The Authority Marketing Platform for Financial Advisors. Built for advisors who want to be known for what they're already great at. Influential Advisor Media helps financial advisors build visibility, attract better clients, and grow through authority rather than cold outreach. If you've spent years developing real expertise and you're frustrated that the right people don't know you exist, this podcast is for you. Influential Advisor Media was founded by Paul G. McManus, host of The Influential Advisor Podcast and creator of The Authority Operating System. Our team has worked with more than 500 financial advisors and helped them generate over $100 million in results through authority marketing. Subscribe if you're a financial advisor who is done being the best-kept secret in your market. Learn more at influentialadvisor.com
116: James Pollard | Top 50 Most Innovative Voices In Advisor Growth Series | Influential Advisor Media
This interview featuring James Pollard is part of Influential Advisor Media’s Top 50 Most Innovative Voices in Advisor Growth series, hosted by Paul G. McManus. The series recognizes leaders whose ideas, platforms, and work are shaping how financial advisors build trust, attract clients, and grow their firms. James Pollard is the founder of The Advisor Coach and host of the Financial Advisor Marketing Podcast, where he has created more than 370 episodes focused specifically on helping financial advisors build steadier, more predictable growth. Since 2015, his podcasts, newsletters, articles, training programs, and marketing resources have helped more than 50,000 financial advisors attract clients and build more profitable businesses. Known for rejecting short-lived hacks and empty marketing promises, James teaches advisors how to earn attention and trust through stronger positioning, relevant messaging, consistent visibility, and a substantial body of work that makes them easier to know, trust, and choose. In this wide-ranging conversation, James shares how he went from helping one financial advisor with marketing to building The Advisor Coach into a scalable media and publishing business with newsletters, products, articles, and the Financial Advisor Marketing Podcast. You’ll also hear why effective advisor marketing begins by entering the conversation already happening in a prospect’s mind. For retirement-focused advisors, that often means speaking clearly about retirement income, replacing a paycheck, and reducing the fear of running out of money—not leading with technical planning language prospects may not yet understand. A major theme of this episode is trust. How can a financial advisor build trust before the first meeting? James explains why a substantial body of work—such as a book, podcast, YouTube channel, newsletter, or specialized client track record—can demonstrate expertise before a prospect ever speaks with you. He also explains how appropriate personal disclosure can reduce intimidation, create rapport, and make advisor marketing feel more human. James shares real examples from his own marketing, including why posts about strength training generated inquiries, how non-financial content can communicate discipline and status, and how private financial advisors can begin revealing more of themselves without oversharing. The conversation also covers one of the most important questions for founder-led advisory firms: What should you outsource? James argues that financial advisors should not outsource the creation of an unproven marketing strategy. Instead, they should first discover what works, document the process, and then delegate the maintenance of a proven system. This episode is especially useful for financial advisors, RIAs, wealth managers, advisor marketing professionals, and founder-CEOs who want to attract better-fit clients without relying on generic content or interchangeable marketing. Learn more about James Pollard and The Advisor Coach: https://theadvisorcoach.com/ Learn more about Influential Advisor Media: https://influentialadvisor.com/ Subscribe for more conversations about financial advisor marketing, books, media, authority building, and AI search visibility. Support the show
115: Marcus Ranger | Top 50 Most Innovative Voices In Advisor Growth Series | Influential Advisor Media
What separates financial advisors who consistently grow from those who stay stuck? Marcus Ranger, who leads a business unit of more than 1,200 independent financial advisors, shares the marketing strategies, systems, and mindset shifts he sees driving advisor growth. In this episode of The Influential Advisor Podcast and our Top 50 Most Innovative Voices in Advisor Growth series, Marcus joins Paul G. McManus to discuss why financial advisors are in the marketing business first—and how the best advisors build intentional systems for attracting ideal-fit clients, generating referrals, creating authority, and growing their practices. You’ll learn why niching down can accelerate financial advisor growth without forcing you to turn away opportunities, how to build a client experience people naturally want to refer, and why giving clients valuable information to share may be more effective than simply asking for referrals. Marcus also explains how financial advisors can: • Build repeatable marketing systems instead of relying on random tactics • Choose a niche and become the go-to advisor for a specific audience • Use books, podcasts, video, and content to build authority • Create a systematic approach to generating more client referrals • Reward referral behavior in a meaningful and repeatable way • Identify centers of influence beyond CPAs and attorneys • Build a differentiated client experience • Think like a media company in the age of Google, ChatGPT, and AI search • Use client testimonials and social proof more effectively • Build internal and external marketing strategies that work together • Stop becoming the bottleneck in your own growth One of Marcus’s most powerful ideas is that an advisor’s real product isn’t simply a portfolio or financial plan—it’s the client experience. And when that experience is combined with a clear niche, strong positioning, valuable content, and an intentional marketing system, advisors can create a business that attracts more of the clients they most want to serve. ABOUT MARCUS RANGER Marcus Ranger is an experienced financial services executive, advisor, coach, and business leader who leads a business unit of more than 1,200 independent financial advisors across 10 western states. After building a successful advisory practice, Marcus transitioned into executive leadership with a focus on helping financial advisors build stronger businesses, develop scalable systems, improve their marketing, and multiply their results. Connect with Marcus Ranger on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-ranger-9050702/ ABOUT INFLUENTIAL ADVISOR MEDIA The Influential Advisor Podcast, hosted by Paul G. McManus, features conversations with leading voices shaping the future of financial advisor growth, marketing, authority, media, and business development. Subscribe for more strategies on financial advisor marketing, authority building, books, referrals, AI search visibility, advisor growth, and building a more influential advisory business. https://podcast.influentialadvisor.com/ https://influentialadvisor.com/ Support the show
