Clients have needs and aspirations they can't put a price tag on.  Client's attitudes towards their own longevity, health care, elder care, career, charity, community, spirituality, and legacy all lack a dollar value.  These areas, and possible many more, are all very important yet cannot be solved purely through a quantitative or numbers-based approach.     This mismatch creates an opportunity for a wealth manager to use a qualitative approach.  To solve non-numeric issues you need to ask the right questions and coordinate different disciplines of knowledge.&n ..read more

In this episode we'll interview Grace St. Clair, an estate planning attorney and wealth manager in Los Angeles, CA.  Grace will share how and why her practice evolved from pure estate planning by adding wealth management.  She had realized very early in her career that there is tremendous overlap between the two disciplines and that combining them would hugely beneficial for her clients.  By listening to this episode, you'll obviously realize that you personally don't have to add a law degree to your credentials to be more valuable to your clients. Rather, you need to see where ..read more

Partnerships can drive financial practices to new heights of success. They can also be very stressful and damaging to the participants if there isn’t a high degree of compatibility and alignment.  There are many reasons you should have a partnership such as scalability, enhanced business value, and leveraging of different resources and skill sets.  No matter the motivation for having the partnership there are many factors that go into forming, maintaining, and optimizing it.   In this podcast we'll explore how to optimize your partnership so that you can effectively execut ..read more

Becoming a "Go-to" advisor is about becoming an expert.  Advisors can become experts by publishing on social media.  Many of the most successful advisors today have established a very robust social media presence as they know potential clients want to read about you online before making any decisions.  So, what do they wish to see from you?  Research supports that investors expect you to be highly competent, or even have expert status in knowing and solving their challenges, and they want to see proof.  If they can't find proof of your competency there is good chance y ..read more

In this podcast we'll interview Andrew Martz (or Money Martz to his friends), a Los Angeles based wealth manager who specializes in the sports and entertainment industry.  Andrew has acquired a client base in what is arguably one of the most difficult target markets.  He will share with us the steps he takes to truly understand his prospective clients' thoughts, attitudes, and concerns regarding wealth - and what they hope to achieve by working with an advisor. He'll describe how his system helps clients stay on track to achieve their goals and aspirations even during this down marke ..read more

A "go-to" advisor is an expert to a particular group of people.  It is worthwhile to become an expert as studies show people are far more likely to hire a financial advisor if they feel that person is an expert at solving their problems and challenges.  So how do you become an expert?  It is easier than you'd think.  Just ask the right questions.   By listening to this episode you will learn how one advisor is positioning himself as the "go-to" advisor to the construction trade by gaining insights into their behavior.  We'll discuss how he identified a Center of ..read more

In this episode we'll interview Mark Lamb, a wealth manager in the heart of Silicon Valley - San Jose, CA.  Many clients simply expect you to have a great technology platform  - commonly known as a tech stack.  But no one knows technology better - or has higher expectations - than the people who live in the birthplace of Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, and many more leading technology companies.  Mark will talk about which systems he uses and how they provide the foundation for his service model.  He'll also discuss how he goes beyond the technology in his ability to ..read more

In this episode we'll interview Efrain Trujillo, a wealth manager in Los Angeles.  Efrain grew up speaking Spanish which gave him perspective and inspiration to represent his heritage as a financial advisor and to serve the large Spanish speaking population.  After graduating from USC with a degree in finance, he literally began his career working in the mail room of branch office of a major wire-house firm. Turns out that was a great move as it allowed him to learn all about how the industry actually works - and how to get things done for your clients. He learned so much that by age ..read more

Episode 3 of the IDEAL Plans Ideal Advisors Podcast details a step by step process to mobilize your message (your brand) and establish credibility within your target market.  Whether you want to attract more new ideal clients, improve retention, or position yourself as an expert you will need effective marketing.  There was an old saying that if you built a better mousetrap the world would beat a path to your door.  But we all know that isn’t the case.  Attracting new clients and creating advocacy among your current clients and centers of influence requires real work.  ..read more

In the last episode we provided financial advisors the steps to create an impactful and meaning message that would resonate with their ideal clients.  In this episode we will explore how to maximize the value of that message by ensuring your public understands your brand, your value, and your mission.  It is not a big surprise that many clients really don't know how to talk about their financial advisor.  For many people, and advisor is simply an generic term for anyone who provides financial advice.  But that is doing a huge disservice to both the client and their circle o ..read more