Advertise on podcast: Practical Wisdom from ACP Financial Advisors

Most advisors can describe what their ideal financial planning practice would look like. But building that practice takes intention and a commitment to your vision. Our guest, Jennifer Harper, MBA, CFP®, founder of Bridge Financial Planning, serves on ACP's Training Committee, and has grown a thriving firm founded squarely on the fiduciary standard and a commitment to how she believes clients deserve to be served. Her practice continues to grow, even after moving to Portugal and serving clients remotely. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Jennifer Harper, please visit www.BridgeFinancialPlanning.com.

Each member of ACP brings their own distinctive background to their practice, blending different ingredients into a recipe that turns out to be exactly what a particular client niche is looking for. Our guest, Marjorie L. Rand, CPA, CFP®, RICP®, founder of Rand Financial Planning, serves on ACP's Finance Committee, and fashioned her practice from her own unique blend of extraordinary tax expertise, a specialty in retirement planning, and an unshakable commitment to the fiduciary standard. And also, dogs. Learn why dogs provide a key approach to the fiduciary standard. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Marge Rand, please visit https://RandFinancialPlanning.com.

Most financial advisors would love to work with likeminded people with similar beliefs and worldviews to their own, but are wary of being too outspoken or transparent online so as to not alienate potential clients or lose business. Our guests, Zach Teutsch, Founder and Managing Partner of Values Added Financial, and Tim Caban, EA, CFP®, Founder and President of Copper Beech Advisors, have both built successful financial advisory practices by being open about their political beliefs and worldviews on social and digital media, attracting right-fit clients while discouraging those that are less compatible. In this episode exploring differing perspectives, guest hosted by Marie Swift of Impact Communications, we discuss how this strategy works in practice, how it can shape an advisor's client base, and what it means for trust and long-term relationships. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Tim Caban, please visit www.CopperBeechAdvisors.com. To learn more about Zach Teutsch, please visit www.ValuesAddedFinancial.com.

ACP members come from a wide range of backgrounds. One of the benefits all members receive from ACP is a system and set of processes that enables ACP advisors to deliver a superior financial planning experience to clients. But where does that system come from? And what's the process for keeping the ACP system not just up to date, but on the cutting edge? Our guest, Fran Goldman, CFP®, MBA, Senior Wealth Advisor with Mercer Advisors, has played an instrumental role in shaping and advancing the toolkit and practices that empower ACP advisors. Uncover the collaborative process behind keeping the ACP system both current and forward-thinking, with insights from a leader dedicated to elevating the profession. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Fran Goldman, please visit www.MercerAdvisors.com/Meet-Our-Team/Fran-Goldman

It's all too common for investors to be seduced by the illusion that careful stock-picking leads to outsized returns. Most of the time, though, the results are disappointing. Our guest, Jonathan Bird, CFP®, CWS®, explains what our clients should be doing instead, and how he plans to change the way everyone invests... by doubling the size of his practice year over year. He also discusses why he values being a member of ACP. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Jonathan Bird, please visit www.FarnamFinancial.com

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 financial independence and establish successful exit plans. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Brooklyn Brock, please visit www.EllevateAdvisors.com

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 tips, tools, and words of wisdom when it comes to running and managing an independent advisory firm. Ten members are featured here (plus one ACP partner), offering thoughts on industry organizations, methodologies, niching, outsourcing, systemization, automation, fintech and software solutions, and more. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. Featured in this episode: Michael Garber, CFP®, CRTP, MSEE, Founder of Michael Garber Financial Planning Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, Founder of Padden Financial Planning Kelly Adams, CFP®, RLP®, EA, Founder of Harbor Light Planning Tim Massie, CFP®, Founder of Timepiece Financial Planning Steven Jarvis, CPA, MBA, Founder of Retirement Tax Services Wesley Stien, CFP®, MBA, Principal at Lodestar Financial Management Steve Martin, CFP®, CPA, JD, LLM, Owner of Oasis Wealth Planning Advisors Ken Robinson, CFP®, JD, Founder of Practical Financial Planning Elizabeth Buffardi, CFP®, CPA, Founder of Crescendo Financial Planners Thomas Cook, CFP®, EA, Founder of Retire To Tellico Laura Rotter, CFA, MBA, CFP®, Founder of True Abundance Advisors