114: John Pavelka on The Power of WHY — Aligning Your Wealth with What Actually Matters
A client came in with statements from more than ten different financial institutions. Her parents had passed away within six months of each other. The paperwork took nearly a year to sort through — and she later told John she never had the proper time to grieve because she was so buried in the chaos they left behind. That story drives everything about how John Pavelka runs his practice. After nearly 30 years in financial services, John has built a model around one question most advisors never ask deeply enough: What's important to you — and why? In this episode, John shares the frameworks, client stories, and hard-won lessons behind his book The Power of WHY: Transforming Your Life and Your Wealth . Gabe and John cover the difference between building wealth and giving it purpose, the emotional traps that derail even sophisticated investors, and why the flip from saver to spender is one of the hardest transitions a client makes — and how John helps them make it. About John Pavelka John Pavelka, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CEPA®, is the Managing Partner of The Cities Private Wealth Group, a private wealth advisory practice affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services in Bettendorf, Iowa. With nearly 30 years of experience in financial services, John leads a 15-person team that manages close to $700 million in assets. His team has been recognized on the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list from 2023 through 2025. He is the author of The Power of WHY: Transforming Your Life and Your Wealth . What We Cover Why the firm's guiding question — "What's important to you?" — goes far deeper than it sounds, and how John keeps peeling back the layers until he reaches the why behind the what The four-bucket strategy John uses to give every dollar a specific role — and the story of a client who walked into a meeting worried about a roof, a wedding, and a 20% market drop, and walked out hugging him Why successful people so often feel disconnected from their wealth — and what John calls the "brother-in-law syndrome" that quietly derails even savvy investors The emotional wall between saving and spending in retirement, and why some clients need literal permission to book the trip or fly first class Why John calls estate planning "an act of love" — and the statistic that 34% of millionaires don't have a will How proactive tax planning (not just annual returns) saved one client over a million dollars in taxes his daughter would otherwise have inherited Resources Mentioned Book: The Power of WHY: Transforming Your Life and Your Wealth by John Pavelka Connect with John Pavelka Book Website: thepowerofwhybook.com Firm website: tcpwg.com Email: team@tcpwg.com Support the show
113: Rise. Rule. Repeat. — The Championship Framework That Changes When You Win with Matt Knoll
Matt Knoll walked into Baylor in 1997 and told the local paper his goal was to win a national championship. The reporter laughed out loud. At the time, that reaction was fair. The program hadn't won a conference match in eight years. The courts were slanted. There was no bathroom, no equipment room, no stands. Twenty-two seasons later, Knoll left with a 510-150 record, 13 Big 12 titles, and Baylor's first team national championship. The hard part wasn't getting there. It was learning that the way he led to get there would stop working once they arrived. In this episode, Matt joins Gabe McManus to break down his three-phase framework, Rise, Rule, and Repeat, and explain why the leadership that carries a team from nothing to something can quietly undermine a team already capable of winning it all. He shares the moments in his career where he got it wrong, how he figured out what needed to change, and what he now brings to coaches and business leaders who are trying to push through their own ceilings. About Matt Knoll Matt Knoll served as Director of Men's Tennis at Baylor University for 22 seasons, retiring in 2018 with a career record of 510-150. Under his leadership, Baylor won 13 Big 12 Conference regular season titles, eight Big 12 Tournament championships, and the 2004 NCAA National Championship. A three-time National Coach of the Year and six-time Big 12 Coach of the Year, Matt was inducted into the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008. He now works as a leadership consultant and coach and is the author of Rise. Rule. Repeat.: The Champion's Framework for Building and Sustaining Elite Teams . What We Cover Why Matt saw opportunity in eight slanted courts and no bathroom when nobody else did, and how he framed that vision to recruits from day one How he raised over $22 million by connecting donors to a community vision before the program had earned any national recognition The "Leadership Gremlins" concept and the season Matt's own coaching nearly cost his team a championship from the inside out What championship coaches across football, swimming, and wrestling taught him about when to push and when to let go The PPH framework (Professionalism, Pride, Heart) and why his team kept it a secret while ranked number one in the country How to know which phase your team or business is actually in, and why misreading it is the most common leadership mistake Resources Mentioned Book: Rise. Rule. Repeat .: The Champion's Framework for Building and Sustaining Elite Teams by Matt Knoll Connect with Matt Knoll Email: matt@mattcanola.com LinkedIn: Matt Knoll Support the show
112: Brandon Hayes on You're Not Alone: His CFP Guide to Walking Widows Through Grief and Finance
She had a million dollars in her account and she was convinced she'd lose her house by the end of the month. That's not a financial problem. That's grief lying. And if you don't know how to recognize it, you'll either rush your client into decisions she'll regret, or lose her trust entirely. Episode Summary In this episode, Brandon L. Hayes, CFP, founder of Compass Financial Group and author of You're Not Alone, shares what 26 years of working almost exclusively with widows has taught him about grief and financial decision-making. Brandon's perspective is personal: he lost his father at 13 and watched a trusted advisor help his family stay financially whole. That experience became a calling. He breaks down why the traditional planning process doesn't fit widows, what grief lies look like in practice, which financial landmines to watch for in the first months after a loss, and how advisors and adult children can support without taking over. This is essential listening for any advisor who works with clients navigating the widow transition. About Brandon L. Hayes Brandon L. Hayes, CFP, is the founder of Compass Financial Group in Evansville, Indiana, where he has specialized in working with widows for over 26 years. His calling began at age 13 when his father passed away, and he witnessed firsthand the stabilizing impact a trusted financial advisor had on his family. Brandon is the author of You're Not Alone, a guide he describes as a ministry and a mission: walking widows through the