Ep 285: Fast-Tracking Growth As A Career Changer With A High-Touch Service To Your Prior Profession with Ryan Townsley
Release Date: 06/14/2022
Financial Advisor Success
Executive pay packages are complicated—which often leads to these individuals leaving money on the table. From equity negotiations to non-compete clauses, the right financial advisor can help clients fight for what they’re worth. In this episode, we dig into how advisors can create real value for their clients during career transitions. Emily Shacklett is a Managing Director at Fairport Wealth, a practice within Hightower Advisors that manages $4.8 billion in AUM for 2,000 households. Listen in as Emily shares how she guides executives through every aspect of their compensation package,...
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Behavioral finance is often viewed as abstract but it can be a powerful, practical tool for helping clients make better decisions and build lives that align with what matters most. This episode explores how applying behavioral insights and positive psychology can deepen client relationships and drive more meaningful planning conversations. Dr. Daniel Crosby is the Chief Behavioral Officer at Orion, a technology platform serving financial advisors. Listen in as Daniel shares how he’s turned complex behavioral concepts into usable advisor tools, including a “money personality” framework...
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Delivering financial planning efficiently doesn’t have to mean compromising on depth or personalization. This episode explores how a “working session” model can streamline the client experience, reduce prep and follow-up time, and still create space for thoughtful, relationship-driven planning. Becky Walsh is the founder of Oak Maple Finance, an RIA based in Burlington, Vermont, that oversees approximately $80 million in AUM for 75 client households. Listen in as Becky shares how she structures her onboarding into a six-month planning sprint with four real-time working sessions,...
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Scaling an advisory firm quickly requires more than just marketing - it demands intentional infrastructure, rapid lead conversion systems, and a team built for volume. This episode explores how investing heavily in digital marketing, building internal efficiencies, and empowering advisors can drive explosive growth without sacrificing client service. Gabriel Shahin is the CEO of Falcon Wealth Planning, an RIA based in Ontario, California, that oversees $1.4 billion in AUM for 1,500 households. Listen in as Gabriel shares how his firm grew from $200 million to $1.4 billion in just five years by...
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Running a successful advisory firm takes more than great client service - it also means learning how to lead a team and build infrastructure to support growth. This episode explores how developing leadership skills, hiring intentionally, and leaning into personal values can lay the foundation for a thriving, mission-driven business. Maggie Kulyk is the founder of Chicory Wealth, an RIA based in Decatur, Georgia, that operates virtually and oversees $760 million in AUM for 480 households. Listen in as Maggie shares how she grew from a self-described “terrible” manager into a visionary...
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High-net-worth retirees are hungry for clear, actionable retirement education - but often don’t know where to find it. This episode explores how hosting local educational seminars can create a consistent pipeline of engaged prospects and drive meaningful business growth for financial advisors. Ryan Morrissey is the founder of Morrissey Wealth Management, an RIA in North Haven, Connecticut, overseeing $140 million in AUM for 150 households. Listen in as Ryan shares how he organizes his retirement planning seminars through local adult education programs to attract his target audience, how he's...
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Financial planning clients expect responsive, detail-oriented service—and the firms that deliver consistently are the ones that keep them for decades. Michelle Perry Higgins has seen that firsthand, and she joins us today to share how setting and maintaining high client service standards, alongside thoughtful listening and planning, can drive both long-term retention and organic growth. Michelle is a principal of California Financial Advisors, an RIA based in San Ramon, California, that oversees $2 billion in AUM for approximately 1,500 households. Listen in as she talks about how her firm...
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High-net-worth individuals often already have a financial advisor, but many aren’t receiving the in-depth investment education or portfolio customization they truly need. That's where Monish Verma comes in. He joins the show today to share his strategy for converting HNW prospects into clients, as well as how a tailored approach to alternative investments and client education can become a powerful differentiator for winning (and keeping) affluent clients. Monish is the CEO of Vardhan Wealth Management, a DBA of Summit Financial, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, that oversees $560 million...
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Financial advisors frequently seek out relationships with Centers Of Influence (COIs) such as accountants and attorneys, but sometimes find that it's hard to get referrals from these professionals. Advisor marketing expert Dan Allison believes this is because COIs fear putting their own reputations on the line and joins the show today to explore how financial advisors can reframe COI relationships by reducing that risk and building real trust over time. Dan is the owner of The Exchange, a virtual content platform and community focused on helping financial advisors master client acquisition and...
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After growing her AUM by $30 million in just two years, Misty Lynch has become a go-to financial planning expert for small business owners and families within her community. This is thanks in part to her reputation inside local Facebook groups frequented by her ideal target client, where she rarely promotes herself but is frequently recommended. Misty is the owner of Sound View Financial Advisors, an RIA based in Massachusetts that manages $46 million for approximately 100 households. In this episode, Misty shares how her early content creation efforts (including a blog and a podcast) laid the...
info_outlineRyan Townsley is the founder of Town Capital, an independent RIA based in Bel Air, Maryland, that oversees nearly $50 million in AUM for 65 client households. After spending the first 15 years of his career as a nuclear power plant supervisor, Ryan then transitioned to become a financial advisor that quickly grew to nearly $50M of AUM in under 4 years by developing a high-touch service back to those in the nuclear power industry. In this episode, he shares what inspired him to build the only financial planning firm in the country dedicated to nuclear power professionals and how he ultimately grew his client base to the successful size it is now.
Listen in as Ryan explains his tireless work to develop his financial planning process that reflects nuclear power plant procedures and engineering workflows, as well as why he chooses to meet with potential clients over a several-month period before onboarding. You will learn how joining a large financial services firm helped him quickly understand that he enjoyed financial planning more than the sales and investments sides of the industry, why he was surprised at how few referrals he received when first launching his firm, and what motivated him to keep pushing forward until the new client momentum began to build.
For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/285