They are misunderstood, neglected and in a precarious situation. Why are so many financial planners not actively engaging with Gen X?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with a champion of the Gen X investor. What issues are challenging this generation and why should advisors pay attention? Michael Labos CFP®, CCFS®, and Principal at Gen X Wealth Partners, shares his passion for understanding the values, goals and behaviors of Gen X, and what they urgently need from you.
Michael Labos is the principal at Gen X Wealth Partners and has more than 15 years of experience in the financial service industry. He understands that investing is more than just focusing on risks and return – it’s about your values, goals, beliefs, and a voice wanting to be heard. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional, Michael helps analyze every aspect of his clients’ financial lives. This includes assets, liabilities and cash flow budgeting, current insurance coverages, and investments.
To have a beginning, we must also have an ending. Sometimes the ending is our choice, and sometimes it is thrust upon us.
Elisa Spain is an Executive Life Coach and the creator of the You Pivot™ Program. She helps senior-level executives plan and create the next version of themselves whether in a new career or in retirement. Elisa talks with Laura Gregg and David Partain about the power of moving client conversations beyond retirement planning to understand when they may need a career pivot and how that can deepen your client relationships.
Elisa discusses:
How effectively C-level executives can be coached
The power of writing your tomorrow story
Building a successful retirement life portfolio
Planning so there’s no regret after selling a business
Elisa K Spain is an executive life coach. Building on her own professional and personal experience, her coaching approach has evolved from executive coaching to coaching executives in living their full lives. Her clients include CEOs and C-suite executives from Inc. 500 companies, Crain’s Fast 50, Chicago Tribune’s Top 100 Workplaces, and Crain’s Largest Privately Held Companies.
Elisa created the YOU PIVOT™ Program to guide her clients through career and life transitions. Understanding that careers, like software, require updates to keep them fresh, this immersive program catalyzes leaders to embrace change and explore a better version of themselves.
Elisa’s experience as an executive at Northern Trust, 15-years as a Vistage Peer Advisory Board Master Chair, coupled with her successful pivot from the corporate world into entrepreneurship, has shaped her perspective. She holds an MBA from Kellogg GSM, Northwestern University; CFA, Level I; and a BS from Florida International University. She is a partner and investor with Social Venture Partners – Chicago, and a member of the Advisory Board for the Independence Equity I, LP Venture Fund.
Every Sunday, Elisa publishes stories about transitions, including sharing the life lessons from the storytellers she interviews. You can read and subscribe to these Sunday Stories here.
Life decisions made with urgency, short timeframes, and pressure will shape the next chapter of someone’s life. How can advisors help clients navigate thoughtfully through life’s changes?
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk about the impact that life transitions can have on financial plans. Susan Bradley CFP® CeFT®, Founder of Sudden Money Institute, and Ross Marino CFP® CeFT®, Founder of Transitus Wealth Partners explain why there’s no such thing as a purely financial decision, and why the human element must always be considered when serving clients.
Ross and Susan discuss:
Why they wrote a book on transitions: Shaping Change: How To Respond When Life Disrupts Your Retirement Plan
How to become more comfortable, productive and successful in financial planning
The hidden benefits of beginning client conversations discussing life, not investments
The four-step process you can use to facilitate conversations with clients facing major life transitions
Critical questions to ask clients facing either trauma or euphoria
Susan Bradley, CFP®, CeFT® is the founder of the Sudden Money® Institute (www.suddenmoney.com), which began 20 years ago as a community of practice seeking to better serve their financial planning clients by developing process and tools for the personal side of money and for clients going through transitions. This think tank created the Certified Financial Transitionist® (CeFT®) designation, and a division for training and certification called the Financial Transitionist® Institute. Susan has served on the FPA’s National Board of Directors, she has served on the National Football League’s Players Association’s Financial Education Advisory Board, and she serves as the Dean of Transitions for the Council of Deans of the Purposeful Planning Institute. She is a founding member of the Nazrudin Project studying the psychology of money since 1994. She is seen and heard frequently in the national media, including NBC’s Nightly News, CNN, NPR, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.TEDx Wilmington Women talk is called, “Change launches you into the next great chapter of your life, whether you like it or not.”
She is the recipient of the Insiders Forum Iconoclast Award 2017.
Ross Marino CFP® CeFT®, an advisor for 30+ years, fell in love with investments in the 9th grade when he received a copy of Money Magazine as a birthday gift. He is the founder of Transitus Wealth Partners, a fee-only financial planning firm that helps people make decisions when life happens and plans change. Ross is also the founder of Advisor2x, which has host more than 1,000 events and conferences for financial advisors since 2010. Currently, he hosts two bi-weekly podcasts for financial advisors and recently published his first book with co-author Susan Bradley: Shaping Change – How to respond when life disrupts your retirement plans.
Ross is married to his incredible wife of 31 years, has two nearly-perfect children, and shares his home with multiple pets that live to be served by humans.
Our world has changed dramatically over the past 18 months. The wealth management industry is no different.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Mark Bruno, Managing Director of Wealth Management at Informa Connect. Mark talks about his new role in expanding and growing WealthManagement.com, Inside ETFs and Inside WealthStack. He also shares his insights into important industry trends and explains what advisors need to be doing to create an intentional strategy for growth.
