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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Many people feel nervous or uncomfortable when talking about money. Negotiating a raise or letting clients know about an increase in fees can be even more intimidating, even for financial professionals. 

In this episode, discover how advisors and clients alike can break their money silence with money-taboo shattering tips from wealth psychology expert Kathleen Burns Kingsbury. 

With a passion for helping people find their voice around their money, Kathleen joins Laura Gregg and David Partain to share her vision for a future in which there is no money silence and everyone feels comfortable talking about their money and compensation.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why advisors need to break their own money silence
• The importance of understanding the true value you offer clients
• Whether and how gender plays into money silence
• Two steps for achieving a negotiation mindset
• How to feel confident when negotiating your salary – even in a pandemic
• And more!

Join David, Laura, and Kathleen now to learn how you can start to break your money silence today! 

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Kathleen Burns Kingsbury  | KBK Wealth Connection |  Breaking Money Silence

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Most operations leaders are alone at their advisory firm. But you don’t have to be alone in your career. Whether you’re an operations professional, an advisor or even a compliance officer at a small or large firm, there are opportunities to find your tribe through a study group. 

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Shaun Kapusinski, Founder of HIFON, a private independent study group for RIA operations professionals. HIFON has quietly built an operations community for more than 240 advisory firms from sole practioners to multi-billion dollar RIAs. Shaun explains why he created this group and how he continues to grow it after 10 years all while heading up technology and operations for Sequoia Financial Group, a multi-billion dollar RIA. 

In this episode, you will learn:

• The benefits of networking with professionals in similar roles to your own
• About Shaun’s job and how HIFON has helped him grow his career
• Why HIFON limits membership based on functional roles
• Expectations of members
• How to create your own targeted study group
• And more!

Tune in now to discover the power of study groups and how they can help you find your own tribe of professionals! 

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain |HIFON |Sequoia Financial Group 

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How we think, act and work has been overhauled in 2020. This has meant major shifts for news and media professionals that advisors rely on for the latest advice news and in how they engage and meet their peers at industry events. Are these media professionals hitting the mark and what do they see ahead?

To find out, Laura Gregg is joined by InvestmentNews’ CEO, Christine Shaw in this episode. Christine shares how the InvestmentNews (IN) team has embraced the virtual world and shaken up how they are conducting business. She talks about the importance of rethinking content for virtual events to make them more relevant in our new normal. Christine also talks about why and how we need to elevate the discussion of diversity and inclusion within our industry and how InvestmentNews is leading the charge to provide actionable ideas to make real change happen.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How the pivot to a virtual newsroom actually improved collaboration
• The content and format implications of large scale and newly virtual events
• What Christine is hearing from other CEOs about 2021 business expectations
• Why Christine is committed to elevating the discussion of diversity and inclusion
• And more!

Tune in now and discover how Christine Shaw and InvestmentNews are creating new resources for advisors to learn and engage with one another!

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | InvestmentNews | Her Success Matter Podcast

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