Nerd's Eye View blog

8-Step “Agile Change” Framework For Smaller Firms To Communicate And Implement Organizational Change

August 26, 2024 07:04 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Practice Management

For most of its history, the financial advice industry has been very slow to change. Over the last 50 years, even the most substantial changes to occur – such as the movement away from commissions and towards fee-based compensation, and the shift from an investment-centric approach to more holistic financial planning – have taken place over decades and, in many cases, are still ongoing. In the last few years, however, the pace of change seems to have quickened considerably, as the technology landscape has mushroomed, and private equity funding has fueled an unprecedented surge of mergers and acquisitions that has reshaped the competitive landscape.

For many business leaders, the standard playbook for dealing with changes such as those the advisory industry faces today has been based on John Kotter's change framework, which supports organizational change and alignment with a strategic vision that ultimately helps the business move forward. But while Kotter's model may work well for larger firms with ample resources and people available to enact change, it can be less effective for smaller organizations with fewer people available to create coalitions for change (and where the power to block change might even be concentrated among one or a handful of executives or owners).

Therefore, those at smaller firms who want to promote change may benefit from a framework based on an "Agile Change" model adapted for smaller firms. In this model, the groundwork for change is first established by assessing the situation (e.g., reviewing external factors like best practices and services or technology solutions available, as well as internal factors like the current pain points employees have with existing processes or technology), then using that information to communicate the importance of change to create a sense of urgency and build buy-in from the ground-level stakeholders who will be affected by the change. Additionally, those promoting change can be very clear about what the process will entail and how it will be implemented (with the caveat that the plan needs to be flexible to allow for change as conditions evolve).

Ideally, the result of all this groundwork is that when explaining the change process to higher-level management and firm leadership, there will already be solid evidence of the support for the change within the organization and the positive impact it can (or has already served to) create, making it more likely to achieve crucial buy-in from the top needed to go through with the change. Once the change process is implemented, it's critical to track the progress and assess the results so that refinements to adjust and improve the process can be made and, in the best case, can enhance buy-in even more. Eventually, the change becomes part of the normal business process to the extent that it is baked into job expectations with negative consequences for employees who don't buy into the change, setting the stage to begin the next iteration of change as the firm grows and evolves.

The key point is that even as situations develop rapidly and necessitate constant changes – both large and small – the process for dealing with these changes can be systematized in a way that ensures that the people who need to buy into the change, from the bottom to the top of the organization, actually do so. Although it may take time to lay the groundwork and build support for change before actually trying to implement it, these steps can be crucial to ensure that the change is accepted even among team members who may be less eager to change how they work. Which will ultimately make it easier for the firm to make the changes needed to adapt (and succeed!) in today's rapidly changing advisory industry!

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 24-25)

August 23, 2024 02:00 pm 0 Comments CATEGORY: Weekend Reading

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a new study indicates that while financial advisory firms are largely satisfied with their tech stacks, they take a range of approaches to applying tech: from "innovators" that invest in tech to differentiate themselves from their competition and to enhance the client experience to "operators" that invest in technology largely to improve operations and internal efficiency to firms that say they don't prioritize technology or use it effectively. The survey found that most firms fall into the middle category, utilizing tech in categories that provide an assessed high return on investment (e.g., financial planning, CRM, portfolio management), while taking a more tailored approach to selecting tech in other categories.

Also in industry news this week:

A Federal judge struck down the Federal Trade Commission's ban on non-compete agreements before it could go into effect, though potential appeals mean the battle over the regulation might not be over
A U.S. District Court this week ruled that Missouri's rules that targeted investment advice based on factors other than return maximization was unconstitutional and preempted by Federal law, striking a blow against state efforts to regulate the activities of SEC-registered advisers

From there, we have several articles on retirement:

7 factors that can help a client choose the best retirement location for their needs, from maintaining social ties to having adequate medical care available nearby
Considerations for clients who are considering moving abroad for their retirement (and their advisors), including the potential implications for the client's taxes and investments
How advisors can help clients determine the most tax-friendly states for retirement, which goes well beyond the 'headline' income tax rate to also include each state's unique treatment of different retirement income streams

We also have a number of articles on practice management:

How advisory firm owners can consider the benefits and tradeoffs of a hybrid work environment to create a structure that best meets the needs of both the firm and its employees
The keys to holding effective team-building exercises and 17 potential options, from in-person retreats to volunteer days
Why creating and reevaluating a collaboration plan is a crucial part of maintaining an effective hybrid work policy

We wrap up with 3 final articles, all about pets and finances:

With the average annual costs of caring for a pet reaching $4,800, these expenses can represent a major (and often unexpected) line item on a client's budget
The pros and cons of pet insurance, from the ability to defray veterinary bills that can add up to thousands of dollars to the sometimes-complicated maze of coverage options and exclusions
How a "pet directive" or pet trust within a client's estate plan can help ensure their pet will be well taken care of after the client's death

Enjoy the 'light' reading!

