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 information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/287      

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 own career. As a young woman in this industry, people still ask her who she works for when the real question is not who Helen works for, but who works for Helen.

Helen’s commitment to her business and this space remains strong, and she’s a fabulous example of what life looks like when you chase your dreams.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/286          

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 interested in turning your passion project into a successful second business, this is the episode for you.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/285          

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 find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/284