The Model FA

In the latest episode of the Model FA Podcast, Trevor Scotto shares how he grew his financial planning firm from $30M to $500M AUM through strategic mergers and acquisitions. He details leveraging personal connections to partner with a tax practice, and how adopting technology helped convert those clients. Trevor also reflects on finding purpose and work-life balance after his father's cancer diagnosis. In this interview, he discusses integrating tax planning into comprehensive client services and applying negotiation skills from Chris Voss's MasterClass to grow his business. This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Trevor: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

In episode 150 of the Model FA Podcast, Kristin Harad joins David to discuss the challenges of scaling second-generation advisory firms, emphasizing the importance of regularly assessing and updating business strategies. They also highlighted the need to connect advisors with service providers, embrace an abundance mindset, and document and coach the next generation to replicate success. In another conversation segment, David and Kristin discuss marketing strategies for financial advisors, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach that includes various tactics to build a strong brand and attract potential clients. They also highlight the need to focus on long-term growth, prioritize sustainability, and continuously improve marketing strategies. Finally, Kristin and David discussed the paradox of choice in the business advice industry and its impact on decision-making, emphasizing the importance of simplifying marketing strategies by eliminating choice and focusing on a few key areas. This week on The Model FA Podcast: 0:00:00 0:02:06 0:09:44 0:11:06 0:13:32 0:16:45 0:21:46 0:25:30 0:31:10 0:35:15 Connect with Kristin: kristin@fulladvisorcoaching.com About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

David interviews Tyson Ray, the CEO of Form Wealth Advisors, about his journey in financial planning and his book The Total Relationship. Tyson shares how he started investing at a young age and bought his first firm at age 24. He emphasizes the importance of understanding clients' lives beyond finances through the "total relationship" approach. Tyson discusses implementing life plans, wealth plans, and care plans for each client. He also stresses the value of building trust through empathy and personalized service over traditional sales tactics. This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Tyson: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm. Securities through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA / SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. FORM Wealth Advisors is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. Raymond James and its advisors do not provide tax advice. Podcast guest is Tyson Ray, CEO, Founding Partner, Senior Wealth Advisor at FORM Wealth Advisors. FORM Wealth Advisors is located at 431 Geneva National Ave S, Lake Geneva, WI, 53147; 262-686-3005.

In this episode Eric Negron shares his journey as an entrepreneur and advisor in the industry. He discusses how he structures his time and manages multiple businesses. Eric emphasizes the importance of mindset, character, and activity in achieving success. He recommends collaboration over competition and building a supportive board of mentors. Eric encourages listeners to ask for help and contribute value to others on their personal development journey. “Ask for help. There's always a book you could read. Somebody that you can talk to and in today's day and age, a YouTube video you could watch or podcast you could listen to. So please ask for help." - Eric Negron This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Eric: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

In this episode we are joined by Joe Moss to discuss leveraging online communities. Joe enjoys using the Skool platform to create simple yet effective communities for advisors. David suggests advisors could offer community-based courses to complement subscription services. Joe sees potential for advisors to work with multiple clients at once in a group setting. Overall, their discussion focuses on innovative ways for advisors to grow their businesses through community building. “With a traditional funnel, you've got the top of the funnel, middle of funnel, bottom of funnel, and then the client out the bottom. But a group funnel is where all of your different platforms, all of the ways you're doing marketing, you funnel people towards a free community.” - Joe Moss This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Joe: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Arielle Minicozzi-Figueroa is the founder and co-owner of Sphynx Automation, a virtual CTO firm that helps financial advisors gain efficiency and maximize their client impact using technology and automation. In addition to her work with Sphynx, Arielle is a partner and financial planner at Modern Money Advisor, where she focuses on working with young, female professionals. Arielle resides in sunny Arizona with her husband (and business partner) Mark Figueroa, and their cat (the namesake of Sphynx), Nigel. Arielle Minicozzi joins us to discuss how her company Sphynx Automation helps financial advisors automate tasks like onboarding new clients and gathering documentation. Automating routine work frees up time for advisors to focus on building relationships. Arielle discusses tools like AI transcription, Zapier automations, and pre-populating forms. Compliance considerations with AI were raised. David offered coaching and free automations through Sphynx for advisors who contact him. Overall the discussion focused on leveraging technology