In 2019, women in the U.S. controlled more than $10 trillion with expectations of that tripling over the next decade according to McKinsey & Co.

Many advisors, however, are missing the mark in building relationships with women. In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome Heather Ettinger, Founder and CEO of Luma Wealth – an advisory firm designed around serving and empowering women. Heather shares her passion for helping women design their intentional future through a path to financial wellness. She reveals a new way of approaching conversations with women that will help you better understand their goals and wealth management needs.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Ways advisors can fine-tune their soft skills to build lasting client relationships
• How to unravel the money messages of your clients to guide them on their journey
• Why women often expect something more than money management
• How financial empowerment can inspire women to become agents of social change
• And more!

Tune in now for a new look at women and financial wellness! 

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Connect with Heather Ettinger on LinkedIn | Fairport Wealth | Luma Wealth | Lumination: Shining Shining a Light on a Woman’s Journey to Financial Wellness

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The culture of a firm directly impacts it’s bottom line. It affects how employees engage with clients and how your firm is viewed within the community.

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome Marie Dzanis, Head of Asset Management, EMEA and Chief Executive Officer of Northern Trust Global Investments. Marie is passionate about the power of nurturing a sustainable culture and talks about a paper she recently authored on the subject which specifically addresses a more virtual workforce.

In this episode, you will learn:

• 3 steps for cultivating a purpose-driven culture within your firm
• Why the “S” in ESG has never been more relevant.  
• How accountability is key in strengthening a firm’s culture
• Optimizing hiring by looking beyond geographic borders
• Ideas to build loyalty in a virtual environment.
• And more!

Listen now to discover why defining and nurturing the culture within an advisory firm may be more important than ever.

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | Email for Marie’s Paper | David Partain 

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It’s time for advisors to let go of some deeply held stereotypes about women investors. Investment preferences may have less to do with gender or more with levels of wealth and roles in the household.

In this episode, David Partain talks with Co-Host Laura Gregg, AnnMarie Pino Director of Financial Research at Greenwald Research and Susan Czochara, Head of Retirement Solutions from Northern Trust Asset Management. Together, these three women talk about their research and provide data on what really drives investment decisions for women and why advisors should stop assuming all women’s investment knowledge and risk preferences are the same.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why segmenting your client base can build better relationships
• How confidence and risk appetite changes as wealth grows
• Stereotypes to steer clear of when thinking of female investors 
• Findings from the Northern Trust/Greenwald research on retirement plan participants 
• About the FlexShares research study on high-net-worth primary breadwinners 
• And more!

Join us now to gain a better understanding of the many nuances of your female clients!

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Greenwald Research | Northern Trust Investment Institute 

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Over the last decade, FlexShares has been researching how and where advisors are seeking to better scale and grow their businesses, all while building a better client experience.

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome Noreen Beaman, President of Orion Advisors Solutions. Noreen has been a supporter of Flexshares’ Race to Scalability research for many years and in this episode she shares her insights on changes taking place in the advisory space and how firms are adapting their businesses to better serve clients through increased efficiencies. 

In this episode, you will learn:

• What the Brinker Capital and Orion Advisor Solutions merger means for advisors
• The importance of efficient technology enablement for advisors
• How advanced planning tools can aid in a successful client journey
• Why the marriage of behavioral finance and a communications plan are critical.
• The time needed to effectively build and grow client relationships
• And more!

Tune in now to find out how advisors are assessing options to help them become more efficient while at the same time deepening client relationships and growing their businesses! 

Brinker Capital Investments, LLC is a registered investment advisor and is not affiliated with FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds nor any of its affiliates. 

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | The Race to Scalability 2020 | ORION | Brinker Blog

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Take your practice to the next level by taking small actions that can lead to big changes over time.

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome advisor coach and author, Matt Anderson. Over the last 20 years, Matt has helped thousands of financial advisors power their practices by implementing a series of tiny habits that have led to better business results. In this episode Matt will help you understand which small changes you can implement today to grow your business in 2021! 

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why defining your ideal identity is critical in maintaining good habits
• Big advisory success examples built from tiny habits
• Common mistakes advisors make when adopting new habits 
• How Matt is guiding advisors throughout the pandemic 
• And more!

Listen in today to discover practical tips for creating real change in your business one tiny habit at a time!

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Matt Anderson 

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What are the secrets to building a diverse, high-functioning team? 

To find out, Laura Gregg and David Partain welcome back Fran Skinner to The Flexible Advisor. 

As a Co-Founder of AUM Partners, a leadership and talent assessment consulting firm for the financial services industry, Fran explains why moving away from old systems can help you to cultivate a more forward-thinking firm with high-functioning team members. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why advisors should consider broadening their recruitment process 
• Step firms can take to build diversity of thought
• How to identify and break down self-made barriers
• Two things advisors can do today to help improve their team-building acumen
• And more!

Tune in now to discover how you can successfully build a high-functioning advisory team for your firm! 

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | AUM Partners|  Episode 26: Why Now is the Right Time to Hire

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As an advisor, your work with clients often goes well beyond their financial portfolio – especially when their story changes.  

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Ambient Financial Advisors’ Christopher D. Hill, CFP®, CGRS. Christopher discusses why his firm decided to rebrand and focus specifically on helping clients manage through transition due to a meaningful loss of life or livelihood or other traumatic events.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why rebranding helped Ambient better find and speak to their ideal clients
• How to talk about and plan for anticipatory grief
• Helping clients move through emotional landmines
• Ideas for helping clients find hope again
• What Christopher did to reconcile his feelings about racial inequity
• And more!

Listen now to discover how you can be a more impactful resource for your clients as their story changes.

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Ambient Financial Advisors

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Studies have shown that diversity of thought can lead to positive business results. Finding that type of diversity may, however, require new recruitment strategies.

In this episode, Abdur Nimeri, PhD. joins Laura Gregg and David Partain to discuss why, how and where to look for diverse thought leaders for advisory teams.

As the head of Northern Trust’s Institutional Multi-Asset Programs, Abdur shares his insights into how the firms can adjust recruitment practices that lead to high-functioning diverse advisory teams.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Whether financial advisory is truly a vocation
• Why diversity of thought is needed for high functioning teams
• Ideas for small firms to source diverse talent
• How to determine the key skills that are needed in a role.
• And more!

Tune in now to discover how to build a high functioning team with diverse skill sets!

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Northern Trust Corporation | Connect with Adbur Nimeri on LinkedIn 

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It’s no secret that the financial industry lacks diversity.  But how do we move the needle?

In this episode, Laurie Barry, Senior Vice President at UBS and principal of The Barry Wealth Consulting Group joins Laura Gregg and David Partain to explore how we can start making real progress towards more gender diversity.

Laurie shares her passion for educating women about entering the financial advisory industry. She shares actionable steps we can all take to introduce the business to young girls and pull in female professionals.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why financial advisory can be a great fit for women
• How we can pique women’s interest in the advisory field
• Ways to better support and promote women in this industry
• And more!

Tune in now and learn how we can start moving the needle towards a more inclusive industry where women are the norm and not the exception!

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | The Barry Wealth Consulting Group

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