Money, Mind And Meaning

Tune in to hear:- What was the spark or impetus that led Kelsey down the path to found Aura Finance?- Why is it so crucial to help people get in the right mindset to invest and how can we begin to do so?- What are some of the specific features of the Aura app that help promote financial mindfulness?- How has Kelsey tried to hone the gamified elements in the Aura app to bring out the best possible behaviors in its end users?- What are Kelsey’s thoughts on building a community within the app and having people self-report their income on the app?- What hope do young people have in the face of some of the stark financial realities they face?- How does Kelsey think about self-deception and try to encourage her customers to avoid it?https://www.aurafinance.ioCompliance Code: 1108-OAS-4/19/2023

Tune in to hear:- How has Heather’s background in mental health shifted the way she leads and the way she goes to market?- What advice, skills or resources does she try to imbue her advisors with to inoculate them against taking on too much of the stresses they help their clients work through?- As practically as possible, what does “net worthwhile” look like and how does SignatureFD make it more than just a tagline?- What led Heather to start using a bucketing strategy in the first place and what makes her approach unique?- Why is SignatureFD's client retention rate so incredibly high? What do they do differently from their competition?- Where does she think financial advice is headed in the next 10-20 years and how do the Tim Maurer’s of the world figure into this transition?https://signaturefd.comCompliance Code: 1088-OAS-4/18/2023

Tune in to hear:- What are some of the psychology principles that Costco gets right as a brand?- Is it better to make customer onboarding super fluid and effortless or to make it a bit more arduous and engage with the "sunk cost fallacy?"- What is the “pratfall effect” and how was it used with great effect by brands like Apple, KFC and Domino’s?- What is the “cocktail party effect” and how can we use it to our advantage?- What does Nike do particularly well and how do they induce a sense of artificial scarcity?- How can your average person in a consulting or advice type role leverage this concept of scarcity?- Who distilled Cialdini’s 7 Principles of Persuasion down to just 3 and how are these best applied in practice?Compliance Code: 0963-OAS-4/5/2023https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenclinehenshttps://www.choicehacking.com

Tune in to hear:- Why does discussing money remain such a persistent taboo in our culture?- Why is financial intimacy so critical and how can we work towards achieving it in our lives?- How does financial intimacy, or intimacy more generally, relate to “feeling seen?”- How can financial intimacy allow us to better see ourselves and unearth our personal money stories that have gone under our radar?- We have a cognitive understanding that we can’t take our wealth with us when we die, but why is this so hard to understand in practice?https://www.linkedin.com/in/MoneyandWellnesshttps://www.instagram.com/modomsolutionsCompliance Code: 0879-OAS-3/27/2023

Tune in to hear:- Dave is a “financial futurist.” What in the world is this and what does it look like practically in his day-to-day work?- What “behavioral hacks” does Dave bring to bear in his own practice when he tries to look out beyond 2 years and how does he try to stay out of his own way when thinking about what the future might look like?- Can the past be used as a vehicle for better understanding the future or is there not much to learn there and we are forecasting in ineffective ways by relying so heavily on the past?- What is the place of innovation and cutting edge thinking in an industry that is often at its best when it's at its stodgiest?- In the recent past we have socialized business failure while individualizing business success. What is it going to take for this Zeitgeist to change?- Which financial innovations does Dave think hold the most promise? On the flip side – what financial innovations does he think are overrated?- Learn how Dave connects the dots between the overall lack of instit

Tune in to hear:- What life experiences gave rise to Mac Gardner’s mission to improve financial literacy particularly among children?- What is Mac’s book, The Four Money Bears, all about and how has his experience been when sharing it with others all over the globe?- Does Mac have any particularly memorable anecdotes about sharing the book in a classroom setting, or elsewhere, where he learned something unique from kids' reactions? - Where are we falling short as a society and industry that’s allowing people to have such a huge gap in their financial education?- Financial literacy education efforts often show lackluster results. How can we make financial literacy work for us in practice and not just in theory?- What does Mac think the future of gamification will look like with respect to financial literacy?- How can we properly use allowance to better teach our kids about the value of a dollar?- How can parents with privilege help their kids gain some perspective on things?https://www.thefourmoneybears.comhtt

Tune in to hear:- Can Manish give a bit of background on Potomac and what has changed since he took the helm?- Potomac is very committed to transparency and the idea of building in public. What has this process been like and what benefits have they seen from this approach? When have they had to follow through on their commitment to being honest about their shortcomings?- Has there ever been a weakness or failing that sort of tested his willingness to be transparent about it?- How does Manish balance his desire to be approachable and genuine with not wanting to appear unserious about a very serious thing?- Of all the marketing campaigns Potomac has done, which one does Manish think was the most compelling?- Can the literal construction of a portfolio help clients to stay the course? What is the role of product design in bringing about positive behavioral outcomes?https://potomacfund.comCompliance Code: 0824-OAS-3/20/2023