financial decisions that can't wait and the ones that can, in plain language. The financial advisor who helped his mother through that season is now Brandon's own client. What We Cover Why the financial planning process, with its timelines and checklists, is structurally incompatible with grief, and what advisors can do instead The concept of grief lies and why even high-net-worth clients can believe they're about to go broke The only things that actually need to happen in the first days after a spouse dies, and why everything else can wait River widows vs. root widows: two grief patterns that determine how quickly clients make decisions How to uncover hidden benefits including accidental death policies, club memberships, and digital accounts that can add thousands or hundreds of thousands to a settlement How adult children can cross the line from helpful to harmful, and what healthy family support actually looks like The organized crime schemes targeting widows, including a scam that ended with criminals physically walking off a porch with $150,000 in gold Resources Mentioned You're Not Alone by Brandon L. Hayes: Amazon ynabook.com , Brandon's book website with free resources and chapter overview Connect with Brandon Hayes Website: www.ynabook.com Email: brandon@ynabook.com Phone: 800-967-5250 Firm: Compass Financial Group , Evansville, Indiana Support the show
111: How Financial Advisors Get Found in AI Search with Online Reviews | Brian Thorp | Wealthtender
How can financial advisors get found in AI search, build trust faster, and use online reviews in a compliant way? In Episode 111 of The Influential Advisor Podcast, Paul G. McManus interviews Brian Thorp, Founder and CEO of Wealthtender, about one of the biggest opportunities in advisor marketing today: compliant online reviews as a trust signal for Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI-powered search tools. Financial advisors have always relied on referrals, reputation, and trust. But today, before a prospect reaches out, they are often searching online, reading reviews, asking AI tools who to consider, and comparing advisors before the first conversation ever happens. That means your digital reputation matters. In this episode, Paul and Brian discuss how financial advisors can use compliant online reviews, third-party credibility, Google visibility, and AI search optimization to help prospects make a more informed decision about whether you may be the right advisor for them. You’ll learn: How financial advisors can get found in AI search Why online reviews are becoming a major trust signal How compliant reviews differ from traditional Google reviews What the SEC Marketing Rule changed for testimonials and reviews Why ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI tools may use reviews to summarize reputation How reviews can support SEO, AEO, and GEO for financial advisors Why “stars” matter, but client stories matter even more How advisors can ask for reviews without cherry-picking How reviews can help independent advisors compete against larger firms Why advisor-level reviews may matter as much as firm-level reviews How niche advisors can use reviews to strengthen local and specialized visibility Why a book, a website, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, and reviews all work together as authority signals This conversation is especially relevant for independent financial advisors, RIAs, wealth management firms, advisor marketing teams, and practice leaders who want to understand how trust is built in the age of AI search. If you are a financial advisor wondering how to show up when someone asks ChatGPT, “Who is the best financial advisor for me?” this episode will help you think through the credibility signals that matter. Learn more about Influential Advisor Media: https://influentialadvisor.com/ Learn more about Wealthtender: https://wealthtender.com/ COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED Can financial advisors use online reviews? How can advisors ask clients for reviews compliantly? Do financial advisor reviews help with SEO? Can online reviews help advisors show up in ChatGPT? What is the difference between Google reviews and Wealthtender reviews? How do testimonials work under the SEC Marketing Rule? How many reviews does a financial advisor need? Why do online reviews matter for financial advisor referrals? How can advisors build trust before the first meeting? How can financial advisors improve AI search visibility? #FinancialAdvisorMarketing #FinancialAdvisorReviews #AIsearch #Wealthtender #AuthorityMarketing #FinancialAdvisors #RIAmarketing #AdvisorSEO #AEO #GEO #TheInfluentialAdvisor Support the show
110: Sharpen Your Message: Guest Podcast Preparation for Financial Professionals with Gabe McManus
How can financial advisors use podcast guesting to build trust, attract ideal clients, and turn their expertise into new business opportunities? In this episode of The Influential Advisor Podcast, Paul G. McManus interviews Gabe McManus about his book, Sharpen Your Message: Guest Podcast Preparation for Financial Professionals. Gabe shares how financial advisors and financial professionals can prepare for podcast interviews, clarify their best stories, and communicate their expertise in a way that builds trust with prospects. Drawing from his background in theater, storytelling, book coaching, and podcast preparation, Gabe explains why the right message can help advisors make the most of every podcast appearance. You’ll learn why writing a book gives financial advisors a stronger foundation for podcast guesting, how to identify your “greatest hits” before an interview, and why preparation does not mean memorizing a script. Instead, it means knowing your best ideas, stories, frameworks, and client transformation examples so you can speak with confidence when the opportunity comes. Paul and Gabe also discuss how podcast guesting creates borrowed trust, why a book can serve as the “ticket in the door” to better speaking and media opportunities, and how sharpening your message can create an identity shift for advisors who want to grow their practice, raise their minimums, scale their team, and become more influential in their market. If you are a financial advisor, wealth manager, or financial professional who wants to use a book, podcast interviews, and authority marketing to attract better-fit clients, this episode will help you understand how to prepare your message before the microphone turns on. Get Gabe McManus’s book, Sharpen Your Message, at: https://influentialadvisor.com/gabe Learn more about Influential Advisor Media: https://influentialadvisor.com Topics covered: Podcast guest preparation for financial advisors How financial advisors can get clients from podcasts How to sharpen your message before a podcast interview Why financial advisors should write a book before guest podcasting How a book builds authority and trust How podcast interviews create borrowed trust How to prepare your greatest hits for interviews Book marketing for financial advisors Authority marketing for financial professionals How financial advisors can use storytelling to attract ideal clients #FinancialAdvisors #PodcastGuesting #BookMarketing #AuthorityMarketing #GabeMcManus #SharpenYourMessage #InfluentialAdvisor #FinancialAdvisorMarketing #WealthManagement #FinancialProfessionals Support the show