Mark discusses:
Advisory M&A activity and the professional buyers driving it
How thoughtful firms are growing by design
The convergence of asset management and fintech
Why more access to wealth management helps everyone
The future of work for advisors and its impact for clients
Mark Bruno is Managing Director, Wealth Management, at Informa Connect. He is responsible for developing strategies that will enhance Informa Connect’s offerings for the wealth management community including media, events, and targeted business intelligence for financial advisors. Mark is focused on the expansion and growth of the firm’s media and event properties, which currently consist of WealthManagement.com, Inside ETFs and Inside WealthStack along with strategic partnerships.
Previously, Mark was a managing director with Echelon Partners, which is a leading investment banking and consulting firm to the wealth and investment management industry. While there, he specialized in helping wealth managers build strategic connections between people, performance and profitability. He focused on valuation, organizational design and assessment, compensation consulting, succession and continuity solutions.
Mark also spent 15 years at InvestmentNews where he launched the media firm’s content strategy studio, a dedicated marketing and custom content division and managed InvestmentNews Research.
While firms may be successful in hiring younger employees, they often struggle to keep them.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk about successful retention strategies with Yonhee Gordon, a Principal of JMG Financial Group and the RIA’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. They discuss how a methodical hiring process and a willingness to truly get to know prospective candidates can help lead to fewer surprises and better retention. Yonhee also provides practical advice for young professionals on preparing for a successful career in the financial industry.
Yonhee Gordon discusses:
What’s powering JMG’S fast growth of assets and staff
The need to create more awareness of the profession
Her passion for connecting people both inside and outside of the industry
Steps to help find the right fit when hiring
The evolution of career paths in the advisory industry
Yonhee Gordon is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at JMG Financial Group, an RIA with more than $4 billion in AUM located in suburbs of Chicago. Yonhee is also a principal owner of the firm, a member of its Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and spearheads JMG’s involvement in community service. She focuses her efforts on organizational development to ensure the sustainability of JMG’s long-term operations. Yonhee is a certified financial planner and prior to her current role, she served as a financial advisor to clients at JMG by providing tax and wealth management services.
Yonhee is a sought-after speaker throughout the industry and is a board member for many organizations including Dominican University, The Foundation for Financial Planning, Charles Schwab’s inaugural DEI Advocacy Board and Almost Home Kids (affiliated with the Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Outside of business, Yonhee enjoys travelling with her husband and two sons and volunteering for nonprofit organizations that benefit special-needs children.
Building a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program (DEI), can be a daunting task. Leaders understand that it’s so much more than just hiring people that look different from one another.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome D.A. Abrams, Managing Director at the CFP Board’s Center for Financial Planning. He identifies four key pillars that are necessary to build and sustain a DE&I program. D.A. also discusses why this should be a business imperative and how firms of all sizes will benefit over time by acting with intention today. Learn how to gain a competitive edge over other firms that aren’t taking action on DE&I today.
D.A. Abrams discusses:
The mission of the CFP Board’s Center for Financial Planning
Four critical pillars of engagement in a DE&I program
How to use geography to your advantage when expanding your business
Why to invest in career changers
Mentorship opportunities through the Center for Financial Planning
David Anthony (D.A.) Abrams, CAE joined the CFP Board as Managing Director for the Center for Financial Planning in November 2019. In his role, D.A. is responsible for the following: Cultivating a quality workforce to ensure the profession can recruit and retain the talent it needs to grow; Fostering a more diverse financial planner workforce that reflects the changing demographics in the United States; and Elevating the discipline of financial planning to increase the stature and recognition of financial planning faculty and educational programs and provide practitioners with cutting-edge knowledge to thrive and provide outstanding service to clients.
D.A. is the immediate past Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a position he assumed in February 2012 and concluded prior to joining the CFP Board. During his 26 years with the USTA, D.A. served as the Executive Director and Chief Staff Executive for two (2) of the Association’s 17 Section offices; USTA Eastern, and USTA Missouri Valley.
In addition, D.A. served as the staff member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Hispanic Engagement Advisory Group, National Committee Appointment Process and was chair of the D&I Advisory Group at the USTA. Further, he was the chair of the USTA’s Accreditation Review Committee.
Moreover, D.A. serves as the National Association of Asian American Professionals Board of Directors – Treasurer and is a Board Member of Diversity MBA. Also, D.A. is a former President of the Diversity & Inclusion Sports Consortium.
He played collegiate tennis at Millersville University in Pennsylvania where he earned his undergraduate degree in business administration, concentration – accounting. Subsequently, D.A. earned a master’s degree from Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis, MN. D.A. earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2010.
Savvy Ladies strives to empower women by providing free financial literacy education to all women, regardless of age or income level. The nonprofit has helped more than 20,000 women of varied-backgrounds through their volunteer network of financial planners that answer key questions during times of transition which has helped put women on the path to financial literacy and security.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Judy Herbst, Executive Director of Savvy Ladies to learn about the organization and how financial professionals from across the country are helping women create better financial outcomes for themselves and their families.