Tune in to hear:- What is the philosophy of investing Rusty grounds himself in and how does it keep his head on straight when he makes investment decisions?- For someone who is in a position to make material decisions about others’ money - what responsibility do they have to “do the work” around understanding their own values, biases and behavior?- What steps does Orion, as an institution take, to try to avoid falling prey to behavioral missteps?- How do you make the distinction between being flighty about your investment philosophy and having the maturity to change your mind when the facts change?- How does Rusty think about maximizing anxiety-adjusted returns and creating human first, bespoke portfolios?- If Daniel was getting paid to consult a mutual fund PM what would his one key takeaway be?- Does Daniel have any good tips for investment committee members?https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orions-the-weighing-machine/id486850755Compliance Code: 0737-OAS-3/13/2023

Tune in to hear:- Ben had a crippling bout of anxiety and depression in college that effectively made him a shut-in at his parent’s house. What did he realize was at the root of these problems and what did he do next?- How did Ben’s two week “bucket list” roadtrip with friends transition into a decade plus long mission?- Ben’s project, The Buried Life, is also about helping other people realize their dreams too. Along this path, what are some of the coolest things he has helped to bring about in others’ lives?- What types of bucket list items did Ben find that seemed to really sate people’s desires for deep meaning and fulfillment? Also, were there some things that didn’t satisfy people as much as he expected?- Ben has nearly completed his first 100 bucket list items - what remains to be done and how does he think it will feel when he finally completes it?https://www.instagram.com/bennemtinhttps://www.bennemtin.comCompliance Code: 0710-OAS-3/9/2023

Tune in to hear:- How does Brian McLaughlin’s entrepreneurial journey fit into the mold of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey?- What was Brian’s “call to adventure,” or his impetus for creating Redtail, and how did he take this leap?- Is this “call to adventure” for entrepreneurs, writ large, often about coming up with a practical solution to a particular problem they are facing?- What needs to be in place before an entrepreneur takes a leap and who should or shouldn’t go into business for themselves? How should people decide whether to accept or refuse a call to adventure?- Who were some of the mentors Brian McLaughlin found along the way and what role did they fill? - Did Brian have mentors who gave him support and advocated for him, as well as those who were critical of him when he fell short and gave him tough love?- How did Brian get the courage to surround himself with people who would call him out on any nonsense?- At what point in the Redtail journey was he most scared and how did this ordeal shape and mold bo

Tune in to hear:- How does Dr. Koochel define financial wellness, how did she arrive at this definition and what practical difference does this make in her work?- What are three actionable steps advisors can take to incorporate financial wellness into their planning conversations?- How can advisors point out inconsistencies between someone’s professed values and their actions while remaining empathetic and thoughtful about how they communicate this? - What is the role of financial psychology in meeting the demand for personalization and what do some of these solutions look like?- What are some of the road blocks to implementing financial psychology in practice?- Some people just want an old school advisor who is a subject matter expert and who simply allocates their assets effectively. What does personalization look like for this client and do we have a duty to sell them on the BeFi side of things?- Should BeFi approaches be embedded in one’s advisory practice in a subtle way or should firms advertise this fe

Tune in to hear:- Why did Eben’s company Toews create the holiday “ National Investment Risk Management Day?”- What are some of Eben’s candidates for the worst investment ideas of the year?- How can we be open to innovation and progress without becoming too easy to fool?- For folks who did “everything right” last year, they still had a really tough year - how can we convince people to engage in prudent risk management behaviors when you are still going to take a hit sometimes regardless of doing the right thing? - How can investors be thoughtful about managing risk once they have the basics of a diversified portfolio covered?- Toews has a yearly survey that compares advisor and end investor perceptions across a couple market realities - where are they finding that advisors and clients seeing eye to eye and where do they see things differently?- What would Eben council advisors do differently based on the findings of the above study?https://toewscorp.comhttps://biicoaching.comCompliance Code: 0363-OAS-2/8/2023

Tune in to hear:- In his new book, why did Dr. Sivarajan feel that a story was the best means to convey behavioral and philosophical truths?- What steps can we take to ensure we are “climbing the right ladder” and why do we often get this so wrong?- If we find ourselves pursuing the wrong goals and being motivated by the wrong things how can we start fresh?- What is the story of Ferrari vs. Lamborghini for those who don’t know and how does Dr. Sivarajan relate this to mimetic desire and mimetic competition?- In a particularly bad year, how do we encourage our clients to embrace the idea that markets, and life more generally, are just this way sometimes and there’s not much we can do about it?- What interesting takeaways did Dr. Sivarajan find in his research on risk tolerance questionnaires?Compliance Code: 0355-OAS-2/7/2023Copy: 0356-OAS-2/7/2023https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsivarajanhttps://www.samsivarajan.com

