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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How can advisors take behavioral finance from theory to practice and address not only client biases but perhaps some of their own biases as well?

Listen to this episode, as Laura Gregg and David Partain talk with Stringer Asset Management’s Jonathan Bernstein. 

Jonathan has a passion for identifying and understanding the behavioral financial issues that can influence the long-term performance of a portfolio. He shares specific processes that advisors can implement to help clients limit or avoid poor investing choices — enabling them a better chance of achieving their long-term goals. 

Listen to learn:

• Ways to address and overcome herd mentality
  
• Three things to acknowledge to keep clients on track
• How advisors can discourage the fear of missing out (FOMO) in clients
• Why implementing a tactical portfolio sleeve may make sense
• And more!

Listen to learn how to put a well-designed process into place today! 

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Stringer Asset Management | Jonathan Bernstein| Ep 20: Coaching Clients in Volatile Times – With Morningstar’s Dr. Sarah Newcomb 

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Advisors, are you well-equipped with the knowledge and expertise you need to provide clients with the insurance guidance they need? 

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain are joined by Rebecca Woan, Principal and Founder of Chartwell Insurance Services. Together, they discuss a range of risk management considerations. Rebecca highlights areas where high-net-worth clients may be at risk by being underinsured or by not having assets properly titled. Understanding the right questions to ask and a specialist to rely upon are critical in delivering a truly holistic wealth management experience.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The value gained by partnering with a trusted insurance specialist
• Areas where wealthy clients are often under-insured
• When coverage for cyber risks and social media exposure is needed 
• What parents need to know when gifting a car to their children
• And more!

Tune in now and discover the value insurance discussions can bring to your planning!

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Chartwell Insurance Services | Rebecca Woan

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Why have some advisory firms grown while others have stalled during the pandemic?

In this episode, Laura Gregg and David Partain discuss how advisors are gaining traction in the pandemic with Thrivos Consulting Founder Penny Phillips. Penny shares some timeless advice on prospecting, marketing and the urgent need to embrace change to build trust and nurture lasting client relationships.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How Thrivos is helping advisors re-imagine their businesses
• What it takes and why you need to be a relentless prospector
• How and why to rethink your approach to getting client referrals
• Tactics advisors are using to drive success
• And more!

Tune in now to learn how you can nurture and grow your client relationships during the pandemic and beyond.

Resources: FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds | Laura Gregg | David Partain | Penny Phillips | Thrivos Consulting

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