Financial Planning and Career Advice

Here is something most planners figure out fairly early in their careers: when a client comes in with multiple financial priorities pulling at once, the technical answer is usually the clearest part of the whole situation. A planner can gather the data, run the numbers, rank the priorities, and produce

I’ve been thinking about the problems we solve as financial planning professionals. Helping our clients figure out how to save for their children’s college, save for retirement, prepare for a change in employment, handle taxes, etc. We solve pretty large-scale “problems” on a daily basis. And, because we’re the experts,

In early 2021, I was conducting interviews for an associate planner at my Dallas-based firm, Guiding Wealth. I have to admit, it was interesting to see the people who applied and to witness our own evaluations of their resumes. We received a variety of applications — some people were fresh out of school, some had a bit of experience, and some were career changers.

Earlier this year, I turned 35. Every year, I learn something else about myself and the world, but this last year has been especially… informative, shall we say? Around this time last year, the first FPA Virtual Externship started. We learned so much after that program kicked off, but the biggest takeaway for me is that planners are excited to learn when they have the right resources.

In the financial planning profession, we talk a lot about partnering with our clients. But… Do we really partner with them? Sure, we create plans for them and guide them through larger financial decisions. But a partnership? That means we’re sitting on the same side of the table, we’re working together toward the same goal, and we’re really invested in mutually beneficial outcomes.

When you think about financial planning superpowers, you might automatically assume I’m talking about skills like strategic thinking or investment advice. However, I think the most important professional superpower doesn’t have anything to do with finances at all. Instead, it’s all about how you see and treat people

If you’ve spent some time around here, you know that the purpose of Amplified Planning is to train and educate financial planners. I want to build a community of professionals and help us all find the resources we need to be better at our craft. Do you want to know why it’s so important to me to train other financial planners?

I’ve been a CFP® for quite a while, but I don’t know everything, especially when it comes to tax laws. It seems like we hear about new proposed tax changes every few weeks, and it can be hard to keep up on which of these bills pass and what they mean for our clients.

Why are you a financial planner? What is the source of your motivation? Understanding what motivates you is essential because it can help you get through those times when work is challenging or discouraging or just plain boring. I recently read the book Drive by Daniel H. Pink, and one of the core concepts is the idea that true motivation is actually made up of several different elements.

If you had 20% more free time each week, what would you do? Most of us could probably answer this question in our personal lives. Chances are you have a list of hobbies, trips, or leisure activities that you would love to pursue if you had extra time. But what about your professional time? If you could take 20% of your work time to do whatever you wanted, what would you do? Could you become a better financial planner if you had the chance to pursue something new or interesting related to your career?