to improve efficiency and client experiences. “There are some things that a human just does better than a computer. But there are a lot of things, data entry for example, that computers will do better and faster than a human.” - Arielle Minicozzi This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Arielle: Shout out to YCharts! Download your copy of their ETF research and don’t forget, get 15% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free YCharts trial and tell them I sent you (new customers only). White Paper Landing Page: https://go.ycharts.com/the-best-performing-etfs-of-2023?utm_source=Model+FA About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Eric Simonson is the CEO of Abundo and in charge of driving our mission of providing high-quality, conflict-free financial planning to everyone. In addition to managing the team, he works with a small but amazing group of clients and helps them work towards their financial and travel goals. Eric is a passionate foodie and enjoys meditation. He is also an avid traveler and loves exploring new destinations. Eric is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. Eric Simonson joins us to share the story about starting his own firm, Abundo Wealth, after 12 years at another firm. He shares how in just 4 years, he grew his firm to over 650 clients through referrals and by providing affordable financial planning. Eric Discusses how he uses technology to scale while keeping costs low and providing a great client experience. Eric also shares how he helps clients maximize credit card rewards and travel benefits as part of their financial plans. “We really doubled our focus to figure out okay, how can tech support the adviser relationship and help us scale help us keep our costs low, to allow the advisors to really shine” - Eric Simonson This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Eric: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

MFA 144 - SN - Stop Living in Fear: 3 Ways Advisors Can Take Risks Without Failure with John Prendergast John Prendergast, Founder & CEO of Blueleaf and Co-host of the Augmented Advisor Podcast joins us for episode 144 of the Model FA Podcast! John Prendergast, founder and CEO of Blueleaf joins us to discuss how advisors can engage clients through 52 personalized touch points per year without being annoying. John explains how Blueleaf's technology helps automate interactions to free up time for human moments. We chat about striking a balance between service and experience models. John stresses facing fears like asking for feedback to innovate. David shares a story of getting 15 glowing reviews overnight. Throughout, they emphasize treating AI like an intern to enhance workflows without replacing human judgment. Overall, the episode provides insights into deepening client relationships through frequent personalized engagement. "I think you're creating an opportunity for a lot of small touchpoints, with your clients that start to educate them about their money, and the way it changes over time.” - John Prendergast This week on The Model FA Podcast: This episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. Save the date for January 25th because YCharts will be hosting a must-attend webinar covering economic forecasts, key industry shifts, and potential market drivers that financial advisors should be aware of in 2024. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, you’ll leave this webinar with actionable strategies for leveraging YCharts tools to not only navigate but succeed in the changing market dynamics. Register now to secure your spot and get 15% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free YCharts trial and tell them I sent you (new customers only).” Webinar Registration Link: https://ycharts.zoom.us/webinar/register/7917042231712/WN_92f-BawaS428Cs9TlHYBvg Connect with John: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Today we are joined by Kristen Luke, the President of Kaleido Creative Studio and Author of "Uncomparable: The Financial Advisor's Guide to Standing Out Through Niche Marketing". In this episode of the Model FA Podcast, we are joined by Kristen Luke to discuss effective marketing strategies for financial advisors. We emphasize the importance of finding a niche, understanding where clients spend their time, and creating content in multiple formats to meet client needs. Advisors are encouraged to start with one consistent marketing activity and build their expertise over time by regularly producing high-value content. We stress treating marketing as an ecosystem rather than a funnel, with the goal of becoming a trusted resource in one's industry niche. “I put less emphasis on social media than I think a lot of people do. It is a good way to keep your name out there once you're connected to people. But you know, if I wanted to bring in clients quickly, I would focus on, how do I leverage other people's networks to get in front of them?” - Kristen Luke This week on The Model FA Podcast: Connect with Kristen: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Michael Lecours, CFP® is a Co-Founder of fpPathfinder. He is also a financial advisor and planner at the Wealth Strategies Team. Michael began his career in advertising where he worked to develop marketing strategies for insurance companies, banks, credit unions, RIAs and hedge funds. Now, he leverages his background in advertising to distill complex financial planning concepts into straightforward strategies, apply behavioral finance concepts to the planning process and injects a disciplined approach to all facets of the client experience. In this episode of the Model FA Podcast, Michael Lecours joins us to discuss common client engagement challenges. We explore how to simplify the advice delivery