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In Practical Wisdom from ACP Financial Advisors, host Ken Robinson, CFP®, talks with Certified ACP advisors as they share their stories of how they became successful, fee-only, comprehensive financial advisors. Through these conversations, Practical Wisdom reveals the strategies, tips, and tools these advisors employed to get where they are today. Practical Wisdom also explores the common denominator among all of these advisors—the ACP methodology.
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Comprehensive financial planners are experts at helping our clients manage their money in support of their goals. But what about the advisor’s own financial picture? Who’s advising them? Our guest, Brooklyn Brock, CFP®, CEPA®, ChFC®, founder of Ellevate Advisors, discusses her work as an advisor to financial advisors, helping them to reach financia…
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Recorded on location at ACP's Annual Conference held November 2023 in Spokane, Washington, this special episode is a collage of ideas from a sampling of ACP financial planners. Sharing best ideas from the last year and what they started doing in 2023 that they think would help other advisors in 2024, ACP advisors were asked to provide their top tip…
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A lot of the financial planning industry focuses on investments because of their “something-for-nothing” feeling. But how do you advise clients on the whole of their financial lives? Our guest, Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, founder of Padden Financial Planning and ACP Immediate Past President, discusses what it takes to deliver a complete financi…
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Recorded on location at ACP's Annual Conference held September 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this special episode is a collage of ideas from a sampling of ACP financial planners. Advisors were asked to provide their top tips, tools, and words of wisdom when it comes to running and managing an independent advisory firm. Ten members are featured he…
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As our financial planning practices grow, we sometimes find ourselves stuck on plateaus, facing problems that can’t be solved by working harder. How do we make progress when the tools we’ve used up til now won’t get us to our next professional goal? The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) could provide the answer. Our guests, Al Davis, CFP®, EA,…
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One of the challenges of fiduciary financial planning is how to best communicate with clients. You'd like your clients to tell you more about their financial lives, but they might be afraid of wasting your time if they think of you as just a professional specialist. You also want them to understand your own confidence and professional advice, but w…
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AUM model, commissions, hourly fee, flat fee, retainer model... there are so many ways that financial advisors charge for their services these days that it's sometimes very confusing for consumers and hard to know which will serve them best. The same can be said for advisors themselves - which model is going to allow your business to thrive and ser…
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Recorded on location at ACP's Annual Conference held October 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia, this special episode is a collage of ideas from a sampling of ACP financial planners. Advisors were asked to discuss a challenge faced during the pandemic and how they successfully moved through and resolved the issue, or the top lesson they learned for running a…
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Should you include tax planning in your offerings? Maybe even (gasp!) tax preparation? Join our guest, Timothy Caban, EA, CFP®, Founder of Copper Beech Advisors, as he tells us why he started out not wanting to provide tax planning, but now relishes it as one indispensable part of his firm and the value he provides for his clients.To learn more abo…
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A career as a fee-only planner may begin with a job in an existing practice. What’s it like as the planner's role evolves from entry-level to owner? Join us and our guest Alicia Klein, CFP®, EA, Senior Planner and Partner at Cambridge Financial Group, as she takes us on her journey from her first steps in the profession to becoming the second of th…
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Ep. #17: From Institutional Investing to Personal Fulfillment - Laura Rotter, CFA, MBA, CFP®
27:49
There are many paths financial planners can take on the way to their calling. What's it like to to make the change from serving large organizations with business goals, to working with individuals and all their concerns, anxieties, and ambitions? Join us as Financial Life Planner Laura Rotter, CFA, MBA, CFP®, founder of True Abundance Advisors, des…
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Many fee-only planners build their own practices from scratch, or with client relationships developed at a prior employer. But what's it like to buy an established practice from someone else? Join us as Irfan Bhabhrawala, CFP®, Owner of Arbor Financial in Ann Arbor, Michigan, describes his experience seeking a firm to advise a family member. In tim…
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Ep. #15: Building a Business on the Closest of Ties - Lois Basil, CFP® & Hannah Basil Bryant, CFP®
36:03
Staffing and succession are significant challenges for small financial planning firms. Should an owner bring their adult child into the business, or does it make things even tougher? Join ACP Board Past President Lois Basil, CFP®, founder of Basil Financial Group, and Hannah Basil Bryant, CFP®, as they explain the process and unique challenges of w…
