Xypn Radio

We’re excited to have XYPN member Ben Wacek, founder of Guide Financial Planning, and his firm’s Operations Manager, Amy Artiga, on the show today.  A few years ago, Amy was a stay-at-home mom, looking to pivot into the financial planning industry, and she merged her interests of writing and helping pastors when she started a blog called the Pastor’s Wallet. After hearing Ben’s original interview on #XYPNRadio about targeting people who embodied biblical principles, pastors being some of those clients, Amy reached out to Ben about potentially working for him in a part-time capacity. The rest is, as they say, history. Today, Amy continues to work part-time for Guide in a virtual capacity as an Operations Manager, but also helps build the actual business. Her blog has only gotten more popular and continues to send prospects to Guide. Ben discusses what it was like to hire when he wasn’t necessarily looking to, and discusses how Amy is an integral part of the firm. We discuss the EOS model, client surges, and wh

We’re excited to have XYPN member Todd Pouliot, owner of Gateway Financial, a fee-only firm out of Northfield, OH, on the show today. Todd started his career spending time as a captive insurance agent and a long-time rep at a broker-dealer.  In this episode, Todd talks about his evolution to understanding the responsibilities of being a fee-only fiduciary advisor, and how that drove his ultimate decision to open his own firm. He walks us through his experience firing clients, transitioning them over, and eventually acting as a fully independent RIA. Todd speaks to the movement within our industry as being an evolution—not a revolution—and how he feels more deeply committed to his duty as an advisor than ever before. Todd serves nearly 60 clients and utilizes the support of virtual assistants to maintain balance and efficiency within his firm, but plans to hire virtually as he continues to grow. Todd shares his experience of finally finding a community of like-minded advisors, and how giving back, learning, an

We’re excited to have XYPN members Dan and Natalie Slagle, owners of Minnesota-based fee-only firm, Fyooz Financial Planning, on the show today. Dan and Natalie are partners in life and business, and together have nearly 20 years of industry experience.  Today, they talk about how they built Fyooz intentionally to reach their target market: successful, fun, and authentic couples. They discuss what sparked the fire to launch their firm, the sacrifices they made along the way, and how their relationship has allowed them to serve their ideal client base. Together, they serve 30 clients—and have the capacity to serve 50-70 more. Dan and Natalie walk us through how they delineate roles and responsibilities, and the inherent challenges of working with your spouse. They share their candid thoughts about the pressures of the fiduciary oath they’ve taken, how they manage anxiety, and, on a lighter note, discuss what they’ve loved most about building Fyooz. If you want to learn about what it’s like to go into business

We’re excited to have XYPN teammate, Taylor Deardorff, on the show today. Taylor currently manages XYPN’s Tech Team as the Product Owner, a role that allows her to leverage her deep understanding of member needs to design and create cutting-edge technology solutions for the Network. Taylor pivoted into this industry when she joined Team XYPN back in 2018 as one of the original team members. We cover a lot of ground in this episode as we talk about the tech tools Taylor recommends for all advisors, insights into the role technology can play in scaling large business, and, how as someone who has managed anxiety her whole life, she’s been able to make decisions and move projects forward even when she’s not 100% confident. As an avid reader and efficiency whiz, Taylor shares her words of wisdom about uncovering your “why” and leaves listeners with some great book recommendations. If you’re interested in how to leverage a technology mindset in this industry or your practice, this show is for you. You can find show

