for higher initial withdrawal rates than more static approaches that don’t accommodate clients willing to adjust their spending in retirement.

Retirement

Retirement Distribution Retirement Planning Asset Allocation

Kitces & Carl Ep 119: Navigating Succession Plans When Founders Are Having Second Thoughts On Retirement

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 24, 2023

However, when these aspirations are delayed or blocked by senior advisory firm partners who choose to delay their retirement plans, it can leave younger advisors frustrated and in a place of uncertainty about their futures with their firm.

Retirement

Retirement Planning Retirement Planning Communication

Quantifying (More Accurately) The Real Impact Of A Financial Advisor’s Costs On Their Clients’ Nest Eggs

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Though in practice, while a 1% AUM fee is a common 'starting point' in the industry, the actual fee structure can vary based on the firm's approach; for example, some firms may reduce the fee for high-net-worth clients, or charge an additional fee for separate and additional services (from deeper financial planning to add-ons like tax preparation).

Clients

Clients Financial Advice Financial Planning Financial Advisor

DoL’s Retirement Security Rule & PTE 2020-02 Amendment: What Advisers Need to Know Now About Giving Rollover Advice After Sept 23, 2024

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 15, 2024

On April 25, 2024, the Department of Labor (DoL) issued the final version of its Retirement Security Rule (the "Final Rule"), which imposes an ERISA fiduciary standard "that applies uniformly to all investments that retirement investors may make with respect to their retirement accounts ".

Retirement

Retirement Commission Banking Financial Advising

7 Lessons Learned Launching A Sustainable Business Model To Serve (And Attract!) Profitable Millennials And Gen Z Clients

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

However, because many next-generation clients such as those who are Millennials and Gen Zers are still building their assets up, paying $10,000 or more in advisory fees each year may not be feasible for them… at least not yet. robo-managed portfolios) at a lower fee.

Clients

Clients Planning Tax Planning Management

Wealth.com Raises $30M To Provide Estate Documents To Advisors’ Clients (And More Of The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech – October 2024)

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 7, 2024

This month's edition kicks off with the news that digital estate planning platform Wealth.com has raised a whopping $30 million in Series A funding, following on the heels of Vanilla's follow-on $20M capital round just a few months ago – which on the one hand reflects the anticipated enthusiasm for solutions that can help advisors efficiently (..)

Clients

Clients B2B Estate Planning Planning

#FASuccess Ep 391: Improving Efficiency (In A Solo Practice) By Eliminating What Clients Don’t Really Care About Anyway, With Christopher Jones

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 25, 2024

Chris is the founder of Sparrow Wealth Management, an RIA based in Orlando, Florida, that oversees approximately $110 million in assets under management for 68 client households.

Clients

Clients Financial Advisor Financial Planning Planning

#FA Success Ep 292: Syndicating Private Real Estate Opportunities To Differentiate With HNW Clients, With Matthew Topley

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 2, 2022

Matthew is the Founder and CIO of Lansing Street Advisors, an independent RIA based in Ambler, Pennsylvania that oversees $160 million in assets under management for 60 client households.

Clients

Clients Financial Advisor Financial Planning Planning

#FA Success Ep 360: Growing To 100+ Clients With $100M+ AUM With Intentionality To Leave Time For Family, With Suzanne Powell

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Suzanne is a Senior Financial Advisor at Meridian Wealth Management, an RIA based in Lexington, Kentucky, where she oversees approximately $110 million in assets under management for nearly 150 client households.

Clients

Clients Financial Advisor CFP Wealth Management

#FA Success Ep 301: Guiding Clients To Design Their Rich Life With A Focus On Spending Dials Not Goals, With Ramit Sethi

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 4, 2022

What's unique about Ramit, though, is how he literally wrote the book (and subsequently launched an online educational platform and brand) on how consumers can not just learn more about their finances but change their financial behaviors, without focusing on a budget or setting retirement savings goals, and instead helping them focus their money more (..)

Clients

Clients Financial Advisor Education Retirement

From Unprofitable To $115M AUM: Reinventing A 2nd Generation Advisory Business By Finding The Right Niche

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 10, 2023

As owners of financial planning firms approach retirement, some may decide to sell to an external buyer, while others may plan for an internal succession. Sometimes, this succession plan can include the owner's child, providing an opportunity to keep the business in the family. Read More.