process and keep clients engaged over time through check-ins. Michael describes how FP Pathfinder started as sketches he created and grew into a business helping thousands of advisors. Advisors learn different ways to segment clients and focus on one task at a time to avoid overwhelming them. Interactive checklists now allow advisors to gather client information digitally before meetings to better address their needs. This discussion provides advisors with ideas on maintaining relationships and continuously demonstrating value. "It's one thing to come up with the financial plan. But how do you deliver the plan? How do you get that client to not just take the recommendation and agree to it, but then follow through and actually do it?" - Michael Lecours This week on The Model FA Podcast: This episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. YCharts has a special gift for you just in time for the holiday season – their final research piece of the year, "The Top 23 Charts of 2023”! Dive into a curated slide deck that captures the essence of the year gone by – from the highs to the lows that defined the financial landscape. With featured market and economic storylines and key visuals from industry thought leaders, consider this comprehensive tool as your ticket to elevating your year-end communication with clients and prospects. Make an impact and showcase your value by clicking the link in the show notes to secure a copy of "The Top 23 Charts of 2023" deck. Remember, get 15% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free YCharts trial and tell them I sent you (new customers only). Link: https://go.ycharts.com/the-top-23-charts-of-2023?utm_source=Model+FA Connect with Michael: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Meet Josh Kosnick - provider, recruiter, teacher and leader. He is the Type-A alpha male that loves to compete, drink bourbon and smoke cigars; however, Josh never shies away from sharing his vulnerable side. He’s passionate about men’s mental health – healing, talking about emotions, supporting each other – and will continue to advocate for this. His faith drives him to persevere through pain and suffering because he knows, on the other side of those struggles is everything he has dreamed of and everything he was born to be. Josh Kosnick shares how he prioritizes his schedule like a college athlete to lead a well-rounded life through fitness, relationships, mind, and soul. He discusses implementing EOS to scale his firm and how vulnerability is the ultimate display of strength for men. Josh also tells the story of dropping out of college and becoming a financial advisor after getting a call from his future mentor while working at Best Buy. He shares information about his new mastermind focused on breaking down walls between advisors and creating collaboration in the industry. “You just hit on exactly why I always tried to recruit as many college athletes as possible, or former college athletes, because they had to prioritize their days so much more than the regular student“- Josh Kosnick This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: "I want to help others that I coached lead or influence or even in our conversation today, someone that I may never meet, is listening to you and I today, I want you to know, that being an alpha being vulnerability is the ultimate, the pinnacle of strength as a man." - Josh Kosnick "I flipped the mindset, I have to be physically fit, I have to be mentally fit to show up to be my best for my wife, for my kids, for everyone, I coach for everyone, I influence, for every business owner that I go in to help." - Josh Kosnick Connect with Josh: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Brooklyn Brock is a 3rd generation financial advisor and founder of Ellevate Advisors LLC, a fee-only RIA, specializing in Financial Planning and Exit Coaching for advisors themselves. Throughout her career, she found advisors rarely do retirement planning for themselves like they do for their clients, which drove her to launch her own RIA to serve advisors exclusively. Brooklyn travels across the nation as a speaker, sharing her passion for helping advisors themselves. Brooklyn Brock joins David to discuss the importance of advisors getting their own financial planning help from an unbiased third party. She shares how she works with advisors through the exit planning and financial planning process, helping them craft a vision for their life after business ownership. David and Brooklyn also explore scenarios like acquiring another firm or buying into an existing firm, highlighting the value of having independent guidance. Listeners learn that getting advice from someone other than themselves can provide peace of mind for advisors making big financial and career decisions. “There is something about retiring with something to give you meaning and purpose in your second half, I think a lot of advisors are afraid of that, of not having that.” - Brooklyn Brock This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: "If someone's not okay with that they don't have to move forward and maybe there's a different solution out there because financial planning is one type of service that can help people through life transitions." - Brooklyn Brock "I think my main takeaways from that story would be when you're exploring that option, and the firm says, okay, cool, here's how you do it. It's not black and white, and you have the opportunity to manufacture a deal." - David DeCelle Connect with Brooklyn: Website: https://ellevateadvisors.com Email: brooklyn@ellevateadvisors.com This episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. Numbers and data are one thing, but how you communicate and scale the delivery of these insights to clients is the real challenge. The reality is, people are more inclined to invest their attention and hard-earned dollars when presented with a captivating story and a skilled storyteller. YCharts empowers you by offering fully customizable tools for report and proposal generation, allowing you to expertly guide and control the narrative during client meetings. With all-in-one solutions like fundamental charts, stock and fund screeners, scenario capabilities, and more, YCharts equips you with the essential tools to showcase the strengths of your investment strategies and illustrate the value you bring to your clients. Click the link in the show notes to start your free YCharts trial, and get 15% off your initial subscription (new customers only). Landing Page Link: https://go.ycharts.com/model-fa