109: The Zero Tax Strategy: Legally Eliminating Taxes with Jeremy Lederer, CPA
In this episode, Gabe McManus sits down with Jeremy Lederer, CPA and founder of XIT CPA, to explore what separates a tax preparer from a true tax strategist. Jeremy brings more than 16 years of experience working with entrepreneurs, business owners, and high-income professionals to zero (yes, zero) out their federal tax liability using legal, government-backed strategies. From film financing deductions to healthcare software investments, Jeremy breaks down the frameworks he writes about in his book The Zero Tax Strategy. He makes the case that implementation, not information, is the missing ingredient for most people. This is one for any financial advisor whose clients are paying more to Washington than they have to. About Jeremy Lederer Jeremy Lederer, CPA, is the founder of XIT CPA, a tax strategy firm that landed on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America in 2023. With over 16 years of experience, Jeremy specializes in helping entrepreneurs and high-income professionals legally reduce or eliminate their federal tax burden through personalized, audit-proof strategies. A former professional golfer and winner of the 2008 San Juan Open, he brings the same precision and competitive drive to tax planning that he once brought to the fairway. Jeremy is also the author of The Zero Tax Strategy and a former certified mastery-level strategist within Tom Wheelwright's WealthAbility Network. What We Cover Why Jeremy quit his firm in 2014, and the $100,000 savings opportunity his managing partner refused to pursue for a client Why the average age of a CPA today is close to 70, and what that means for the quality of advice most business owners are getting The fundamental premise of the U.S. tax code: 99.9% of its 80,000 pages are about how to avoid tax legally, not how to pay it How W-2 earners can use Section 181 film financing to create a $400,000 deduction from a $100,000 cash investment The Amanda case study: a $2 million-per-year biotech founder who zeroed her tax with a $300,000 healthcare software investment What "to change your tax, you have to change your facts" actually looks like in practice The audit that went perfectly: a $500,000 deduction, a nervous client, and a "no change" outcome Resources Mentioned The Zero Tax Strategy by Jeremy Lederer, CPA — available at zerotax.com/book Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold Connect with Jeremy Lederer Website & book: zerotax.com/book XIT CPA: xitcpa.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeremy-lederer-6128691b Support the show
108: Rob Bedinghaus on the $10 Million Tax Bill Nobody Saw Coming
A couple had done everything right — dual income, debt-free, millions saved in tax-deferred accounts — and they were on track to hand $10 million to the IRS. Not because they made bad decisions, but because nobody had ever shown them what "doing everything right" actually costs without proactive planning. In this episode, Gabe sits down with Rob Bedinghaus, Ph.D., CFP® — founder of Bedinghaus Wealth Planning and author of Beyond the Numbers — to dig into the retirement planning conversations most advisors never have. Rob brings a teacher's instinct to every client meeting, and this episode reflects that: clear frameworks, real scenarios, and a perspective on legacy that goes well beyond the balance sheet. Listeners will walk away with a clearer picture of the income gaps retirees face, a practical mental model for surviving market volatility, and a compelling case for why tax planning and retirement planning are the same conversation. About Rob Bedinghaus Rob Bedinghaus, Ph.D., CFP® is the founder of Bedinghaus Wealth Planning, an independent practice in Lebanon, Ohio affiliated with Raymond James. A second-generation financial advisor, Rob spent six years in higher education at Indiana University before joining his father's practice in 2015. He has worked with hundreds of families navigating retirement transitions, previously overseeing more than $130 million in client assets at Edward Jones before building his own independent firm. He is the author of Beyond the Numbers: Your Smart Guide to Retirement Income, Tax Efficiency, and Lasting Legacy . What We Cover Why the shift from saving to spending is harder than most retirees expect — and how Rob helps clients break a 30-year saving mindset The bucket framework: how organizing money by time horizon keeps clients from panic-selling during market downturns How one couple's disciplined 401(k) savings had them on track for $700,000 in annual required minimum distributions and a projected $10 million lifetime tax bill The Roth conversion strategy that cut one couple's projected tax bill from $10 million to $2 million What "living a legacy" means: giving while you're alive, seeing the impact, and passing values alongside wealth Why qualified charitable distributions are one of the most underused tax tools for charitably-minded retirees Resources Mentioned Beyond the Numbers: Your Smart Guide to Retirement Income, Tax Efficiency, and Lasting Legacy by Rob Bedinghaus, Ph.D., CFP® — free e-copy available at beyondnumbersbook.com Connect with Website: bedinghauswealth.com Book website: beyondnumbersbook.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robbedinghaus Support the show
107: The Investor's Coach — The IRA Tax Trap Nobody Warned You About with Ira Work
Imagine going into business with a partner who tells you upfront: at the end of every year, I'll decide how much of the profits I keep. You'd never agree to that. But Ira Work says millions of Americans already did the day they opened a traditional IRA. That's one of several hard truths Ira Work, a 42-year financial industry veteran, addresses head-on in his new book and in this conversation. After 17 years working for firms like Smith Barney and Shearson Lehman Brothers, Ira walked away from the traditional brokerage model — not because he failed, but because he saw how it was failing clients. In this episode, Ira breaks down four persistent myths that quietly erode investor wealth, explains why tax-deferred retirement accounts may carry more risk than most people realize, and makes the case for financial coaching over traditional advising. Listeners will walk away with a clearer picture of what questions to ask, what costs to watch for, and what it actually means to have a financial plan built around their life and not just their portfolio. About Ira Work Ira Work is an Investor Coach and founder at First Financial Coaching, Inc., with over 42 years of experience in the financial industry. He holds multiple advanced designations including ChFC, RFC, AIF, AAMS, CASL, and CRPS. After spending his first 17 years at major wirehouses, Ira transitioned to independent financial coaching focused on investor education, behavioral science, and evidence-based investing. He is the author of The Investor's Coach: How You Can Rise Above Wall Street's Myths and Build Real Wealth . What We Cover Why stock picking and market timing feel logical in the moment but fail investors over time The real reason 10-year fund track records are nearly meaningless for picking investments How hidden trading costs inflate what investors actually pay beyond the stated expense ratio The IRA tax trap: why deferring taxes today could mean paying far more tomorrow if rates rise The one question Ira asks every new client that most advisors never think to raise The difference between a financial advisor and a financial coach, and why one asks about your life while the other asks about your money Resources Mentioned The Investor's Coach by Ira Work — available on Amazon Come Back America by David Walker (U.S. Comptroller General) — referenced in the tax trap discussion Navigating the Fog of Investing — documentary film featuring Morningstar's CEO on fund ratings Connect with Ira Work Website: irawork.com / firstfinancialcoach.com Email: irawork@firstfinancialcoach.com Support the show