Financial Planning

Financial Planning Retirement Planning Clients

#FASuccess Ep 424: Executing A Successful Internal Succession Plan In The Private Equity Era Of Advisor M&A, With David Grau Jr.

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

In this episode, we talk in-depth about the best practices David recommends to firms to start preparing in advance for an internal succession (including creating defined career tracks and compensation structures as well as getting the firm’s business metrics in order and receiving a third-party valuation), how David advocates for breaking up (..)

Planning

Planning Valuation Financial Advisor Sales

#FA Success Ep 297: From $0 To $70M In 2 Years By Leveraging Facebook Groups To Share Authentic Expertise, With Andy Panko

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Andy is the owner of Tenon Financial, a virtual independent RIA that oversees $70 million in assets under management for 43 retired client households.

Tax Planning

Tax Planning Financial Advisor Retirement Clients

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 17-18)

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 16, 2022

From there, we have several articles on practice management: Why it is important for advisors charging on a fee-for-service basis to regularly reassess their pricing, and best practices for letting current clients know about a fee increase. How firms can best leverage their internal data to improve the number of client referrals they receive.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner CFP Financial Advisor Retirement Planning

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Sept 3-4)

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

Why private placement life insurance policies could become an increasingly popular option for ultra-high-net-worth clients. The upcoming debut of a new tontine product could add another option for advisors looking to mitigate their clients’ longevity risk.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner Strategic Planning Retirement Planning Retirement

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Nov 12-13)

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

While some are looking to gain a first-mover advantage by leveraging client testimonials and third-party endorsements (and adjusting their compliance programs before doing so), others are taking a wait-and-see approach. How a regular firm newsletter can keep clients engaged and improve retention.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Compliance Clients

#FA Success Ep 383: Leveraging YouTube Videos To Organically Grow 9X To $750M In Just 5 Years, With Troy Sharpe

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 30, 2024

Troy is the Founder and CEO of Oak Harvest Financial Group, an RIA based in Houston, Texas, that oversees approximately $750 million in assets under management for about 1,000 client households.

Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor Clients Retirement Planning

#FA Success Ep 379: Creating A Client Deliverable That Focuses On Behavior Over Returns With Custom Intelligrations, With Hans Blake

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 2, 2024

Hans is the founder of Intelligent Investing, an RIA based in Greenville, South Carolina, that oversees $50M in assets under management for 40 client households.

Clients

Clients Financial Advisor Assets Retirement

#FASuccess Ep 407: Building Retirement Portfolios With A Liability-Driven-Investing Approach To Manage Sequence Of Return Risk, With Mark Asaro

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Mark is the Chief Investment Officer of Noble Wealth Management, an RIA based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, that oversees $320 million in assets under management for 160 client households.

Retirement

Retirement Portfolio Management Investments

#FA Success Ep 332: Transitioning From (A Father’s) Commissions-Based Practice To Fee-Based Planning As A G2 Advisor, With Liz Hand

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 9, 2023

Liz is the co-owner of Pleasant Wealth, a hybrid advisory firm based in Canton, Ohio that oversees $146 million in assets under management for 522 client households.

Commission

Commission Planning Financial Advisor Financial Planning

The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech (January 2024)

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 1, 2024

This month's edition kicks off with the news that held-away asset management platform Pontera has raised $60 million in venture capital funding as advisors increasingly seek to directly manage clients' 401(k) and other outside assets – although an ongoing investigation by Washington state regulators over whether advisors' use of Pontera violates (..)

Retirement Planning

Retirement Planning Startup Compliance Clients

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 31-Jan 1)

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 30, 2022

” has brought a wide range of changes to the world of retirement planning. Also in industry news this week: Why many clients of robo-advisors are seeking out human advisors in the current market climate. How advisors are increasingly purchasing individual bonds rather than bond funds in client accounts.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Clients Planning

The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech (May 2023)

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 1, 2023

This month's edition kicks off with the news that robo-advisor Betterment entered into a $9M settlement with the SEC for misrepresenting its tax-loss harvesting practices in its client agreements and marketing materials compared with its actual practices (e.g.,

Taxes

Taxes Retirement Planning Advertising Retirement

Increasing Financial Planning Efficiency With A Systematized Annual Process

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

A common service model for many financial advisory firms is to schedule annual client meetings throughout the year where the advisor meets with each client in the month they started working with the firm, and conducts a comprehensive review of all planning topics for the client.

