In a Nutshell: Technology is going to absorb most of the technical aspects of our work, so we have to become experts at what it means to be human. And advisors who embrace and further develop their “human” side of advising will thrive no matter how technology evolves.

Guest: Clare Ciervo, CFP®, Financial Planner at Balanced Rock Investment Advisors.

Watch the Conversation Below:

My Key Takeaways:

  1. Embrace your humanness. Greater self-awareness and developing what makes you “uniquely human” will help you add value in your client relationships that goes far beyond money management.
  2. Acknowledge the messiness. People are complicated. When money gets added into the mix, it can be hard for folks to see the best way forward. You can add the perspective they need to thrive no matter what life throws at them.
  3. Start with nothing. Leave your biases at the door. Don’t make assumptions or “fill in the blanks” during the discovery process. Your ability to communicate with your clients in a way that they feel heard and understood is a highly valued skill that you can improve over time.

Also Learn:

  1. How to scale up your service quality to match your clients’ needs during a major life event, such as the death of a loved one.
  2. What Clare has learned about rephrasing common questions and discussion points to guide clients towards better outcomes.
  3. Why Clare doesn’t mind admitting when she’s made a mistake or tossing in some self-deprecating humor when she’s working with clients.

Complementary Episode: Dr. Preston Cherry combines open-ended questions and assessments to understand the money situations that have affected his clients. Listen/read here.

Resources Featured In This Episode

Values Clarification Toolkit Click here to download this FREE tool and start living your values.