Kitces & Carl Ep 145: Explaining The Value Of Financial (Life) Planning By Unlocking The Emotional Job To Be Done

August 22, 2024 07:01 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Kitces & Carl Podcast

As advisory firm websites have become crucial to the prospecting pipeline, displaying fees can present a delicate challenge for advisors. On the one hand, displaying fees can help a client determine whether an advisor will fit into their budget and may build trust when an advisor demonstrates transparency by explaining how their fee applies to their value proposition; on the other hand, even with a clear explanation, prospects may find it difficult to understand exactly how the value of an advicer aligns with their fees. The unique dynamic of presenting fees to clients can be heightened when an advisor offers life planning, which may involve multiple meetings to truly understand the prospect's situation before the advisor even presents the fee for an in-depth plan. Due to the in-depth nature of this sort of planning, fees may be quite high – so spending several meetings on a prospect who balks at that amount is 'expensive', yet presenting that same fee too early may cause clients to balk because they don't see the fee in context.

In our 145th episode of Kitces and Carl, Michael Kitces and client communication expert Carl Richards discuss how advisors can navigate the lines of presenting fees early in the process to ensure that prospects can afford their plan while still explaining their value and unique planning strategy to engage prospects who fit their specific target client persona.

As a starting point, providing a fee minimum on their website lets advisors communicate the lowest amount that would still be economically viable for them (and explaining that the fee may change based on complexity). This lets advisors give prospects a contextual starting point, which can minimize the risk of 'sticker shock' when a fee is presented and ensures that the prospect can (likely) at least afford the advisor's minimum fee.

Another key to sell life planning effectively is to target prospects who are more likely to seek this type of comprehensive planning in the first place. Advisors can help prospects who may not even recognize life planning as a solution to their financial problem by framing its value in terms of the 'emotional job' being done – for example, advisors might describe how they help dentists plan for retirement by encouraging them to find purpose beyond their practice and helping them to "unchain themselves from their chair".

Ultimately, the key point is that while engaging prospects with more holistic financial advice strategies – and their potentially higher fees – can pose a challenge, there are several steps that can provide context for potential clients and communicate the problems being solved. At the same time, advisors may find ways to narrow their niche further to make it even more likely that the clients who engage with them in the first place are the ones who seek the specific financial advice they offer!

Utilizing Swap Powers In Irrevocable Trusts To Add Flexibility And Income Tax Efficiency

August 21, 2024 07:01 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Estate Planning

Irrevocable trusts lie at the heart of a variety of estate planning strategies, as gifts to irrevocable trusts can allow for the transfer of assets outside of an owner’s estate for estate tax purposes with more structure than an outright gift. The downside, however, is that irrevocable trusts are "irrevocable" and can't easily be undone; in moving assets to the trust, the original owner gives up their authority over the assets, with the trustee taking over the management and distribution of the assets according to the trust's instructions. Sometimes, though, the original owner may want to take a 'mulligan' when the assets inside the trust would be more advantageous back inside their estate. Including the power of substitution when establishing the irrevocable trust can provide the opportunity to redo the funding of the trust, without jeopardizing the estate tax benefits that the trust conveys.

In this guest post, Anna Pfaehler, CFP, AEP, a Partner and Wealth Advisor at Constellation Wealth Advisors, discusses how "swap powers" – the ability to exchange assets in an irrevocable trust with other assets of equivalent value – can be used to add flexibility and income tax efficiency to an irrevocable trust.

At a high level, swap powers are often included in trusts because, under the Internal Revenue Code, they turn an irrevocable trust into a Grantor Trust where any income generated by the trust assets is taxed to the grantor (i.e., the assets' original owner). This can be advantageous given the generally higher tax rates imposed on trusts compared to individuals. If the trust is drafted as an Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT), the trust's assets are also considered outside of the grantor's estate for estate tax purposes, giving the grantor the best of both worlds when it comes to income and estate taxation.