Tara Tussing Unverzagt grew up with one of the first CFPs but started her career as a computer programmer, project manager at a software company. She turned to financial planning when she got married and wanted to work from home to raise children (just like her mom had.) She started South Bay Financial Partners in 2014 after working in her mom's business for 20 years. South Bay Financial Partners serve a diverse range of individuals, couples, and multigenerational families who yearn for financial independence, peace of mind, and success. Prospects often don't know how to get started or find their next steps. SBFP's mission is to empower both individuals and families alike by helping them become knowledgeable, confident, and brave to level up and reach their goals. This episode featured Tara Tussing Unverzagt, a financial planner who incorporates financial therapy into her practice. She discussed how understanding clients' emotional relationships with money helps her better serve them. The conversation highlights Tara's background and how she came to focus on financial therapy. David and Tara also shared personal stories and examples of how examining underlying beliefs can transform clients' financial well-being. "We understand that money is emotional. From day one, we understand that a lot of financial planners are like, ‘I don't want to talk about that part, I just want to talk about the numbers.’” - Tara Tussing Unverzagt This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: “Well, there's also another saying that there's two kinds of bicyclists, those who have had accidents and those who will have accidents. There's no way to ride a bike without having accidents.” - Tara Tussing Unverzagt “Number one, my parents, they ended up getting divorced, and the variety of issues but what it boiled down to is, anytime they fought, it was over money, or because they were stressed about money, and they'd fight about something meaningless. Because that was like the boiling point, the tipping point. And seeing that made me stress about money.” - David DeCelle “ I used to think that vulnerability was weakness. Now I'm realizing no, you have to be friggin brave, to be vulnerable. And to put that out there. So be brave. And that's why in the intro, we tried to help people be brave and level up, be brave, have that conversation with your cohort.” - Tara Tussing Unverzagt "I said earlier that money issues often come from safety, which often comes from connection with other people." - Tara Tussing Unverzagt Connect with Tara: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Abby Morton is the Head of Community and Culture for Elements. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Abby brings an insider’s perspective on how marketing, sales, and financial advice should converge to drive optimal results in a modern RIA. In this episode Abby Morton from Elements joins us to discuss how the platform can be used to provide prospects with a free, quick financial assessment to give them value and incentivize continuing the advisory relationship. Abby outlines how Elements integrates easily into an advisor's existing tech stack and allows them to serve more clients in less time by simplifying the financial planning process. David shares strategies for leveraging Elements within a give-get marketing framework and subscription model to formally engage younger clients and families earlier. They also explored how large firms could benefit from Elements to justify building advisory relationships with clients below the typical minimum asset thresholds. “Elements is a way to help advisors, help clients really understand their money in ways that they never have before.” - Abby Morton This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: "Finances and money are the biggest stressor in American lives today." - Abby Morton “When you think of clients, especially the new generation of clients, and with a lot of advisors now, engaging with those younger clients and more like a subscription model elements just beyond the functionality. It just looks cool." - David DeCelle "We are that tool to give you the diagnostics, we’re kind of that initial financial checkup." - Abby Morton "Advisors have a desktop version and a mobile interface, but in the users of it will only use the phone because we feel like that is the way that tech is going is clients want to sit down on the couch at the end of the day and interact with their advisor when they're tired, you know, they don't want to like necessarily have to go and sit down at their desktop." - Abby Morton Connect with Abby: Learn More About YCharts “This episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. If you don’t already know, YCharts releases a Top 10 Visuals resource deck each quarter, packed with data and visuals to help advisors easily communicate complex investing topics with clients or prospects. YCharts is hosting a webinar on October 18th to deep dive into the deck, with topics ranging from the value of long-term investments to the art of crafting the right retirement portfolio allocation — all packaged in a convenient, editable slide deck you could easily leverage during any meeting or conversation. Click the link below to register for YCharts’ webinar and receive your own copy of the “Top 10 Visuals for Clients & Prospects” slide deck. Remember, you can get 15% off your initial subscription when you start your free YCharts trial and tell them I sent you (new customers only). https://ycharts.zoom.us/webinar/register/8116962561853/WN_FbGphtSBRPmzoiIYPWiFgw