Financial Planning

Financial Planning Planning Estate Planning Clients

The Growing Appeal of Semi-Retirement

Darrow Wealth Management

APRIL 15, 2024

It goes by many different names: semi-retirement, partial or phased retirement, second career, and so on. But typically, it means the same thing: working in some capacity after retiring early. As more workers consider the growing appeal of semi-retirement, some ask — is working part-time in retirement a good idea?

Retirement

Retirement Retirement Planning Insurance Medical

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 10-11)

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 9, 2022

Also in industry news this week: A recent survey indicates that retirement plan sponsors currently using financial advisors to support their plan are overwhelmingly satisfied with the service they receive, which also leads to improved retirement savings for their employees.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner Recruitment Retirement Planning Retirement

The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech (June 2023)

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 5, 2023

This month's edition kicks off with the news that Riskalyze has completed its previously-announced rebranding, and will now be known as “Nitrogen”, a ”growth platform” for advisory firms – which represents less of a shift in the platform’s core function (given that Riskalyze’s risk tolerance tool was always (..)

Risk Tolerance

Risk Tolerance Retirement License Retirement Planning

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Nov 19-20)

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

From there, we have several articles on tax planning: How advisors can add value for their clients by managing their exposure to mutual fund capital gains distributions. How advisors can help their clients turn their HSAs into wealth-building machines.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner Tax Planning CFP Taxes

#FASuccess Ep 405: When Being ‘Youthful’ Turns From A Liability To An Asset In Building Your (Long-Term) Advisory Business, With Gaetano Sacco

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Gaetano is a partner and senior financial advisor at Fountainhead Advisors, an RIA based in Warren, New Jersey, that oversees approximately $900 million in assets under management for 1,000 client households.

Assets

Assets Financial Advisor Insurance Clients

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 24-25)

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 23, 2022

”, a series of measures that will have significant impacts on the world of retirement planning. A review of financial planning actions, from tax-loss harvesting to charitable giving, that have a December 31 deadline.

Financial Planner

Financial Planner Financial Planning Retirement Planning Budgeting

Offering Tax Preparation As A Solo Advisor: How To Attain Designations And Create A Schedule By Next Tax Season

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 8, 2023

CPA, EA, or JD) to prepare tax returns and represent clients before the IRS, there has also been the impression that there is simply not enough time for one person to do both. Furthermore, similarly structuring the client service calendar for the remainder of the year to focus on specific topics at set times (e.g., Read More.

Taxes

Taxes Financial Planning Financial Advisor Clients

Drafting RIA Advisory Agreements: Best Practices And Essential Elements To Include

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 24, 2022

Advisory agreements for Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) contain many sections that are important both for the purposes of complying with SEC and state securities regulations, and for constituting a valid agreement between the RIA and the client. The agreement should also lay out some acknowledgments for the client to review.

Electronics

Electronics Clients Retirement Planning Financial Advice

#FA Success Ep 307: Dropping Your Broker-Dealer License Without Dropping The Broker-Dealer Platform, With Stacey Hyde

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

Stacey is the President of Envision Financial Planning, an independent RIA based in Memphis, Tennessee, that oversees nearly $200 million in assets under management for 206 client households.

License

License Financial Advisor Clients Communication

Drafting RIA Advisory Agreements: Best Practices And Essential Elements To Include

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 24, 2022

Advisory agreements for Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) contain many sections that are important both for the purposes of complying with SEC and state securities regulations, and for constituting a valid agreement between the RIA and the client. The agreement should also lay out some acknowledgments for the client to review.