However, while grantors often include swap powers in their trust provisions to convey Grantor Trust status, many never actually use the swap power for its nominal purpose of exchanging assets within the trust with others of equivalent value. But swap powers can create planning opportunities to take advantage of the differences between types of assets and to optimize the trust's balance sheet as circumstances shift over time.

For example, if an asset within an irrevocable trust has substantially grown in value, that asset will not receive a step-up in basis when the grantor passes away if it remains in the trust, resulting in significant capital gains tax if it is sold later. But if the grantor uses a swap power to exchange the asset for something equivalent in value but with a higher cost basis, they can maximize their benefit from the step-up in basis by keeping the lowest-basis assets on their own balance sheet and the highest-basis assets in the trust. Swap powers can also be used to meet liquidity needs by exchanging more liquid assets in the trust, or to move assets with higher expected growth into the trust to shield their future growth from estate taxation.

The key point is that life goes on even after an irrevocable trust is drafted and funded, and shifting circumstances after the fact can leave grantors wishing for a do-over. And although swap powers won't necessarily solve every potential issue with the irrevocable trust that could arise after the fact – since there needs to actually be property of equivalent value that can be swapped into the trust to use them – it does at least create the flexibility to optimize the trust for whatever the situation at hand may be. Ultimately, advisors can help clients navigate their changing circumstances by recognizing opportunities to re-optimize their financial situation and by making the adjustments (such as a well-executed asset swap) that increase the chances of a better outcome as the client's future unfolds!

#FASuccess Ep 399: Maintaining Company Culture More Virtually (When Scaling Past $3B AUM With 10 Office Locations), With Kelli Kiemle

August 20, 2024 07:03 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Financial Advisor Success Podcast

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 399th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast!

My guest on today's podcast is Kelli Kiemle. Kelli is the Managing Director of Growth and Client Experience of Halbert Hargrove, an RIA based in Long Beach, California, that oversees $3.1 billion in assets under management for 750 client households.

What's unique about Kelli, though, is how she leads efforts at Halbert Hargrove to maintain the firm's 4 core values and build a strong culture, even and especially as their team has grown to 50 employees and, with ongoing expansion, is now situated across 10 offices in the western United States (which means even their in-person offices are 'remote' and 'virtual' relative to the leadership team in the firm's main office headquarters).

In this episode, we talk in-depth about how Kelli has worked to develop programs at Halbert Hargrove to maintain communication and strong relationships across the firm and its disparate offices, including by holding twice annual in-person meetings at Halbert Hargrove's headquarters both to discuss firm business and to provide opportunities for more informal social interaction amongst the firm's otherwise-dispersed staff, how Kelli uses weekly, company-wide all-hands meetings first thing every Monday morning to review key company metrics to increase accountability, and how Kelli established a mandatory, 2-year formal mentorship program for all new hires to help them get better acclimated to the firm's culture, and to have an outlet to whom they can ask question and seek advice as they grow into their role.

We also talk about how Kelli has created initiatives that help solidify Halbert Hargrove's core values of being fearless, constantly improving, having fun, and giving back, including by having employees share not only their "Gladiator Stories" of fearlessly going to bat for their clients, but also their "Goofs That Give Us Guidance" to reflect on mistakes that were made to align to their core value of constantly improving, how Kelli has aligned her firm's employee benefits with its core values as well, including by funding educational opportunities for employees, providing a match for employee charitable donations, and offering child care subsidies, and why Kelli finds that her firm's policy of offering what it calls unlimited 'responsible' vacation time doesn't lead to employees taking too much time off, but instead ironically still requires her to encourage staff to take more time off to avoid potential burnout.

And be certain to listen to the end, where Kelli shares how she has helped increase Halbert Hargrove's AUM over the $3 billion mark in part by leveraging a public relations firm as well as local search engine optimization to attract new prospects and lift their organic growth rate, how Kelli brought on a sales coach to help her firm's existing advisors get comfortable trying to close more clients (overcoming some initial skepticism about how a fiduciary firm could ever have "sales training"), and why Kelli decided against pursuing the advisor track at her own firm, instead carving out a role focused on growth and client experience that fit her strengths in creating and managing complex firm-wide workflows and juggling many tasks at once.