106: Scott Leibfried: What Climbing Wealth Taught Me About the Retirement Red Zone
Scott Leibfried's grandfather sold the family business at 60 with more money than he'd ever seen. He was generous, he lived long, and he ran out. That story is why Scott has spent 28 years in wealth management — and it's why he wrote Climbing Wealth . Episode Summary In this episode, Gabe sits down with Scott Leibfried, a Midwest-based financial advisor with 28 years of experience, to explore the parallels between mountain climbing and financial planning. From the moment Scott summited Long's Peak without a guide and couldn't wait to get back down, to guiding clients through the retirement red zone, this conversation is full of practical lessons about what it takes to navigate the second half of your financial life. Listeners will walk away with a clearer picture of what a real advisory team looks like, what triggers people to finally get serious, and why the descent matters just as much as the climb. About Scott Leibfried Scott Leibfried is a financial advisor and wealth manager with 28 years of experience, based in the Midwest. He grew up in eastern Iowa working in his family's agricultural business and attended the University of Northern Iowa before entering the financial services industry. Over his career, Scott has built a multi-generational, multi-specialist advisory team focused on financial planning, investment management, tax strategy, and estate planning. He is the author of Climbing Wealth , which draws on his experiences summiting mountains including Mont Blanc, the Grand Teton, and Grand Paradiso to illustrate the decisions that define financial success. What We Cover How Scott's grandfather selling the family business became the origin of his entire career — and what two small decisions would have changed everything The shift from a commission-driven industry to a planning-first model, and why it matters for clients today What happened on Long's Peak without a guide that convinced Scott to never climb — or advise — alone again The retirement red zone: the five years before and after retirement when the most consequential financial decisions get made Why a real advisory team is built across generations and specialties, not just people sharing a copier The story of a client who retired at 58 against one advisor's advice — and used those five years before his death to live fully Resources Mentioned Climbing Wealth by Scott Leibfried — available on Amazon Connect with Scott Leibfried Email: scott@climbingwealthbook.com Support the show
105: Jason Wendt: Beyond the Numbers — Why Your Retirement Number Isn't Enough
Most successful people have a retirement number. Very few have a retirement reason. That's the gap Jason Wendt has spent 15 years closing. After watching client after client arrive with a solid portfolio and a hollow plan, he wrote a book about it. And now, fresh off an Amazon bestseller ranking and a feature segment on NBC Chicago, he's bringing that message to a wider audience. Episode Summary In this episode, Gabe McManus sits down with Jason Wendt, a Chicago-based financial advisor and author of Beyond the Numbers , to explore what it really means to build a financially efficient life. Jason shares why he starts every client relationship with the question "What's important about money to you?" rather than a statement of assets. He talks about the three phases of financial life most advisors forget to address, how childhood money narratives quietly shape the decisions of even the wealthiest clients, and why he considers himself the CEO of his clients' financial lives. Jason walks through the specific frameworks, client stories, and planning tools he uses to help people move from saving for a number to building a life around what actually matters to them. About Jason Wendt Jason Wendt, AIF®, APMA®, CEPA®, is a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial in Chicago, Illinois, with over 15 years of experience serving high achievers, business owners, and professionals navigating complex financial lives. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor, and Certified Exit Planning Advisor designations. Jason is the author of Beyond the Numbers: A High Achiever's Guide to Financial Freedom Without Sacrifice , an Amazon bestseller in the financial services category. He recently appeared as a financial expert on NBC Chicago and has been invited to speak at universities in the Chicagoland area. What We Cover Why Jason's first question to every new client is "What's important about money to you?" and how that one question changes the entire planning process The three phases of financial life: accumulation, distribution, and enjoyment, and why most financial plans never address the third one How childhood money narratives keep wealthy clients from enjoying what they've built What financial paralysis looks like for high-earning professionals and business owners, and how to break through it Why Jason positions himself as the CEO of his clients' financial lives, with a network of 17 specialists across insurance, estate planning, taxes, and investment management Proactive vs. reactive tax strategy: asset location, Roth conversions, and why timing matters more than most people realize Connect with Jason Wendt Website: beyondthenumbersbook.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonwendt Email: jason@beyondthenumbersbook.com Book: Beyond the Numbers on Amazon Support the show
104: Why the Virtual Family Office Advantage Exists and What Business Owners Are Really Losing Without It with Dale Montgomery
