We’re excited to have XYPN member Kenneth Klabunde, founder of Precedent Asset Management, a fee-only firm in Indianapolis, IN, on the show today. Having previously been on #XYPNRadio nearly four years ago, when his firm was only three years old, Kenneth talks about his experience - specifically in today’s environment - how his company has been able to maintain strong revenue numbers through the recent market volatility, and finally how he and his team have been able to take on and serve new cli...
May 06, 2020•55 min
We’re honored to have XYPN members Ian Bloom, Meg Bartelt, Brian Thompson and Leighann Miko on the show today as they talk about communicating authentically with clients during a time of crisis. This group of members have invested heavily into themselves, their business and their clients by engaging in the George Kinder’s “EVOKE® 5-Day Life Planning Training” program, where they learned the tenants and foundational principles of life planning, a process that has fundamentally changed the way eac...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 1 min
We are excited to have XYPN members Sean Gillespie and Paul Allen - founders of the fee-only firm Redeployment Wealth Strategies, located in Virginia Beach, VA - on the show today. Both Sean and Paul served in the Navy for over 20 years, and chose financial planning as their encore careers. We discuss at length how Sean and Paul teamed up to rebrand Paul’s RIA into their own three years ago after meeting by chance through a Facebook Group and how they began to serve their people: former and acti...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 2 min
On this special episode centered around COVID-19 and XYPN's pro bono effort, we are joined by long-time XYPN members Kevin Mahoney, founder and CEO of Illumint, and Dana Menard, founder and CEO of Twin Cities Wealth Strategies. Kevin and Dana, who have been running separate fee-only firms for several years, discuss how they have made their advice available on a pro bono basis for consumers around the country who have been impacted by the coronavirus global pandemic. You can find show notes and m...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Scott Weiss is the owner of Weiss Financial Group, a fee only firm in Mahopac, NY. In today’s episode, we discuss Scott’s previous career as an art director in the magazine world, as well as why he decided to leave that industry and enter into the financial planning profession. Listen in as we delve into Scott’s story: what it was like joining a family firm, how they broke the business into a tax firm and a financial planning firm, the experience of earning his CFP®, and what he’s doing to stay ...
Apr 08, 2020•55 min
Martha Williams is the owner of Williams Wealth Services, a fee-only firm in Ann Arbor, MI. Like many advisors, Martha began her career in this industry, from the bank channel to broker-dealers and independent BDs to eventually running her own firm. Martha shares her journey with us and how the underlying desire to help people followed her with every career move she made. In 2017, she finally broke out on her own and was able to transition and continue to serve over 40 client households from her...
Apr 01, 2020•55 min
Trent Porter is the owner of Priority Financial Partners, a fee-only firm in Durango, CO. Trent began his career in this industry and, after graduating with a financial planning major, started his first RIA while still in his 20s. Trent provides an especially interesting perspective on the show today about having built not just one firm over the years, but two. Join us as we talk about his investment in networking and how it paid off big time as he progressed through his career, as well as Trent...
Mar 25, 2020•55 min
Cliff Downie is the owner of Downie Financial Group, a fee-only firm in Orange County, California. Cliff has spent his career in this industry, going from Merrill Lynch to an independent big broker-dealer, and then ultimately becoming the owner of his own RIA. He joins the show today to discuss his unique perspective on running a firm that serves over 100 clients while still maintaining valuable time to spend with his wife and family. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here...
Mar 18, 2020•57 min
Kelly Luethje is the owner of Willow Planning Group, a fee-only firm in Holderness, New Hampshire. Kelly spent most of her early career working in investor relations at a bio-tech company and after getting her own financial house in order she was drawn into Financial Planning industry. After working at another fee-only firm, she decided to start her own RIA and today she runs a completely virtual business with over 50 clients of her own. You can find show notes and more information by clicking h...
Mar 11, 2020•54 min
Joe Morgan is the owner of Best Financial Life, a fee-only firm in Danville, California. Joe has spent his career on the corporate side of this industry and after nearly 20 years, he is experiencing the most joy he ever has - joy he credits to his firm. Today Joe joins the show to share his advice for advisors breaking out on their own and reminds us how great it can be when you push through the hardships of getting started. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://w...
Mar 04, 2020•58 min
Rooted Planning Group is a firm started by XYPN member Amy Irvine, and it consists of financial planners Kate Welker, Kerrie Beene, and Becky Partridge-Eason. Amy found herself hitting capacity a few years ago—both in terms of sanity and time—so she decided to start laying the foundation for what is now a four-person company. Today Amy and her team join the show to discuss their unique experiences joining a rapidly growing practice. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: ...
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Denise Downey is the owner of Financial Trex, a fee-only firm located in Spokane, Washington. One of the first 50 women to join XYPN, Denise has worked on the trading floors of the Chicago Stock Exchange, pursued her CFP, and gained a deep understanding of financial planning. Today she joins the show to discuss why she decided to move on from her 9-5 job to make time for her family and the lifestyle she wants to lead. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyp...
Feb 19, 2020•57 min
Today XYPN member Rob Brown, owner of Brownsboro Financial, joins the show. After starting his career in the film industry as a production manager, he craved something new and decided to start a career path as a financial advisor. In this episode, he describes the challenges of starting a new business, as well as what it's like running a business while being a first-time father. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/242...
Feb 12, 2020•49 min
Erik Klumpp is the owner of Chessie Advisors, a fee-only firm in Rochester Hills, Michigan. After gaining invaluable experience at four different firms straight out of college, Erik built his practice from the ground up in 2014. Today he joins the show to talk about what pushed him to start his own firm and the sacrifices he had to make to be a stay-at-home dad while growing his business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/241...