So, whether you're interested in learning about maintaining a strong firm culture when offices are spread across the country, aligning company benefits to match those core values, or using third-party marketing and sales coaching firms to drive client growth, then we hope you enjoy this episode of the Financial Advisor Success podcast, with Kelli Kiemle.

Succeed At Succession Planning: A 4-Step Playbook For Firm Ownership Transition

August 19, 2024 07:04 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Practice Management

Founding owners of financial advisory firms often spend much of their time focusing on the short-term aspects of running their business, from providing high-quality client service to pursuing client growth. Which means that longer-term projects, such as creating a succession plan to have in place for the firm when the owner retires, may tend to get put on the back burner. And while some founders might assume that finding a successor is similar to filling a job vacancy, in reality, succession planning involves long-term preparation – not just by the firm owner but also by the firm's successors – to provide a seamless transition of knowledge, skills, and culture to ensure that there is continuity of care for clients and the realization of value for owners.

As a starting point, the succession planning process can begin with creating a clear vision statement that addresses what the firm does, why it exists, what its goals are, and how to measure them, which allows the founder and their successor(s) to create a shared language for the future and a clear path forward. A good vision statement will contain several elements, including a concise summary of the firm’s core purpose, specific components that help clarify the overriding statement (e.g., how the firm defines a deeper level of service), measurable elements (e.g., metrics like revenue, profit, impact, clients, or team size), and a timeline for when the goals should be achieved.

Next, the founder and their successor(s) can work together to create a structured process to guide the operational transition between Generation 1 (G1) and Generation 2 (G2). Key components of this transition include client service oversight, sales oversight, strategy leadership, and financial management. And because discussing these topics can become emotionally charged, particularly when there are differing views, open dialogue between G1 and G2 is required to find alignment and create agreements that support an effective transition.

After creating a transition strategy, determining the value of the practice and the payment structure that G2 will take on is a crucial next step, because it's important for the value to fairly represent what the company would be worth to an outside buyer while recognizing that the purchase aligns with the founder's vision and continuity goals. Because there is no single 'right' price, structure, or financing mechanism for every firm, getting clear on G1's financial goals, G2's ability to finance the deal, and the value of the firm (perhaps with the assistance of an external valuation service) can help ensure that all parties are clear on what the succession will look like and whether it meets their financial needs and risk tolerance.

Finally, combining the founder's vision, strategy, and economics along with a decision-making process and cadenced schedule of succession check-ins (to foster regular and open communication between G1 and G2) into a written plan that can be updated over time will help ensure that all parties are on the same page when it comes to the structure and timeline of the succession.

Ultimately, the key point is that just as a financial plan helps ensure a client's near- and long-term goals are met, an effective succession plan can increase the chances that a founding firm owner will reap the financial benefits of selling their firm to the next generation and that their firm will continue to thrive in accordance with their vision for years to come!

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 17-18)

August 16, 2024 02:00 pm 0 Comments CATEGORY: Weekend Reading

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that a total of 26 broker-dealers, investment advisers, and dually-registered firms agreed to pay combined civil penalties of almost $400 million for failing to maintain and preserve required records for "off-channel" communications, signaling the regulator's interest in cracking down on text messages and other communications that are not properly archived by firms. Notably, this announcement included the first off-channel communication case brought by the SEC as a result of a referral from an RIA exam, which could lead examiners to focus on off-channel communications during regular RIA examinations.

Also in industry news this week:

Fidelity and Advyzon are teaming up to offer RIAs a combined custodial platform-AdvisorTech bundle aimed at smaller RIAs, though its unclear whether Fidelity will take on some of the smallest firms
A report indicates that RIA M&A grew in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2023, with new firms joining the list of top acquirers and buyers looking to acquire larger firms

From there, we have several articles on retirement:

Why retirement is not just a one-time transition, but a series of opportunities to adjust one's priorities, both financial and personal, and how advisors can help clients navigate them
How one retiree found a sense of purpose (and why he sold his ego-boosting sports car) after a sudden, unexpected retirement
How sabbaticals during one's working years can serve as helpful 'previews' for how an individual wants to structure their retirement

We also have a number of articles on advisor marketing:

How a "zero-click" social media strategy can boost an advisor's visibility and credibility
Why some advisors are turning to in-person events amidst a surge of interest in digital marketing
How "marketing channel harmony" can help advisors increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their marketing messages

We wrap up with 3 final articles, all about fame:

The difference between fame and influence, and why the latter might be preferable for advisors and others
Why famous individuals are often scammed by those they trust the most, and how advisors can help clients of all types avoid some of these schemes
An exploration of the psychology of fame-seeking, and why those who prioritize it can experience more mental stress than those with more internally focused goals

Enjoy the 'light' reading!