Most business owners assume their advisory team is working for them. A CPA here, a financial advisor there, an attorney on retainer. What they don't realize is that those advisors are working in parallel, not together. No one is seeing the full picture. No one is coordinating. And the business owner, without ever signing up for it, becomes the quarterback of their own financial life on top of running their company. That's what the Virtual Family Office Advantage exists to solve. And according to Dale Montgomery, a Certified VFO Professional who has worked with business owners for over a decade, what they're losing without it goes beyond taxes and missed strategies. It shows up in their marriages, their family dinners, and the mental load they carry home every night. In this episode, Dale draws on his own experience losing a real estate portfolio, rental properties, and his hobby farm in 2008, while raising four young kids under the age of seven, to explain why coordinated, team-based planning isn't a luxury. That experience changed the way he thought about planning. It turned him into a practitioner of something most advisors never discuss with their clients: the Virtual Family Office model, first pioneered by John D. Rockefeller in 1882 and now accessible to small and mid-sized business owners through a team-based, coordinated approach. About Dale Montgomery Dale Montgomery is a Certified VFO Professional and Director of Advanced Planning at Tax and Retirement Specialists. After losing his real estate portfolio in 2008 while raising four young children, he rebuilt his career around a single question: what would better planning have changed? That path led him to the Virtual Family Office model, where he now coordinates integrated planning across tax, legal, risk, wealth, and business advisory for small and mid-sized business owners. He is the author of The Virtual Family Office Advantage: From Siloed Advice to Team-Based Planning . What We Cover Why successful business owners become the de facto quarterback of their own advisor team, and what that coordination burden is actually costing them How the hub-and-spoke model and the Director of Advanced Planning role removes the business owner from the center of that coordination The difference between tax mitigation and tax deferral, and why putting money into a qualified plan often creates a bigger tax problem down the road The wealth paradox: why business owners running multimillion-dollar companies often have surprisingly little personal wealth outside the business The client who said "don't sell me life insurance" three times, and what the VFO diagnostic found underneath that resistance Why giving business owners their time back doesn't just grow revenue. It saves marriages. Resources Mentioned The Virtual Family Office Advantage: From Siloed Advice to Team-Based Planning by Dale Montgomery Connect with Dale Montgomery Website: trsfamilyoffice.com Email: dale@trsfamilyoffice.com Support the show
103: Blue Jean Millionaire — How Everyday Decisions Can Lead to Extraordinary Wealth with Dan Carver
She called her advisor on closing day. Boxes still everywhere, no movers available, hours until she had to be out. He showed up in his truck, spent four hours hauling boxes to a friend's garage, and wouldn't let her pay a dime. That's the kind of advisor Dan Carver is, and that story tells you more about his practice than any credential ever could. Dan Carver is a St. Louis-based financial advisor with 26 years of experience helping ordinary people make smart decisions with their money. His book, Blue Jean Millionaire , takes its title from a formative observation Dan made in high school: the wealthiest kids in his class were often the ones in jeans and flannel, driving beat-up cars, quietly letting their money work. The flashy ones were a different story. That early lesson has shaped how Dan advises clients ever since. In this episode, Dan joins Gabe McManus for a wide-ranging conversation on what real wealth looks like, the hidden dangers of financial disorganization, and how good advisors push clients toward decisions they'd rather avoid. Dan shares stories from 26 years in the field — a million-dollar 401k with no beneficiary, a carpenter who needed life insurance and didn't want to hear it, nurses burned out by COVID who needed a new plan fast, and couples who looked wealthy from the outside but were drowning in debt. About Dan Carver Dan Carver is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) based in St. Louis, Missouri, with 26 years of experience in financial advising. He specializes in helping middle-class families and everyday investors build long-term financial security through disciplined, conservative planning. Dan is the author of Blue Jean Millionaire , a personal finance book for people who want to build real wealth — not through windfalls or speculation, but through good decisions made consistently over time. Connect with Dan Carver 📧 danthecfp@gmail.com 📞 314-626-4900 🌐 bluejeanwealthbook.com Support the show
102: From Work to What's Next — Jim & Sarah Charles on Designing a Retirement Worth Living
Most retirees nail the math. Then they hit a wall. Jim Charles retired in 2021 after more than three decades in financial services. He had the savings, the freedom, and a 90-year-old house full of doors that needed rehanging. Within 18 months, he decided to un-retire. Not because the money ran out, but because the meaning had. That experience became the foundation for Sanctuary Financial Planning, the flat-fee firm he co-founded with his wife Sarah, and for their new book, From Work to What's Next . In this episode, Jim and Sarah Charles join Gabe McManus to make the case that most financial advisors are solving only half the retirement problem. The numbers are table stakes. What most clients haven't done is the meaning work — and they don't find that out until it's too late. Jim brings over three decades of financial services experience, including his role as co-Head of Dimensional Fund Advisors' North American institutional distribution, where he worked with some of the largest institutional investors in the world. Sarah spent more than two decades at top advisory firms building a $200M+ practice, with a specialty in women's financial empowerment. Together, they hold credentials including CFP®, CFA®, CDFA®, AIF®, and CSRIC®, and launched Sanctuary Financial Planning in 2023 to deliver transparent, flat-fee, fiduciary advice built around the whole person, not just the balance sheet. Resources Mentioned: From Work to What's Next: Designing a Life You Don't Want to Retire From by Jim and Sarah Charles The New Retirement Mentality by Mitch Anthony Connect with Jim and Sarah Charles: Website: sanctuaryfinancialplanning.com Jim on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-charles Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-k-charles Support the show
101: The Authority Operating System: 5 Pillars That Turn a Book Into a Business Growth Machine