Electronics

Electronics Clients Retirement Planning Financial Advice

Gathering Feedback That Counts: Crafting Client Surveys To Offer Services That Matter Most

Inspired Discovery: Asking Vision Questions To Focus On Clients’ “Ideal Self”

Webinars

Trending Sources

#FASuccess Ep 409: Adding 1,400 New Clients In A Year As An Extension Of Doing (Profitable) Student Loan Consulting At Scale, With Travis Hornsby

Webinars

A 3-Step Sales Process To Clearly Demonstrate Financial Planning Value To Prospects

Five “Self-Persuasion” Questions To Connect With Prospects Who Say They’re Interested… But Aren’t Moving Forward

Firms Not Offering Tax, Retirement Planning Are Getting it Wrong

#FASuccess Ep 432: Crafting “Input Deliverables” That Show Financial Planning Value To Clients Without Creating Busy-Work, With Seth Scott

#FASuccess Ep 426: Rolling Out An Equity Compensation Plan To Align The Entire Team On Client Service And Profitable Growth, With Jennifer des Groseilliers

Values, Purpose, Action: A 3-Part Approach To Establish A “Statement Of Financial Purpose” And Unlock Deeper, More Meaningful Planning Conversations With Clients

#FASuccess Ep 421: Integrating Tax Preparation Without Hiring In-House CPAs To Bring More Tax-Focused Value, With Daniel Friedman

Implementing Retirement Income Guardrails To Facilitate (The Right) Spending Raises And Spending Cuts

Kitces & Carl Ep 119: Navigating Succession Plans When Founders Are Having Second Thoughts On Retirement

Quantifying (More Accurately) The Real Impact Of A Financial Advisor’s Costs On Their Clients’ Nest Eggs

DoL’s Retirement Security Rule & PTE 2020-02 Amendment: What Advisers Need to Know Now About Giving Rollover Advice After Sept 23, 2024

7 Lessons Learned Launching A Sustainable Business Model To Serve (And Attract!) Profitable Millennials And Gen Z Clients

Wealth.com Raises $30M To Provide Estate Documents To Advisors’ Clients (And More Of The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech – October 2024)

#FASuccess Ep 391: Improving Efficiency (In A Solo Practice) By Eliminating What Clients Don’t Really Care About Anyway, With Christopher Jones

#FA Success Ep 292: Syndicating Private Real Estate Opportunities To Differentiate With HNW Clients, With Matthew Topley

#FA Success Ep 360: Growing To 100+ Clients With $100M+ AUM With Intentionality To Leave Time For Family, With Suzanne Powell

#FA Success Ep 301: Guiding Clients To Design Their Rich Life With A Focus On Spending Dials Not Goals, With Ramit Sethi

From Unprofitable To $115M AUM: Reinventing A 2nd Generation Advisory Business By Finding The Right Niche

#FASuccess Ep 424: Executing A Successful Internal Succession Plan In The Private Equity Era Of Advisor M&A, With David Grau Jr.

#FA Success Ep 297: From $0 To $70M In 2 Years By Leveraging Facebook Groups To Share Authentic Expertise, With Andy Panko

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 17-18)

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Sept 3-4)

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Nov 12-13)

#FA Success Ep 383: Leveraging YouTube Videos To Organically Grow 9X To $750M In Just 5 Years, With Troy Sharpe

#FA Success Ep 379: Creating A Client Deliverable That Focuses On Behavior Over Returns With Custom Intelligrations, With Hans Blake

#FASuccess Ep 407: Building Retirement Portfolios With A Liability-Driven-Investing Approach To Manage Sequence Of Return Risk, With Mark Asaro

#FA Success Ep 332: Transitioning From (A Father’s) Commissions-Based Practice To Fee-Based Planning As A G2 Advisor, With Liz Hand

The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech (January 2024)

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 31-Jan 1)

The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech (May 2023)

Increasing Financial Planning Efficiency With A Systematized Annual Process

The Growing Appeal of Semi-Retirement

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 10-11)

The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech (June 2023)

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Nov 19-20)

#FASuccess Ep 405: When Being ‘Youthful’ Turns From A Liability To An Asset In Building Your (Long-Term) Advisory Business, With Gaetano Sacco

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (Dec 24-25)

Offering Tax Preparation As A Solo Advisor: How To Attain Designations And Create A Schedule By Next Tax Season

Drafting RIA Advisory Agreements: Best Practices And Essential Elements To Include

#FA Success Ep 307: Dropping Your Broker-Dealer License Without Dropping The Broker-Dealer Platform, With Stacey Hyde

Drafting RIA Advisory Agreements: Best Practices And Essential Elements To Include

Stay Connected