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 financial plan and why it’s important to look beyond investments alone. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Sheila Padden, please visit www.PaddenFinancial.com

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 here, offering thoughts on industry organizations, methodologies, visualization methods, profiles, niching, outsourcing, systemization, automation, fintech solutions and softwares, and more. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. ACP members featured in this episode: Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, Founder of Padden Financial Planning Cordi Powell, CFP®, EA, Founder of Favored Financial Planning Bridget Sullivan Mermel, CFP®, CPA, Founder of Sullivan Mermel, Inc. John Scherer, CFP®, Founder of Trinity Financial Planning Kelly Adams, CFP®, RLP®, EA, Founder of Harbor Light Planning Rorik Larson, MBA, CFP®, EA, Founder of Essential Financial Strategies Brian Leben, CFP®, PFS, CPA, MBA, CGMA, Owner of Midwest Wealth Solutions Wendy Marsden, CFP®, CPA, Founder of ProsperiTea Planning Zach Teutsch, Founder of Values Added Financial Hannah Basil Bryant, CFP®, Financial Advisor at Savant Wealth Management

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, founder of Davis Financial Planning, and Adrianne Gordon, CEO & Partner, discuss how they use EOS to navigate the continued growth of their firm. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Al Davis and Adrianne Gordon, please visit www.DavisFinancialPlanning.com

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 without their eyes glazing over from jargon. How can you talk with your clients in a way that helps you provide the greatest value? Our guest, Chip Simon, CFP®, Founder of Taconic Advisors, discusses how to talk with your clients so they, and you, will be confident that you’re heading in the right direction. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Chip Simon, please visit www.TaconicAdvisors.com

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 serve clients to the fullest? Our guest, Jake Kuebler, CFP®, EA, Owner and Managing Partner of Bluestem Financial Advisors, explains the benefits of the retainer model and why it's often the best choice for advisors and their clients. Jake is the co-author (along with host Ken Robinson) of the whitepaper 'The Financial Planners' Retainer: A Reflection of Real Value' (https://www.acplanners.org/consumer/media/retainer-model). To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Jake Kuebler, please visit www.BluestemFA.com

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 successful advisory practice during the pandemic. Ten members are featured here, offering thoughts on virtual client communications, working remotely, volatile markets, mindfulness, self-care, industry organizations, helpful software and fintech solutions, recruiting solutions, and more. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. ACP members featured in this episode: Frankie Corrado, CFP®, RLP®, Managing Director, Principal at Robertson Stephens; Sheila Padden, CPA, CFP®, RLP®, Founder of Padden Financial Planning; Linda Leitz, CFP®, EA, President of Peace of Mind Financial Planning; Dani Parris-Exline, AFC®, Financial Advisor at Peace of Mind Financial Planning; Jane Young, CFP®, EA, President of More Than Your Money, Inc.; Kelly Adams, CFP®, RLP®, EA, Founder of Harbor Light Planning; Mike Stanton, CFP®, Principal of Stanton Financial Planning; Ross Schmidt, President of Aspen Wealth Planners; Anabel Diaz, CFP®, Financial Associate at Natural Bridges Financial Advisors; Bert Whitehead, MBA, JD, Founder of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners; Ken Robinson, CFP®, JD, Founder of Practical Financial Planning

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 about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Tim Caban, please visit www.CopperBeechAdvisors.com.

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 three partners in her firm. To learn more about the ACP, please visit www.ACPlanners.org. To learn more about Alicia Klein, please visit www.CambridgeFinancialGroup.com.