Michelle Atlas-Quinn, J.D. is the Vice President of RIA Operations for AdvisorLaw. She is an Attorney licensed by the Colorado Supreme Court to practice law (active registration). She earned her Juris Doctorate from University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Michelle formerly held FINRA licenses Series 7, 63, and 24 and former Colorado life and health insurance license. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Colorado. David and Michelle discuss the transition from working with a broker-dealer to becoming an independent registered investment advisor (RIA). Michelle shared her career journey which led her to founding the RIA division at AdvisorLaw. She discussed some of the benefits of being an RIA like lower fees, less regulatory oversight, and more freedom in marketing. However, she cautioned that as an independent advisor there is more responsibility to ensure compliance. Michelle provided tips on complying with regulations and working with a compliance partner like AdvisorLaw. Overall, the discussion focused on helping advisors understand the opportunities and responsibilities involved in making the shift to the RIA space. "The SEC Rule is, am I doing what's in the client's best interest? Am I being careful with their money and making decisions that I think are careful." - Michelle Atlas This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: "Anything that you collect a fee on, is Ria, anything you could collect a commission on, is a broker-dealer. And so you look at your book and you say, well, what else am I still collecting commissions on?" - Michelle Atlas “From a marketing standpoint, in the RIA space, it's just nice that you can market your business more in alignment with the way that businesses are marketed today.” - David DeCelle "So there are some challenges, but I think 85-90% of most people's books these days, if you look at them, are fee based, because they are using managed money." - Michelle Atlas "FINRA derives their jurisdiction from the SEC. So instead of having three regulators, and if you're doing insurance, maybe four, you're down to three." - Michelle Atlas Connect with Michelle: About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Mark Willis, CFP® is a man on a mission to help you think differently about your money, your economy and your future. Mark is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, a three-time #1 Best Selling Author and the owner of Lake Growth Financial Services, a financial firm in Chicago, Illinois. As co-host of the Not Your Average Financial Podcast™, he shares some of his strategies for investing in real estate, paying for college without going broke, and creating an income in retirement you will not outlive. Mark works with people who want to grow their wealth in ways that are safe and predictable, to become their own source of financing, and create tax-free income in retirement. On episode 136 of the Model FA Podcast David and Mark emphasize the importance of treating oneself as a key investment and examine the one-size-fits-all approach of recommending generic investment options like target date funds to entrepreneurs. They discuss the pitfalls of "shiny object syndrome" as Mark introduces the idea of "iki-gai," a Japanese concept for finding one's reason for being, as a tool to align passion, skill, and market demand. “Conflict at its root is just unexpressed expectation. So go deep before you get into proposing and strategies and recommendations, figure out what their expectations are.” - Mark Willis This week on The Model FA Podcast: Mark's introduction. Strategies to get to seven figures. Mark’s philosophy on target market and how to position yourself. Power of podcasting. Leveraging the power of content. How conflict can build relationships. Our Favorite Quotes: “Guesting on someone else's show is brain dead simple, because you just get on and you have a conversation with someone who loves to chat with you, and you hopefully enjoy chatting with him. The power there is, you're getting in front of your target audience, you're having a one on one long form discussion with people who might just do business with you.” - Mark Willis Connect with Mark: Twitter: https://twitter.com/LakeGrowth/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklakegrowth/ Website: https://lakegrowth.com/ Email: thanks@lakegrowth.com Learn More About YCharts This episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. Exciting times at YCharts — they just announced their latest product enhancement called Proposals. YCharts Proposals is a game-changing capability, empowering wealth management professionals with the prowess to craft captivating narratives, effectively conveying their investment strategies that help win new business. But that's not all – mark your calendars for September 22nd because YCharts will be hosting a webinar to unveil Proposals and show off its full potential. You’ll learn how to whip up reports that don't just highlight the value of your investment strategies but also cater to your clients' unique financial needs. Click the this link to register for YCharts’ webinar if you want to learn more about Proposals, and get 15% off your initial subscription when you start your free YCharts trial (new customers only). Register: https://ycharts.zoom.us/webinar/register/5916933495668/WN_OD3x5xyzQ7qWTrtGDChLFA About the Model FA Podcast: The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle

Eric Brotman is the CEO of BFG Financial Advisors, President of Brotman Consulting Group, LLC, Host of "Don't Retire...Graduate!" podcast, and author of three books on personal finance including "Don't Retire...Graduate! - Building a Path to Financial Freedom and Retirement at Any Age" On episode 135 of the "MODEL FA PODCAST," the spotlight is on Eric, the CEO of BFG Financial Advisors and author of "Don't Retire Graduate." The episode delves deep into the crucial role of company culture, mission statements, and the power of advisory boards in shaping businesses. As the conversation progresses, Eric emphasizes the value of building authority and influence through authentic podcasting, robust networking, and mastermind groups. The episode further underscores the significance of early exit strategy planning, collaboration over competition in the financial industry, and the potential of strategic alliances. Wrapping up, Eric discusses the indispensable nature of reading, recommending seminal books that provide foundational knowledge for financial advisors. “I think it's incredibly important to be authentic. The key to podcasting is to be yourself, to be vulnerable, to be authentic and to be fallible. And then if you're relatable in that way people will seek you out.” - Eric Brotman This week on The Model FA Podcast: Culture Culture Culture Culture. How often should you review your mission statement? The importance of building authority and influence. Two paths to build influence. The power of being yourself. The importance of having a succession plan. The importance of having an exit strategy. Strategic alliances and how they work. The importance of having a reading list. Our Favorite Quotes: “One of the things I loved when I was an advisor is the culture of joint work. And being able to learn from other folks, either in my office or throughout the countr; people who had different specializations.” - David DeCelle “I believe in collaboration over competition, I think our industry is one that's has the benefit of radical abundance. There are so many opportunities, so many people and families and businesses need our help. There's a shortage of financial advisors and an even bigger shortage of good ones.” - Eric Brotman “Culture, culture, culture, if you add people to your organization, not just clients, but particularly employees, or other advisors, the Fit has to be really, really perfect.” - Eric Brotman Connect with Eric: Connect on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Website: https://www.brotmanconsultinggroup.com Email: ebrotman@bfgfa.com About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Trent Dudenhoeffer (Duden-hoff-er) is a CFP® practitioner. He started his career as a financial planner at LPL Financial but left in 2021 to join Watchdog Capital where he is focused on the convergence of bitcoin and traditional finance. Isaiah Douglass is a MBA, CFP®, CEPA. He specializes in working with veterinarians and dentists due to a personal relationship that started with finding how I could help him be successful in his career. In this episode David is joined by Trent and Isaiah to unravel the fascinating world of bitcoin and cryptocurrency, discussing everything from their personal journeys into the space, to the broader implications for the financial industry. This engaging conversation touches on the distinctions between bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, the impact of regulation, and the potential future of digital assets. “I do believe you have a fiduciary responsibility to, at the very least, educate yourself and form an educated opinion on crypto. And based on that opinion, decide whether or not to discuss crypto with your clients” - David DeCelle This week on The Model FA Podcast: The difference between crypto and bitcoin specifically. What makes bitcoin unpredictable and crypto very unpredictable? What makes bitcoin different from other cryptocurrencies? Does regulation play a role? Bitcoin is not an asset only for politicians. The size of the total addressable market. How does this fit into the financial plan? Fiduciaries have been given the okay to largely ignore bitcoin. Fiduciary responsibility to educate clients. Books that have had an impact. Our Favorite Quotes: “Everyone is drinking from a firehose, with everything else,and then add crypto on top of that. We're just trying to cut through as much noise as humanly possible to give you exactly what you need in the most efficient way. So that you can actually be knowledgeable about Bitcoin.” - Trent Dudenhoeffer “A little bit of Bitcoin goes a long way. And if they're already, okay, this can ensure that if we see an event happen that maybe you don't believe ever really happens. But it does help protect the purchasing power of those individuals. I think ultimately, that's what bitcoin does.” - Isaiah Douglass “That's the only way financial plans ever work is if you have a long term time horizon. So go ahead and make your jokes now. Yes, bitcoins down. Yes, I was touting it at its high at 69,000. You got me. Let's talk again in 10 years, and we'll see who's laughing at that point?” - Trent Dudenhoeffer Connect with Isaiah: https://twitter.com/IDFinancial Connect on LinkedIn Website: https://www.vincerewealth.com Email: isaiah@veterinariansuccesspodcast.com Connect with Trent: Connect on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Website: https://www.adviceonbitcoin.com Email: twdudenhoeffer@gmail.com About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to...