Judy Herbst discusses:
The history of Savvy Ladies
Who Savvy Ladies serves and how its mission has grown
How advisors are making an impact in women’s lives
The new community of financial professionals growing from this work
Virtual engagements makes volunteering less time consuming
Judy Herbst is the executive director of Savvy Ladies. She has over 20 years of relationship-building experience working with iconic brands such as Tiffany & Co, American Girl, and Worthy.com. Judy develops astounding programs and initiatives that educate and raise awareness about important issues affecting women, parents, and families.
She comes to Savvy Ladies with great knowledge and experience working with women throughout her career and brings her business acumen and creative, marketing & client relationship savviness along with her proven success record in developing, driving and executing business growth initiatives.
Diversity isn’t the end game in DE&I. To create powerful outcomes, leaders need to understand how to create Equity and Inclusion within their firms, which takes strategy, commitment and accountability.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome back Connie Lindsey, long-recognized for her outstanding work and former Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for, who has since retired. Connie discusses why she views DE&I as a strategic imperative. She also shares some misunderstood aspects of DE&I and how leaders can sidestep common pitfalls in order to create powerful outcomes.
Connie Lindsey discusses:
What diversity really means
How to apply Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a strategic imperative
Understanding equity and how it differs from equality
Connie L. Lindsey, now retired after years of service, is the former Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at Northern Trust. She was responsible for the design and implementation of the global Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Development and Investments, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy at Northern Trust. In addition to strategic oversight, she provided leadership in the firm’s response to environmental matters and social issues: within the marketplace, workplace, and community.
Prior to becoming the Head of CSR and Global DE&I, Ms. Lindsey led client servicing teams in the Corporate & Institutional Services business, serving public fund and not-for-profit clients. Over the course of her Northern Trust career, she held a number of leadership roles, including Deputy Business Head in Operations and Technology, Group Head in Wealth Management, Director of Enterprise Relationship Management, and Manager in Treasury Management Consulting and Product Management and holds the Certified Treasury Professional designation.
Ms. Lindsey is a former National Board President of Girl Scouts of the USA, the highest-ranking volunteer of this 2.5 million-member organization. In this role she provided guidance in three vital areas—policy, fund-raising, and leadership. She was an integral part of the Girl Scout transformation, committed to building and sustaining membership growth and ensuring girls receive a premier leadership development experience.
Ms. Lindsey serves on several civic and charitable boards to include Leadership Greater Chicago (Board President, 2001 Fellow); McCormick Theological Seminary (Chair of the Board of Trustees); Obama Foundation Inclusion Council (Co-Chair); Chicago Urban League; Executives’ Club of Chicago; and YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
Ms. Lindsey received her BA in Finance at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education Corporate Social Responsibility program, and is also a licensed Qualified Administrator of The Intercultural Development Inventory®. She is a public and motivational speaker on topics of diversity and inclusion, corporate responsibility, leadership, and personal and professional empowerment.
Consumers want to work with advisors like them! That’s according to FlexShares’ most recent DE&I research. But in an advisory industry that is primarily white and male, finding a Black or LatinX advisor can be difficult. Dana Wilson, Founder and CEO of CHIP (Changing How Individuals Prosper) is working to change that! In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome Dana back to the show to check in on the progress of her fintech firm that matches consumers and advisors of color and the new resources CHIP is providing to build a vibrant new community.
Dana Wilson discusses:
Why building a community of black and brown advisors and consumers is necessary
How CHIP matches consumers to advisors who share key cultural characteristics
Why trust matters – and how to build it in communities of color
Dana L. Wilson is the CEO and founder of CHIP (Changing How Individuals Prosper). She has 15+ years of industry experience as a customer-focused financial professional and has received many awards and recognitions, including Inspiring Fintech Females 2020. She demonstrates the ability to build long-lasting client relationships, fosters successful collaborative partnerships, and drives social impact through emerging technologies.
While divorce rates have decreased over the last 20 years according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the rates of divorce among baby boomers are increasing. Because family wealth tends to be much higher at this age, these divorces may present complex problems for clients.
In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain speak with Steph Wagner, Director of Women and Wealth at Northern Trust. They explore the meaningful impact that advisors can make – both financially and emotionally — when guiding women through major life changes and steps, advisors can take proactively to ensure couples are prepared for any unexpected transitions.
Steph shares:
Her own story of working through an unexpected transition
The risk of giving up your seat at the family financial table
The power story telling has on igniting conversations of hypothetical events
What to do if there appears to be financial infidelity in a relationship
Things to consider when a family business is involved
What to do – and not to do – when helping clients through a transition
Steph Wagner, director of Women and Wealth at Northern Trust Corporation, has long advocated for women who find themselves single due to divorce or the loss of their spouse. She leads the firm’s advisory practice for women who are facing unexpected transitions and oversees our women’s initiative by elevating women. Over the years, Steph has developed a specialized expertise in utilizing financial strategies and empowering women with the resources they need to become effective stewards of their own wealth. She has worked extensively with women across the country to help them address the financial impact of widowhood, to secure equitable settlements, and marriage disillusions. And she has helped them establish a solid foundation for their next chapter