At the Exit Planning Institute CEPA Summit in Nashville, 1,200 credentialed advisors gathered in one room. The first night, they held an awards ceremony. Every single person who walked on stage had one thing in common. It wasn't their credentials, their AUM, or their years in practice. It was a book. Episode Summary Paul and Gabe McManus just returned from four days in Nashville at the EPI CEPA Summit, where they presented the Authority Operating System to one of the most credentialed audiences in financial services. In this episode, they break down all five pillars of the AOS: writing the right book, activating clients and COIs, building a guest podcast tour, optimizing for search everywhere (not just Google), and leveraging AI without the slop. Real client stories throughout. Real results. About Paul & Gabe McManus Paul G. McManus is the CEO and founder of The Short Book Formula, a publishing company that has helped 500+ financial professionals write, publish, and leverage books over the past decade. He is the author of The Short Book Formula and Book Marketing for Financial Advisors , and was featured on Michael Kitces' Financial Advisor Success Podcast (Episode 417). Gabe McManus is Director of Elite Advisor Programs and author of Sharpen Your Message: Guest Podcasting for Financial Advisors . What We Cover Why every award recipient at the Nashville CEPA Summit had a book, and what that pattern means for your practice The three objections every advisor raises before writing a book: "I'm not a writer," "I don't know what to write about," and "I don't have time" — answered directly and practically How Joe Falbo spent 30 years trying to get CPA referrals, published one book, and ended his next lunch with that CPA ordering 500 copies to mail to his entire client list on his own letterhead How Jason Wendt turned a book launch party on a yacht into a recurring financial commentary slot on NBC Chicago Why Google now accounts for only about 20% of search, and where the other 80% of your prospects are asking questions The difference between AI slop and using AI to genuinely extend your reach once the book exists Why the book is the foundation: guest podcasting, media, COI referrals, and AI discoverability all start there Resources Mentioned Book Marketing for Financial Advisors by Paul G. McManus S harpen Your Message: Guest Podcasting for Financial Advisors by Gabe McManus Exit Planning Institute (EPI) — exit-planning-institute.org The Short Book Formula Connect with Paul & Gabe Website: influentialadvisor.com Paul on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paulgmcmanus Gabe on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gabemcmanus Support the show
100: The Authority Operating System: Turn Your CEPA Credential Into Deal Flow by Paul G. McManus
The Authority Operating System: Turn Your CEPA Credential Into Deal Flow You earned your CEPA credential. You know how to help business owners navigate the biggest financial decision of their life. But the business owners who need you most don't know you exist. Right now, someone in your market is asking ChatGPT who they should trust with the sale of their company. They're searching Google. They're listening to podcasts. They're forming opinions about who the expert is long before they ever pick up the phone. By the time they're ready to talk, they've already chosen someone. The question is whether that someone is you. You can read or listen to this entire book in about an hour. By the time you're done, you'll have the complete system. The Authority Operating System is a five-pillar framework designed specifically for Certified Exit Planning Advisors who want to turn their credential into consistent, high-quality deal flow. Paul G. McManus has spent the past decade working with more than 500 financial professionals, many of them CEPAs, helping them write and publish books and then leverage those books to grow their practices. That work has helped generate over $100 million in combined revenue. This book lays out the exact system that separates advisors who get found from advisors who get overlooked. The five pillars work together as a system, not as five separate marketing tactics. The real power shows up when all five are running at once. The Book puts your thinking, your frameworks, and your client stories into a business owner's hands before you ever meet them. Business owners who read it show up to the first meeting pre-sold, with specific questions, ready to work together. Referrals and Centers of Influence. Your clients and your COIs want to refer you. They just don't have a natural way to do it. The book becomes the vehicle. When a CPA hands your book to a business owner, the dynamic shifts from "call my guy" to "read this, I think it's exactly what you need." The Virtual Speaking Tour. Guest podcasting puts you in front of audiences that already trust the host, and that trust extends to you the moment you're introduced. Every episode is a permanent, indexed asset that works for you long after the recording ends. Search Everywhere Optimization. Google now accounts for less than 20% of daily searches. Business owners are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI tools who they should work with, and those tools are answering with names. This pillar covers SEO, AEO (answer engine optimization), and GEO (generative engine optimization) so your name shows up wherever your ideal clients are looking. Leverage AI. What used to require a marketing team and months of effort can now be executed by one motivated advisor with the right tools. From AI-powered meeting prep to turning a single podcast appearance into months of content, this pillar shows you how to build in a year what used to take a decade. One financial advisor published his book and, within months, landed a recurring role as the financial expert on NBC 5 Chicago, leapfrogging advisors with decades more experience. Another advisor tripled his revenue in a single year after publishing and is now writing his fourth book. A CPA firm distributed 500 copies of an advisor's book to their entire client base, on their own letterhead, without being asked twice. A five-person RIA is using AI to build fully interactive, custom-branded client proposals that no competitor in their market can match. And one CEPA is building a practice with so much transferable value that he's selling equity in it repeatedly, living the same methodology he teaches his clients. Every advisor in this book did it. The system works. Somewhere in your market, a business owner is searching right now. Make sure they find you. About the Author Paul G. McMa Support the show
099: Scott Snider on Why Exit Strategy IS Business Strategy
A $200 million exit — and the client who should have been celebrating, but wasn't. That's what started the Exit Planning Institute. And it's the same story Scott Snider has lived himself: a successful business sale in his mid-20s followed by two years of feeling completely lost. Identity, purpose, what comes next — these are questions the transaction doesn't answer. Exit planning does. Episode Summary In this conversation, Paul sits down with Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI), ahead of the 2026 CEPA Summit in Nashville. Scott walks through the founding story of EPI, his own journey as an exited business owner turned professional education leader, and the near-crisis moment in 2020 that forced him to rethink everything — not just his business model, but the culture he had been building around himself. He also breaks down the Value Acceleration Methodology in plain language and explains why exit planning isn't about selling your company. It's about running a better business right now. About Scott Snider Scott Snider is the President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) and Operating Partner of Snider Premier Growth. A nationally recognized growth specialist and lifetime entrepreneur, Scott launched his first business at 16 and sold it in his mid-20s — an experience that shaped his deep understanding of what owners face emotionally and financially in a transition. Since purchasing EPI with his father Chris Snider in 2012, Scott has scaled the organization from 120 members to over 11,000 CEPAs across 19 countries. He is also