Daleele Alison is a technology professional and entrepreneur. He is the CEO and co-founder of RooksDM, a technology consulting group that helps alleviate pain points for small to midsize companies by using the right technology. Daleele has worked as a consultant, business analyst, and project manager for Fortune 500 companies to SMBs. In this episode, David interviews Daleele Alison, the President of RooksDM, a tech company that helps businesses streamline their processes using technology. They discuss how RooksDM assists financial advisors in improving their efficiency through automation. Daleele shares some examples of their automation solutions, such as using online forms to collect data from clients, automating scheduling of client meetings, and using AI to extract data from documents. They also talk about the importance of standardizing document management across firms and how implementing technology can significantly impact a business's value and growth. Broadly, we serve professional services, so any service based company, we can help service. And the main reason for that, and it kind of ties into one of our philosophies. We’re process first, technology second." - Daleele Alison This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: "So we can leverage some automations using email. So in that specific scenario, for example, is, hey, you're still collecting the documents and the data via email, we're just leveraging workflow behind the scenes to help route what happens once the email is received." - Daleele Alison "So sometimes what we see is, and we're all guilty of this of, hey, technology can help me solve this problem. And we just throw some tech at it, and it'll be magically solved. And that's not the case." - Daleele Alison "I know, at least for me, and some of the advisors I work with, the tech side of the business can be fairly overwhelming." - David DeCelle "Yeah, so few different things. One simple one is leveraging online forms to collect data. So a lot of data is still being captured, may we consider it manually through email." - Daleele Alison “Advisors want to impact folks. They want unlimited potential for their income, and they want independence in their calendar." - David DeCelle Connect with Daleele Alison: RooksDM WebsiteRooksDM on FacebookRooksDM on InstagramRooksDM on TwitterDaleele Alison on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.

Joe Templin is the author of Every Day Excellence, a book that outlines the process of making daily investments toward personal improvement and development. Widely regarded as the Human Kaizen Expert, Joe is dedicated to making individuals and organizations better. He is the co-founder and President of The Intro Machine, a learning ecosystem and training environment that helps individuals build and grow an introduction-based business. Before co-founding The Intro Machine, Joe served as the Managing Director of The Unique Minds Consulting Group and was a director at Northwestern Mutual. Joe joins me today to outline the components of the g-factor and how they determine the rate of success in life. He discusses examples of unconscious competence and the role of sleep and rest in developing the g-factor. He explains how grit, resilience, and work ethic can take any person far in life. Joe also highlights the importance of making the most out of your time, describes how people can develop their threshold for discomfort, and underscores the value of new ideas and experiences. “The g-factor is the greatest determinant of long-range success—more important than your IQ, education, social skills, or social status.” - Joe Templin This week on The Model FA Podcast: Our Favorite Quotes: Related Episode: Becoming a Better Human Every Day with Joe Templin Part I Connect with Joe Templin: The Intro MachineEveryday ExcellenceFinancial Services Daily Drip Every Day Excellence: A Daily Guide to GrowingThe Intro Machine on LinkedInThe Intro Machine on FacebookThe Intro Machine on TwitterJoe Templin on LinkedIn About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. Our Team: President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.