Stacey McKinnon is the chief operating officer of Morton Wealth, an RIA based out of California that oversees approximately $3 billion in assets under management for 1,300 client households. Stacey has spearheaded a leadership training program at Morton Wealth to support middle managers, many of whom transitioned from hands-on roles to managerial positions, equipping them with essential communication and management skills. This initiative was crucial as the firm's workforce doubled from 30 to 60 employees over four years, surpassing the capacity of senior leadership to manage a growing team.

Listen in as Stacey shares how she tackled common managerial challenges at Morton Wealth by identifying problematic archetypes and integrating the Admired Leadership Program to elevate managerial skills across the board. She discusses the firm's shift from a rigid to a flexible client meeting schedule—facilitated by WorkBoard's OKR tools—to better accommodate the dynamic work environment and enhance client interaction. Stacey also reflects on personal productivity strategies and the invaluable leadership insights gained from U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Head Coach Emma Hayes, emphasizing the importance of nurturing a self-sustaining team that can thrive even in her absence.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/418

Paul G McManus is the CEO of More Clients More Fun, a marketing company that helps financial advisors conceptualize and publish their own book in a consolidated 6-week process. Paul advises financial advisors to write books not for potential royalties, but rather to establish their authority, differentiate themselves from competitors, and enhance client engagement. In this episode, he talks about how even a short book can achieve these goals, as well as how advisors can use books they've written to foster initial trust with prospects.

Listen in as Paul shares how he assists advisors in creating concise books that can be read quickly—enhancing the probability of completion—and using Amazon's self-publishing platform for cost efficiency and update flexibility benefits. You'll learn about his six-week book production process, what he has seen advisors do to promote their books successfully, how a book can be used to grow marketing lists, and more.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/417

Fran Toler is the CEO of Toler Financial Group, a DBA firm under the RIA Rossby Financial, that oversees nearly $200 million in assets under management for 280 households. Fran discusses how she transitioned from an independent broker-dealer model to a 'supported independence' corporate RIA platform to reduce her compliance burdens while paying lower platform fees by partnering with a service provider that doesn't charge for functions her staff already performs. This strategic move enables her to have greater autonomy without the full list of compliance responsibilities associated with complete independence.

Listen in as Fran shares how her firm's public stance on progressive values has led to client and AUM growth by attracting clients and staff who share these ideals, why she offers new hires a stable base salary to ensure she includes talented candidates who might not have the financial backing to succeed in an 'eat what you kill' environment, and how she is approaching succession planning as she contemplates her eventual retirement.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/416

Erika Wood is the Director of Wealth Management of VisionPoint Advisory Group, a hybrid advisory firm based in Dallas that oversees approximately $3 billion in assets under advisement for both 780 client households and retirement plans. Erika’s firm stands out for its use of centralized financial planning and service teams, along with a ticketing workflow system, to streamline a firm-wide planning process, efficiently serving a private wealth client base with $600M in assets under management.

Listen in as Erika shares how her firm streamlines client meetings and task completion, ensuring efficiency and accuracy across all client interactions. She discusses her firm's approach to client segmentation and fee-setting based on a data-centric analysis of service costs, adding a profitability buffer to maintain a sustainable business model. Erika also talks about how her firm builds client loyalty, as well as the importance of advisors finding their niche in the financial planning field to maximize their unique strengths.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/415

Eric Franklin is the Managing Partner of Prospero Wealth, an RIA based out of Seattle that oversees $52 million in assets under management for 80 households. Eric uniquely grew his assets under management to $50 million in just three years by targeting employees at big tech firms and adapting his planning process into smaller, manageable segments. This approach, which spreads out financial planning over time, proved more valuable for his busy clients, preventing them from feeling overwhelmed.

Listen in as Eric shares how he enhances client engagement by focusing on a few planning priorities at a time and starting engagements with goal-setting exercises to clarify and prioritize their objectives. He details his targeted marketing strategy toward tech employees, his own transition from tech to financial planning, and the growth of his firm through hiring like-minded advisors from the tech industry. You'll hear how he's leveraging technology tools for efficient communication, why he recommends industry conferences for career changers to learn best practices before launching their financial planning careers, and more.

For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/414