Feb 05, 2020•55 min
Relationships, trust, and follow-through with clients are all incredibly important in the financial advising field. XYPN member Hillel Katzeff joins us on this episode to share how he has truly taken the importance of meaningful relationships to heart and integrated it into his practice and how he works every day. Originally from South Africa, Hillel opens up about his journey to the U.S. for schooling, as well as how he eventually how he found his way into finance and discovered his passion for...
Jan 29, 2020•54 min
Scott Arnold is the owner of Impact Folio, a fee-only firm in Denver, Colorado. After starting his career in this industry—working both at Schwab and an RIA—he realized he wanted to offer impact investing to clients on a broader scale, in a personalized way. Today he joins the show to discuss how the ESG investment model impacts his business and why he decided to go from a solopreneur to a partnership structure. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplannin...
Jan 22, 2020•57 min
Leighann Miko is the owner of Equalis Financial, a fee-only firm in Los Angeles, California. Although she began her career in this industry, her money scripts that led her into this career were formed much earlier. Leighann grew up poor and was the first member of her family to graduate from high school. Because of this, she has a deep understanding of the stress that finances can have on someone at an early age. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanni...
Jan 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min
BB Webb is XYPN’s sales coach, having joined the team with the unique experience of being an entrepreneur herself. Today she joins the show to discuss the challenges she faced as a business owner before becoming a part of the XYPN team and how she is helping XYPN members perfect their sales process. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/237...
Jan 08, 2020•59 min
Kingston Hollman is one of XYPN’s compliance consultants and a former regulator with the state of Minnesota. Having been a financial advisor and firm owner himself in the past, Kingston now provides firm owners with expert advice on how to embrace a culture of compliance and what to expect when it comes to audits. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/236...
Jan 01, 2020•1 hr
Today we are joined by the team from Financial Design Studio (FDS), a fee-only firm in Deer Park, Illinois. Husband and wife duo Michelle and Stephen Smalenberger started FDS three years ago with the intention of eventually growing their team, while Trevore Meyer and Rob Stoll each started their firms at approximately the same time with the intention of always being their own bosses. After knowing each other for years, the four could no longer deny their synergy and finally decided to merge into...
Dec 25, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Today we have XYPN member David Shotwell on the show! Now the owner of Shotwell Rutter Baer, David says he feels like he is just getting started—despite beginning his career in the brokerage world over 20 years ago. He is a great example of a successful succession plan and how you never stop learning in this industry. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/234...
Dec 18, 2019•1 hr
Alex Yeager started his career out of college at Vanguard, gaining valuable experience working with clients and their investments. After feeling as though he would like to work more intimately with clients in a comprehensive way, Alex moved to Texas and started working at an independent RIA. Now the owner of Everlong Financial, he specializes in the personal relationship side of the services. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/233...
Dec 11, 2019•59 min
Today XYPN member Craig Joncas and his partner, Jim Bradley, join the show to share their experience building Penobscot Financial Advisors. As Jim reveals how the practice originally got started and Craig discusses what it was like beginning his career interning for Jim, you'll hear about the ups and downs they faced along the way and the difficulties they've navigated over the years as they've built their business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xypla...
Dec 04, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 232
Lorri DeFoor started her career as a math teacher, and though she loved it, she became restless just a few years ago. Realizing her skills were transferable and that she had a passion for helping people with their money, Lorri decided to open up her own fee-only firm and founded Sustain Financial Inc. She joins the show today to discuss the challenges of starting a firm after only one year of experience in the business and how she navigated her way through a life-changing career change. You can ...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Every year, we collect data from our members to track where they are in their business so we can better understand their journeys and what new members can do to supercharge their businesses. So today, I have Michael Kitces joining me on the show to go over this year’s benchmarking survey and share the results. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/230...
Nov 20, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 230
Today we have the founder of Holistiplan—and winner of this year’s XYPNLIVE FinTech competition—Roger Pine on the show! After starting out as an energy consultant, Roger discovered financial planning through his wife and embarked on a whole new venture that he's here to tell us all about. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/229...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 7 min
This year, we announced that we would be suing the SEC over Regulation Best Interests, better known as Reg BI, and many people have asked some great questions about this process and what it entails. So today Michael Kitces joins the show to help answer those questions, discuss how this came about, and explain why this is so important for financial planners everywhere. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/228...
Nov 06, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 228
Today XYPN member Miguel Gomez joins the show to share how his marketing career turned into a financial planning career. Originally from Mexico, Miguel came to the United States to work for a firm as a marketing expert before moving to a different firm and ultimately transitioning into working as a financial advisor. He now works as lead advisor for his firm, and he gives us a glimpse into how he made the switch in his career, as well why he has no plans to start a firm of his own. You can find ...
Oct 30, 2019•54 min
Hui-chin Chen specializes in working with U.S. citizens around the world, as well as visa holders in the United States. Using her own experience living all over the world, she helps globally mobile clients make smart financial decisions. Now the owner of Pavlov Financial Planning, Hui-chin joins the show today to share what has changed since we spoke two years ago, back when she only owned 20% of her firm. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwo...
Oct 23, 2019•53 min
After working in corporate banking for 11 years, Megan Donnelly saw a need arise as she witnessed firsthand the fear and mistakes people made during the financial downturn in 2009. That need made her decide to start her own firm, Quabbin Advisors, and she joins the show today to share why she became so passionate about who she serves and how she serves them. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/225...
Oct 16, 2019•56 min