a former professional indoor soccer player in the Major Arena Soccer League. What We Cover How Scott's personal exit at 24 — profitable but emotionally unprepared — became the foundation of everything he now teaches Why EPI pivoted its entire credentialing program to virtual in 45 days during COVID, and how that decision triggered 5x growth The "brick wall moment" when all 11 employees told Scott they were looking for other jobs — and what it took to rebuild Why the Value Acceleration Methodology applies whether an owner is 25 or 72, planning to exit or not How EPI's new DriveValue.com platform meets business owners where they are — before they're ready for an advisor What's different about the 2026 CEPA Summit in Nashville — including a festival-style exploration experience across seven live stages Resources Mentioned Exit Planning Institute — professional home for CEPAs; credential info at earnCEPA.com DriveValue.com — EPI's business owner-facing platform built around the Value Acceleration Methodology Exit Planning Summit — annual conference for exit planning professionals Walking to Destiny by Chris Snider — the foundational book on the Value Acceleration Methodology Initiative One Leadership Institute — leadership transformation program referenced in Scott's culture reset story Connect with Scott Snider 🔗 LinkedIn 📧 SSnider@exit-planning-institute.org 🌐 exit-planning-institute.org Support the show
098: What the 18% of Fortune 500 Companies Paying Zero Taxes Know with Alex Sonkin
Most business owners assume their CPA is doing everything possible on taxes. They aren't. And the reason isn't incompetence. It's access. The strategies that allow 18% of Fortune 500 companies and America's wealthiest individuals to legally pay zero in federal taxes are real, documented in the tax code, and available. The problem is that most CPA firms, even highly successful ones, are stretched thin producing returns and financial statements. They don't have the time or infrastructure to find, vet, and gain confidence in the advanced strategies their highest-earning clients need most. Alex Sonkin spent 20 years building the solution. The Due Diligence Project is the largest peer-reviewed CPA community in the country, a global network of 500+ elite CPA firms, law firms, and family offices that independently vet, rank, and rate advanced tax strategies. Think Amazon or Netflix for CPA due diligence: a centralized platform where the hard work of evaluation has already been done, so CPAs can bring vetted strategies to clients with confidence. In this episode, Paul and Alex cover how the platform works, what separates the top 1% of tax advisory CPAs from the rest, how AI is beginning to reshape the due diligence process, and the $300M+ in charitable gifts that have flowed from DDP-facilitated strategies. About Alex Sonkin Alex Sonkin is the founder of The Due Diligence Project™ and The Virtual Family Office (VFO) Hub™. He began his career as a professional options trader at Société Générale, making markets in S&P 500 options on the Chicago floor for nearly a decade before transitioning to help business owners access world-class tax planning. Over 20 years, he has built the Due Diligence Project into the most comprehensive independent, peer-reviewed tax strategy community in the country. He is the co-author of The Due Diligence Project with Paul McManus, available on Amazon, and has been featured in Accounting Today and Top 100 Innovators & Entrepreneurs Magazine. What We Cover Why most CPA firms are leaving advanced tax strategies on the table, and why it's a structural problem, not a competence problem How The Due Diligence Project works as a peer-reviewed community, and why 500+ CPAs vetting a strategy produces confidence no single firm can replicate The "10% rule": why any business owner paying more than 10% of net income in taxes should be asking harder questions of their CPA How AI tools like ChatGPT and TaxGPT are being used to stress-test strategies and surface IRS risk, and where AI still falls short What the top 1% of CPAs are doing differently in 2026 How DDP-facilitated strategies have generated over $300 million in charitable gifts to the Mitchell Thorpe Foundation, supporting 400+ families with critically ill children Resources Mentioned The Due Diligence Project by Alex Sonkin and Paul McManus, available on Amazon The Mitchell Thorpe Foundation Connect with Alex Sonkin Website: DueDiligenceProject.com Email: info@DueDiligenceProject.com LinkedIn: The Due Diligence Project on LinkedIn Support the show
097: Conor Delaney on Going from $40 Million to $20 Billion Through Supported Independence
When you go independent, nobody tells you that you're just trading one set of constraints for another. When Conor Delaney went independent in 2012, he started with $40 million in AUM and a blank whiteboard. What followed was a 14-year education in becoming a CEO, a shareholder, and a leader, all while still serving clients. Today, Good Life Companies supports more than 200 advisors across the country, and the firm's advisors grew at 34% annually over the last two years, compared to an industry organic growth average of just 3%. In this episode, Conor joins Paul and Gabe McManus to talk through the real cost of independence and the model he's built to lower that cost for advisors who are willing to make the shift. He walks through why the advisor is almost always the bottleneck in their own practice, what it actually looks like to wear the hats of advisor, CEO, and shareholder simultaneously, and how Good Life's "Front Office of the Future" is giving advisors back the seven hours a typical new client intake currently consumes. About Conor Delaney Conor Delaney is the founder and CEO of Good Life Companies, a Philadelphia-based platform that gives independent financial advisors the infrastructure, technology, and support to run like a firm twice their size. He started his career as a financial advisor at 19 while still a college student, and by 26 was the top advisor out of more than a thousand at his prior firm. He launched Good Life in 2012 and has grown it to support over 200 advisors managing approximately $20 billion in assets. Good Life is ranked among the 2023 Forbes list of America's Top RIAs. Conor is also a marathon runner and father of five. What We Cover Why Conor's father's death at 17 became the defining motivation behind his entire career and the name "Good Life" The three roles every independent advisor must occupy — advisor, CEO, and shareholder — and why ignoring any one of them limits practice value How Good Life's "Front Office of the Future" cuts a 7-hour new client intake process down to something manageable with automation and a digital workforce Why COI relationships fail for most advisors (the advisor is still the bottleneck) and how Good Life executes the referral framework for them The 71/73/77 data: the alarming statistics on advisor divorce, health, and family relationships and what's driving it Why "supported independence" beats both the wirehouse model and pure independence for building enterprise value Connect with Conor Delaney Website: goodlifeco.com Email: CEO@goodlifeco.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leadinspireexecute Support the show
