Today, Jennipher Lommen, founder of Wildflower Financial, a fee-only firm out of Santa Cruz, California, is on the show. Jennipher is a career changer and entered this industry only a few years before she launched Wildflower four years ago. Jennipher homeschooled all three of her children and explained what it was like to begin looking to enter a new industry in her 40s.
With age comes maturity and experience, and quickly Jennipher found financial planning to be a perfect fit. Today she talks about her first few years in business: she worked with over 50 clients on a project basis in her first year and now serves a number of them on an ongoing basis. She talks about how the industry is in dire need of more women and how this profession is so accessible to anyone who is interested in being a listener, supporter, and advocate for their clients. She shares her perspective on the CFP® curriculum and how the Registered Life Planning process has been transformative for both herself and her practice.
If you’re interested in entering this profession later in life, then this episode is for you.
You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/325
We’re joined today by XYPN member and founder of SJK Financial Planning, Wes Shannon. Wes has been running his Fort Worth, TX firm for six years and, despite feeling admittedly swamped, has reached the point where he feels like he’s built his ideal firm.
In this episode, Wes discusses the numerous business plans he wrote before starting his own fee-only firm and how to handle transitioning clients. Wes reflects on how hard the first three years were and how, at 64 clients, he’s benefiting from his preparation and endurance. Wes gives advice around the nuances associated with serving both individuals and 401(k)s for small businesses and how he established a buy-sell agreement with a like-minded advisor. Additionally, Wes talks about why networking has been so beneficial to him and how he strives to serve his clients as best as he can.
If you want to know what it’s like to be six years into building a firm that you love, then this episode is for you.
You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/324
XYPN has conducted an Annual Benchmarking Study for the past four years. The comprehensive annual survey gathers core performance indicators of member participant firms and ultimately draws data-backed conclusions about the success of different business models, fee structures, and niches.
Today, Alan Moore and Michael Kitces, XYPN Co-Founders, discuss the study’s fifth annual results. As you’ll see, with our maturing network and member firms, the 2021 study shows a much clearer understanding of what’s working and not working in fee-only RIAs. This episode is particularly interesting and helpful for those considering starting the long play of the entrepreneurial journey. We encourage you to listen closely and go back to the previous conversations about the past surveys and use them as resources to build your ideal firm.
If you’re interested in what really works (yes, meaning proven with data) when building your firm, then this show is for you.
You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/323