Assessing Both Longevity AND Mortality Risk For More Effective Retirement Plans

August 14, 2024 07:04 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Retirement Planning

A common concern many individuals have when contemplating retirement spending is that they may live longer than expected and thus risk outliving their money. This sentiment can lead advisors to build financial plans based on the conservative assumption that clients will live a very long time. Yet, while a longer plan will extend the longevity of the portfolio, it also relies on lower annual portfolio withdrawals. For couples, it becomes crucial to consider other income sources, such as Social Security benefits, annuities, and pensions, that may be reduced or eliminated when one spouse dies. The loss of these additional income streams by one spouse can create a significant mortality risk for the surviving spouse, potentially leaving them with less income than expected. Which means that plans that anticipate both members of a couple living to the same (very old) age might overlook the mortality risk of one spouse dying earlier than planned, which can significantly influence the surviving spouse’s sources of income and overall financial situation.

To manage these potential outcomes, advisors can use a more rigorous process to account for and manage both longevity and mortality risk. For example, advisors can calculate a client's spending capacity using expected mortality-adjusted cashflows to manage mortality risk. Rather than giving a plan 'credit' for all non-portfolio income that would be received if clients live to their projected date of death, advisors can instead average out the non-portfolio income that a couple would receive across a wide range of mortality assumptions based on statistical probabilities that treat death as variable and uncertain. Using a comprehensive approach to examine a client's mortality risks can be an opportunity for the advisor to highlight potential pain points and vulnerabilities and offer clients a strategy to plan for them.

In addition to examining the factors that shape mortality risk, advisors can also weigh several factors when assessing a client's longevity risk, from demographic trends (e.g., projecting life expectancy based on the client’s sex and affluence) to health and family history and even to the client's own tolerance for longevity risk. Advisors can establish a systematic process to adjust and optimize plans for longevity, customizing the plan length for clients beyond choosing arbitrary default age settings in their planning software packages.

Ultimately, the key point is that creating a plan based on how long a client will live is most effective when both mortality and longevity risk factors are considered. Actuarial science offers tools that can help advisors assess these considerations so that they can adjust mortality assumptions and longevity expectations as part of an ongoing process of monitoring and updating a plan. And by making these adjustments collaboratively and regularly, advisors can help clients develop a relevant and realistic strategy to manage their mortality and longevity risks as they journey into retirement!

#FASuccess Ep 398: Building A $2.5B AUM Advisory Enterprise Under The Umbrella Of A National CPA Firm, With Eric Wulff

August 13, 2024 07:02 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Financial Advisor Success Podcast

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 398th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast!

My guest on today's podcast is Eric Wulff. Eric is the CEO of Marcum Wealth, an RIA based in Cleveland, Ohio, that oversees $2.5 billion in assets under management for approximately 2,700 client households.

What's unique about Eric, though, is how he has built Marcum Wealth into a multi-billion-dollar firm under the umbrella of a national accounting firm, in large part by cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with the firm's internal CPAs to get them comfortable providing referrals of their accounting clients to his financial planning business.

In this episode, we talk in-depth about Eric's process for generating internal referrals from the accounting firm's CPAs, which do not necessarily come automatically despite the affiliation between the accounting firm and his RIA, how Eric's firm takes a "give to get" approach with CPAs and their accounting clients to demonstrate the value it can offer both them and their clients (so that advisors in his firm are top of mind when accounting clients have questions on financial planning topics or face a life transition), and how Eric's firm's exit planning services in particular have been able to drive referrals by helping the accounting firm's CPAs maintain their long-term relationships with their business-owner clients as the owners plan to monetize their businesses, encouraging a continued relationship between that client and the financial advisor and CPA when they sell their company (and may no longer need traditional business accounting services anymore).