We’re ‌excited‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌XYPN‌ ‌member‌ ‌Lamar‌ ‌Watson,‌ ‌owner‌ ‌of‌ ‌Dream‌ ‌Financial‌ ‌planning,‌ ‌a‌ ‌fee-only‌ ‌firm‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌Reston,‌ ‌VA,‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌show‌ ‌today.‌ ‌ Lamar‌ ‌started‌ ‌his‌ ‌career‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌industry‌ ‌before‌ ‌he‌ ‌even‌ ‌went‌ ‌to‌ ‌college‌! ‌He‌ ‌was‌ ‌an‌ ‌avid‌ ‌follower‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌stock ‌market‌ ‌and‌ ‌reader‌ ‌of‌ ‌Warren‌ ‌Buffet.‌ ‌While‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌in‌ ‌college,‌ ‌he‌ ‌secured‌ ‌an‌ ‌internship‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌diverse‌ ‌Scottrade‌ ‌branch‌ ‌where‌ ‌he‌ ‌received‌ ‌valuable‌ ‌insight,‌ ‌training‌, ‌and‌ ‌mentorship‌ ‌in‌ the ‌financial services industry.‌ ‌Lamar‌ ‌walks‌ ‌us‌ ‌through‌ ‌his‌ ‌career‌ from ‌how‌ ‌he‌ ‌pitched‌ ‌himself‌ ‌in‌ ‌an‌ ‌interview‌ ‌before‌ ‌he‌ ‌even‌ ‌graduated‌ ‌from‌ ‌college to how‌ ‌he‌ ‌climbed‌ ‌the‌ ‌ranks‌ and finally to ‌how and why‌ he‌ ‌decided‌ ‌to‌ ‌open‌ ‌his‌ ‌own‌ ‌RIA.‌ ‌Lamar‌ ‌talks‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌it‌ ‌was‌ ‌like‌ ‌to‌ ‌move‌ ‌from‌ ‌a‌ ‌steady‌ high-paying ‌job‌ ‌to‌ ‌working‌ ‌one-on-one‌ ‌with‌ ‌his‌ ‌ideal‌ ‌ty

Today, XYPN co-founders, Alan Moore and Michael Kitces, join us for a special episode to discuss the findings of XYPN’s 2020 Benchmarking Survey. Each year, XYPN members participate in a comprehensive survey about their businesses, and each year, Alan and Michael discuss the trends they see, the themes that emerged, and their perspective on where the industry is headed. If you’re interested in hearing about what XYPN member firms are experiencing this year, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/288

We’re excited to have XYPN member Natalie Taylor, owner of Natalie Taylor Consulting Services, on the show today. Natalie is only 10 months into building a fee-only RIA business, but she has already served nearly forty clients since opening her doors in early 2020. Natalie walks us through her professional background, which includes substantial experience in the financial industry, both on the private side and in the fintech space. Natalie credits her ability to scale her firm so quickly to the scrappiness she garnered while at a startup paired with the intentionality she places around how she executes her meetings and financial plan delivery with clients. Natalie talks about why she had to put potential clients on waitlists, and why she always prioritizes her family time and her client experience and will sacrifice neither to earn more money. If you’re interested in how you can grow your business organically while remaining true to your goals, this show is for you. You can find show notes and more informatio

We’re excited to have XYPN member Helen Ngo, Founder of the Atlanta-based RIA, Capital Benchmark Partners, on the show today. A lot has changed for Helen since she was last on the show in 2017; she got married, had a baby, and has transitioned her firm to 100% virtual. What hasn’t changed at all is her passion for growing her business. Today she serves over 70 client households, the majority of whom are attorneys. She’s settled into a pricing structure that is niched to the needs of her attorney clients, and finds the conversation around pricing to be (surprisingly) simple. Helen reminisces on what it was like to start her firm, and how her priorities have shifted from being the planner to being a real business owner: managing people issues, learning how to communicate more softly, and graduating clients, all while giving her new baby some love in between calls. Listeners will be particularly interested in Helen’s discussion about the pushback she continues to receive around being in the driver's seat of her

We’re excited to have XYPN member Ashley Murphy, Founder of Areté Wealth and the Global Financial Planning Institute (GFP), on the show today. This is Ashley’s second time sharing his career journey and expertise in the expat space on #XYPNRadio. Today, he joins us to give us an update on how a niche can turn into a full-blown industry-shaking initiative. After recognizing a gap in technical training for cross-border and international planning, Ashley spearheaded an initiative to create content, training, and a designation around the expertise. As Ashley discusses on the podcast, advising in this space is complicated and, like other niches, demands a specific level of competence. Ashley shares how the GFP, which once was a passion project, is now changing the direction of his firm and encourages anyone who wants to get into this space to do so. According to Ashley, the number of clients in dire need of cross-border planning from an advisor who has done their research is unlimited, to be exact. If you’re inter