Tune in to hear:- What is Rachel’s origin story and what led her down a path that bridges social justice and finance?- What is redlining and why will climate change  disproportionately effect already marginalized groups?- Why did Rachel feel like finance was the best tool at her disposal for approaching social justice issues?- Rachel gets her investment data directly from the communities that are most impacted by the issues she is fighting for. How does she get this data, how does it differ from more traditional data sources and how does it augment her company's investment process?- When Rachel was striving to get rid of forced arbitration clauses how did she go about this? Was it through divesting, voting shares, advocacy or some other means?- How are social injustices potential investment risks and how might a social justice oriented portfolio outperform a more broadly focused portfolio?- What kind of research does Rachel’s company do on fundamentals to ensure these companies are sound financially in additi

Tune in to hear:- How did Adam move from the financial planning sphere into being a software entrepreneur? Did he see a gap that he thought needed to be filled?- What is Adam’s company Asset Map and how do they create a visual blueprint of someone’s holdings?- What has he observed, from a behavioral perspective, about the advantages of having something simple and visual?- What do people underestimate about the difficulty of becoming a FinTech CEO?- Financial planning is only getting adopted by roughly 40% of firms. What would account for this and why are so many clients and households being underserved?- Has financial planning been hijacked into simply being a sales carrot or is it still often more than that?- How can technology and human advisors best work together for the client’s benefit?Compliance Code: 0115-OAS-1/17/2023Copy: 0356-OAS-2/7/2023https://www.asset-map.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hadamholt

Tune in to hear:- Why does behavioral investing often get focused on less than other elements of behavioral finance?- What role should pessimistic forecasts play, if any, in our financial decision making?- What are some behavioral barometers that can give us meaningful insights into forward return suggestions? What clues does he think these are providing in this particular moment?- If we do away with style boxes how will we differentiate appropriate style drift from just sloppy, undisciplined investing?- What will it take for there to be a renaissance in active management and do certain market conditions better lend themselves to active vs. passive management?- Tom suggests that behavior is the key to persistent alpha and that there’s a possibility for more active alpha persistence than was previous thought possible. What does his research around this show?https://www.athenainvest.comCompliance Code: 0126-OAS-1/17/2023

Tune in to hear:- What led Jeff to sometimes act inauthentically in the past and what snapped him out of this?- How does the client experience look different between those with an authentic, holistic advisor and those who have an advisor with a top producer type mindset?- What does Jeff see as the most common impediment that’s keeping people from creating a meaningful money life?- How do we get people to shift from a solipsistic approach to what Jeff describes as “other focused?” Considering this - should one’s advisor play a role in encouraging this shift within them?- What role does hard work play in crafting a meaningful money journey? How can this element of wellness be sustained once one is retired?- If someone who is listening doesn’t already have an advisor and they are looking to find one with a very holistic approach that goes beyond the meat and potatoes of their financial life, how should they go about vetting various advisors?https://www.jeffbernierauthor.comCompliance Code: 0108-OAS-1/17/2023

Tune in to hear:- Why is understanding our own money stories such a valuable principle? What is Jamie’s money story?- Did Jamie’s dad’s career trajectory or unexpected death shift the way Jamie approached his own career?- Is it pretty typical for people to full-heartedly accept or reject their family of origin’s money scripts/styles?- Why do we frequently search for external answers, rather than our intrinsic value, on how to maximize our wealth?- Does Jamie foresee a world where advisors take a more active role in talking about and monitoring health outcomes for their clients or does this seem unrealistic?- What role does community play in helping people create a life of financial wellness? How can people be more intentional about creating community in a disconnected world?https://twitter.com/RetirementRiskshttps://www.jamiehopkins.comCompliance Code: 0092-OAS-1/13/2023

Tune in to hear:- What is the three part formula for meaning that Derek has proposed and how do these three aspects tend to shape a meaningful life?- What is the role of money in getting these three parts to work in unison? Can money help our lives be more purposeful, coherent and significant?- Why do we sometimes seem hardwired to pursue the “thin meaning” when the “thick meaning” is often accessible and a lot more conducive to our long-term happiness?- How can an awareness of our own finitude help prompt better financial decision making?- How can we introduce a practice of talking about end of life things in a country where these kinds of discussions are a bit frowned upon?- How can we make the idea of our future self more practical, more real and more salient?www.moneyhealth.blogCompliance Code: 2255-OAS-11/21/2022

Tune in to hear:- Why do we take our autonomic nervous system for granted and why does it have such a profound effect on our ability to be successful communicators?- What are the different hierarchical states of the nervous system and what role do each of these play in determining the stories we tell ourselves? - How would Laura’s work with a client look different than a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) approach and why does she believe that nervous system work should come before one should attempt to change their mindset about something?- Our physical health really underpins our mental health much of the time. When a client is going through a period of stress, and not physical dysfunction, what is a way to introduce “body first” messaging that won’t alienate that client?- What practical tips does Laura have for the average advisor who is personally taking on a lot of the emotional weight of their client’s problems?- How can financial professionals be better at providing context for their clients within Lau