We also talk about how Eric has created a systematized planning process to create a common standard across its multiple advisor offices nationwide, how Eric's firm uses a centralized planning team to prepare financial plans in a consistent manner (and to allow its advisors to spend more time working directly with clients), and how Eric has found success presenting financial plans to prospects before they become clients, despite the unpaid work upfront that it takes to prepare and present them, as it shows the prospects specifically how Marcum Wealth can meet their planning needs and encourages them to start an ongoing planning relationship to implement the planning recommendations.

And be certain to listen to the end, where Eric discusses the key differences between CPA firms and RIAs, particularly the contrast between the goal of CPAs to maximize the efficiency of their billable hours and the more long-term client relationship-building done by financial advisors, how Eric approaches acquisitions, targeting younger or mid-career advisors who want to grow and develop their practice within the local office of the CPA firm (rather than approaching retiring firm owners for acquisition as they exit), and how Eric's firm not only survived the 2008 Great Financial Crisis, which occurred less than 2 years after he opened Marcum Wealth, but was able to use it as a growth engine for the firm as the Wall Street implosion led more consumers to begin showing a preference for the benefits of the RIA model for financial advice instead.

So, whether you're interested in learning about cultivating client referrals from CPA firms, leveraging a centralized planning team to give advisors more time to spend with clients, or systematizing the planning process to create consistent standards across multiple offices, then we hope you enjoy this episode of the Financial Advisor Success podcast, with Eric Wulff.

The 5 Dysfunctions Of Client/Advisor Relationships: How Advisors Can (Re-)Build Trust And Spur Clients Into Action

August 12, 2024 07:02 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Client Trust & Communication

In the modern era of financial advice, the advicer/client relationship is tightly centered on trust. And because of that foundation of trust, in an ideal advisor/client relationship, mistakes, disagreements, and concerns are surfaced quickly; action items are agreed and acted upon by everyone involved; and everyone feels aligned and accountable to their overall objectives.

The reality, however, can be a little more complicated – not only when it comes to getting clients to ask questions, give honest feedback, and raise (productive) disagreements; but also to get everyone truly aligned on (and excited about) action items and objectives. This can be frustrating for advisors: after all, clients are paying for advice, but if they never really seem 'bought into' that advice and don't act on recommendations, it can be hard for the advisor to feel like they've provided much value to the relationship.

In his book "The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team", Patrick Lencioni discusses similar issues that commonly occur among teams in the workplace. He posits that teams can suffer from a series of 5 "dysfunctions" which inhibits a team's ability to align on objectives, act on them, and actually track and discuss the results. Dysfunction in teams can be insidious – the vast majority of people in the workplace are well-intentioned and don't intentionally sow dysfunction. However, even well-meaning people can occasionally contribute to dysfunctional relationships, teams, and company cultures.

In the book, Lencioni gives insights into how dysfunction can be rooted out of a workplace – many of which can also be applied to the client/advisor relationship, where well-meaning clients and advisors can on occasion contribute to a dysfunctional relationship. As an example, a dysfunctional client/advisor relationship can look like one where the client doesn't bring forward their "true" issues to a meeting, or where they have reservations about an advisor's recommendations but feel hesitant to express them to the advisor. Then, because the client isn't "bought in" to the recommendations, they simply don't act on what the advisor recommends.

The good news is that dysfunction isn't necessarily permanent – in fact, it can be improved upon or even resolved entirely. For advisors looking to resolve dysfunction, the first action item often comes with a candid conversation with a client centered on how the client feels the relationship is going, ranging from their comfort with bringing important issues to meetings to their alignment with the advisor on action items. Once an advisor understands not only where they see dysfunction themselves, but also where their client sees it, they can begin the work of uprooting and resolving it. Depending on the situation, this can involve exercises to rebuild trust or working with clients to name how they experience and work through conflict.

Once dysfunction in relationships is worked through and relationships become more functional, an advisor/client relationship can enter a positive feedback loop: clients bring what matters most to meetings, advisors present recommendations, reservations and questions are resolved in-meeting, everyone is aligned on what their actions are and why they matter, and implementation and results are tracked and celebrated. This then incentivizes clients to continue to bring issues forward, and reinforces an advisor's value many times over.

Ultimately, the key point is that few people intend to add dysfunction to relationships – it's something that runs the risk of creeping into client/advisor dynamics often because of good intentions. But the good news is that with proactive and mindful conversations, the advisor and client can not only resolve dysfunction, but in fact create a stronger dynamic than existed previously, where clients and advisors are constantly working through the issues that matter most!