We’re excited to have XYPN member Brooklyn Brock, Founder of Ellevate Advisors, a fee-only firm in Tulsa, OK, on the show today. Brooklyn is a third-generation CFP® and after several years of working at her family Ameriprise office, Brooklyn got the itch to start her own firm. But Brooklyn took an unconventional route when she launched a part-time firm. That’s because she’s still working for fee-only advisors as a paraplanner, a position that allows her to gain deep experience working for her ideal clientele, financial advisors, and exit coaching, a passion of hers. In efforts to combat imposter syndrome as she builds her business, Brooklyn hones her skills and has sought and achieved four different designations. Although building a part-time firm is a slow process, Brooklyn is thrilled with the way her part-time firm fits into her life in the COVID era, and has offered her opportunities she never knew existed. If you’re interested in launching your firm in an unconventional way, this show is for you. You can

We’re excited to have XYPN member Pierre-Emmanual Jovue, owner of InsuraWealth, a fee-only firm out of Tampa, FL, on the show today. Pierre started his firm in 2016, and today, serves 85 clients, most of whom are young professionals.  Pierre talks about how and why he “niched” his client base to focus on a specific employer and explains how a narrow niche and use of LinkedIn and referrals have allowed him to grow his firm rapidly. We also dive into Parkbo, the app Pierre recently created to help his clients with cash flow, and how he plans to build out that business to better serve the masses. We dig into his pricing structure, and what Pierre has to say to advisors who challenge his low fees. Pierre doesn’t hesitate to discuss the things that have been challenging: compliance, working alone, and balancing essentially two businesses, but as he says, he loves his work so it doesn’t feel like work. If you’re interested in what it’s like to start not one but two businesses while continuing to serve a large clien

We’re excited to have XYPN teammate, Dan Keslin, on the show today. Dan is the Director of FA Bean Counters and he joins us today to shine light on the responsibilities of an RIA owner when it comes to keeping books and financial records accurate and updated—a task many advisors underestimate when starting out. Dan talks about how having a deep understanding of your accounting allows you to make strategic decisions about your firm, compare yourself to benchmarks, seek credit, and even know when it’s the right time to hire. He walks through best practices for reconciling books and creating a chart of accounts, and breaks down what FABC can offer advisors—and what to consider when outsourcing certain aspects of your business. If you’re interested in what it may be like to balance your own books, or outsource it to the pros, then this episode is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/282  

We’re excited to have XYPN member Britton Gregory, owner of Austin-based fee-only firm, Seaborn Financial, on the show today. Britton had a long career as an engineer before catching the personal finance bug and deciding to chase his encore career. Today, he stays connected to his career roots by serving engineers.  Britton describes the mental and emotional process he went through as he switched his careers, and explains how being a former engineer has been helpful in building a business that serves them so effectively. Britton spends time talking through his decisions about how he prices and delivers his services, and why and how he’s tailored both to the needs of his unique clients. He also talks about the KPIs he tracks, and how the rhythm of the Entrepreneurial Operating System has helped elevate and structure his year. Britton also provides his take on where he envisions the financial services industry heading in the years ahead.  If you’re interested in pursuing a career as an advisor but wonder if the

We’re excited to have XYPN member Justin Brownlee, owner of the Houston-based fee-only firm Brownlee Wealth Management, on the show. Justin started his own firm last year after spending nearly a decade in the insurance and brokerage world.  Today, he’s building the premier firm serving oil and gas retirees and has experienced impressive growth by focusing exclusively on this niche. Justin explains how creating targeted content that speaks directly to the needs and pain points of his ideal clients works wonders for traction. He also breaks down his decision to bring on an equity partner much earlier than expected, and how that decision helped nearly double his revenue. Throughout the episode, Justin opens up about what it was like to start his firm, how a cancer diagnosis changed his life, and how he thinks the industry is more prime for advisors to enter than ever before. As a former minister, Justin brings a unique intentionality and a clear passion for serving others to his business. If you’re wondering wha

We’re thrilled to have Lucy Robeson, the Managing Director of AdvicePay, a compliant payment processor for financial advisors, on the show today. Like many others on the show before her, Lucy took a meandering path to where she is today. She started her career as a retirement actuary, spent some time as a non-profit coordinator in Fiji, then moved into the RIA space and pursued her CFP® designation.  Now several years later, Lucy lives in Bozeman, MT, where she leads a 14-member team. Lucy discusses how she was able to successfully make those career pivots (hint: it involved a lot of hustle and leaning in) and how those pivots have brought her to where she is today—a place and position she really loves. She shares when she questioned her “why” and how she continued to imagine and work towards a better, more fitting position for herself. Lucy’s tips aren’t just limited to those in the financial services industry; they’re universal. Listen in as she shares how to carve out a place for yourself, how to hone your