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Ep. #14: Holistic Financial Planning Practice From Vision to Reality - Kristen Moosmiller, EA, CFP®
32:40
What makes an exemplary financial planning business? How do you provide unbiased fiduciary advice and excellent client service while growing your client base, advancing the industry, and giving back to your community? Hear Kristen Moosmiller, EA, CFP®, founder and managing partner of NorthAvenue Financial Advocates, describe the journey that's led …
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Helping clients with their financial lives is a lot like helping them see the picture on the outside of the jigsaw puzzle box when they’re only looking at the individual pieces. Our guest, Cordi Powell, CFP®, EA, trained as a medical doctor before deciding she had more important goals in life. The founder of Favored Financial Planning, Cordi helps …
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Ep. #12: Greater Together: Dual Membership in Kinder Life Planning & ACP - Frankie Corrado, CFP® RLP
29:00
This episode is the third in our series, “Greater Together,” highlighting the experiences of ACP members who maintain other professional memberships as well. Registered Life Planner® Frankie Corrado, CFP®, Principal and Managing Director at Robertson Stephens in Holmdel, NJ, talks about his experience being a member of the Kinder Institute of Life …
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Many fiduciary planners began their careers in a different part of the financial world. But others come from careers in entirely different fields. Our guest, Bill Carlson, CFP®, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Fog City Advisors, started his professional life as an airport administrator. Hear how he turned his attention to financial planning and …
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This episode is the second in our series, “Greater Together,” highlighting the experiences of ACP members who maintain other professional memberships as well. Chris Wentzien, CFP®, CPA/PFS, Founder of Natural Bridges Financial Advisors in Santa Cruz, California, talks about his experience being a member of the American Institute of CPAs as well as …
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Recorded on location at ACP's Annual Conference held November 2019 in San Diego, California, this special episode is a collage of ideas from a sampling of ACP financial planners. Advisors were asked to provide their top tips and words of wisdom. Eleven members are featured here, offering thoughts on fiduciary planning, firm succession, fees, busine…
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This episode is the first in a series, “Greater Together,” highlighting the experiences of ACP members who maintain other professional memberships as well. PJ Wallin, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Founder of Atlas Financial in Richmond, Virginia, talks about his experience as a founding member of the XY Planning Network and why he then joined ACP in 2016.To learn…
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Ep. #07: Changing Lanes: From Insurance Sales to Holistic Financial Planning - Steve Swicegood, CFP®
29:35
Most of the financial planning industry is so focused on Assets Under Management, those words describe both the size of a firm and how much clients pay for advice. With the AUM model being so prevalent, why would you switch to a different way to charge—and, more importantly, a different way to practice? Our guest, Steve Swicegood, CFP®, shares his …
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Ep. #06: Adding Value for Clients with Tax-Focused Financial Planning - Jon Heller, CFA, CFP®, EA
28:45
Income tax is about far more than return preparation. Can you transform this annual filing chore into something else, helping your clients understand how their decisions throughout the year save them (or cost them) thousands of dollars? Our guest, Jonathan M. Heller, CFA, CFP®, EA, explains how tax planning integrates with the holistic financial pl…
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The label lifestyle practice suggests that the advisor has greater-than-average freedom with their time, but at the cost of restricting their own professional revenue. Do you have to choose between limited business success and overcommitment of your time? Or is it really possible to have both a life that’s balanced and a practice that provides a so…
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For decades, financial advisors have heard that the future of the profession is in fee compensation. But the transition from commissions to fees is still a daunting challenge for many. Our guest, Meredith Briggs, CFP®, shares her journey: from selling products in the name of financial advice, to her ideal quality of life as a partner in a fiduciary…
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Sometimes it seems financial plans are focused more on products or investment theory instead of how clients live their real lives. Adding more value for the client, by using a process that focuses on what makes a real difference to them, starts with looking at how they actually experience their money day by day. And this point of view compels us to…
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Financial Planning is about more than investments. Other subjects like taxes, insurance, and estate planning are also crucial to a household's financial future. But with guidance on each of these subjects coming from different professionals, each with their own agenda, how can a consumer follow a consistent, coordinated plan? Our guest, Kelly Adams…
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If you're a tax practitioner, you've probably thought about expanding your business to include financial planning. But how do you actually do that, and what should you expect the process to be like? Our guest, Bridget Sullivan Mermel, CFP®, CPA of Sullivan Mermel, Inc., shares her experiences making just this transition: from tax practitioner to fi…
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