We’re excited to have XYPN member Morgen Rochard, owner of Origin Wealth Advisors, a fee-only firm out of Austin, TX, on the show today. Morgen joined us on episode 178 to share her journey transitioning from a trader to a firm owner. Today, Morgen joins the show to share what she’s been up to over the past few years, specifically how she continues to run a high revenue business with just 25 clients, working 8-10 hours a week. Morgen discusses what it was like to delegate some of the major responsibilities to one of her teammates, why she limits the number of clients she takes, and how she has incorporated life planning into her firm for a more authentic relationship. Most importantly, she gives great advice to any working parent out there who dreams of one day starting a firm. If you’re interested in what it’s like being a parent and business owner, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/278       

We’re excited to have Emily Purdon, Director of XY Tax Solutions (XYTS), and Sara Williams, Operations Specialist at XYTS, on the show today. We dive into what it’s like to roll outsourced tax prep under an RIA - specifically how to leverage experts to deliver great client experience, and how outsourcing can help you stay sane as you continue to scale your firm.  Today, Emily and Sara talk to listeners about compliance concerns related to offering outsourced tax prep, the pricing considerations when offering the service, and advice on how to generally ensure that you’re outsourcing at the right time. Be sure to explore the three new options for engaging with XYTS, because this year, XYTS is preparing to complete over 2000 tax returns, and they already have 700 secured.   If you’re interested in what it’s like to outsource tax preparation in your RIA, then this show is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/277         

We’re excited to have XYPN member Cady North, owner of North Financial Advisors, a fee-only firm in San Diego, California, on the show today. Cady joined us on #XYPNRadio nearly four years ago, during Episode 79, to share her journey transitioning from the corporate world into that of an entrepreneur.  Today, she talks about what she has been up to since then: establishing a great work-life balance, moving across the country, and most impressively and recently, writing a book. Writing a book was always one of Cady’s goals, but one she never made any progress towards achieving. With some soul searching and an author’s program at her alma mater, Cady was able to write the book of her dreams in just 8 months. Cady talks today about why she chose the topic she did (surprise, it’s not about financial planning!), the actual process she went through to write and publish it, and most importantly she shares some of her tips that she uses with her financial planning clients who want to achieve goals but haven’t yet bee

We’re excited to have student loan expert, Heather Jarvis, and college funding expert, Joe Messinger, on the show today. This year for #XYPNLIVE(ish), XYPN’s annual national conference turned virtual, Heather and Joe are offering a combined Post-Con for advisors interested in learning about the dynamic landscape of college planning and student loans. Today, Joe and Heather highlight the issue of students and parents making unprepared and uneducated decisions around these nuanced and evolving topics of college planning and student loans due to a lack of clear and concise information. Joe and Heather challenge advisors to raise the bar of advice in this space by equipping themselves with the tools and resources that their clients deserve. Most importantly, Heather and Joe remind us that clients need advisors who can listen, sympathize, and shine light on the potential long term impact of decisions around paying for college. If you want to be prepared to discuss college and student loan planning with your client

We’re honored to have George Kinder, who many know as the founder of life planning, and Lora Woodward, Communications Director at the Kinder Institute, on the show today to discuss the Seven Stages of Money Maturity Post-Conference they have planned for #XYPNLIVE(ish). On today’s episode, we hear from George and Lora about what advisors can expect during the two-day training and what they can expect out of incorporating life planning into their firm. Lora and George discuss how life planning has the power to transform the standard client/advisor relationship and turn a financial planning engagement into a long-term, meaningful relationship. George and Lora remind us that listening and mindfulness are fundamentals of the client/advisor relationship.  We’re excited to welcome George as a Keynote at XYPNLIVE(ish), as well as provide access to this two-day life planning training. If you’re interested in how to incorporate life planning into your firm and how to create genuine and authentic relationships with your