Podcast
Financial Planner Search
Hosted by Gregory Wilnau · EN
Finding a financial advisor is easy. Finding the right one is hard.
Most advisors look the same on paper — credentials, services, a polished website. But what you actually need to know is how they think, how they treat people, and whether you'd even enjoy working with them.
That's what Financial Planner Search is for.
Each episode, we sit down with an independent financial advisor for an honest, in-depth conversation. No sales pitch. No jargon. Just a real look at who they are, how they work, and who they're best suited to help. By the end, you'll know what they’re all about.
Whether you're approaching retirement and looking for a fiduciary for the first time, thinking about leaving your current advisor, or simply want to make a smarter hiring decision — this show gives you the inside access you need.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Business and Personal Money Can't Stay Separate with Ryan Staton | Financial Planner Search
5d ago00:40:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Ryan Staton, managing partner and co-founder of Staton Walsh, explains why the old advice to keep work and home life separate falls apart the moment you own the company. For a business owner, the two are already tangled, the succession plan is a family conversation, the balance sheet is a retirement plan, and nobody is treating them as one thing. Ryan's firm exists to put them back together.Most of his work lives in construction: trades contractors and government contractors, largely between Philadelphia and Northern Virginia. He walks through the prevailing wage math that decides whether a contractor can afford to offer benefits at all, the fringe dollars on a public contract, the 20 to 35 cents of payroll burden riding on every dollar paid in cash, and what a company can do with that money instead. It's a technical strategy with a very human reason behind it. Ryan grew up in a blue collar household, and the line he keeps coming back to is the one he hears from guys on the job site: "I'm going to do this as long as I physically can."He also shares how the firm measures itself. Not assets under management. The ten year goal is 20,000 people in their retirement plans, 500 families served, and 50 successful business exits. Big enough to serve the clients they have, small enough to still care.Takeaways* Building the bridge between business life and personal life* Prevailing wage strategy that funds benefits instead of payroll tax* Measuring a practice by impact, not assets under management* A behavioral questionnaire that tailors the process to each client* Intentional, boutique growth including a waiting list.Chapters* 00:00 Building the bridge between business and personal* 02:59 An accidental origin story in wealth management* 05:35 Why they left to start Staton Walsh* 07:31 Staying small on purpose* 09:44 The construction niche: trades and government contractors* 13:53 Prevailing wage, fringe dollars, and the 25-cent problem* 18:07 Retiring with dignity in a physically demanding trade* 19:15 Reputation, referrals, and the ABC partnership* 21:45 Ten year goals measured in people, not assets* 25:10 The real bottleneck: finding advisors who share the mission* 29:53 Discovery, strategy, implementation and the behavioral questionnaire* 35:18 What the first 90 days and the years after look like* 39:11 Where to find Staton WalshYou can find them at: www.statonwalsh.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #constructionindustry #businessexit #401k
Transcribe →The Tax Problem Retirees Can't Name with Michael Mezheritskiy | Financial Planner Search
1w ago00:32:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Michael Mezheritskiy, President of Milestone Asset Management Group, discusses why his ideal clients often know they have a tax problem but can't put it into words. Michael left a long career at Fidelity to build a fee-only practice that lives in projections, estimated payments, Roth conversions, and Medicare IRMAA management not product sales. He works with people who are retired or close to it, typically with enough assets that the real risk isn't running out of money. It's the tax bill waiting for them at RMD age, the widow's penalty, and the ten-year rule their kids will inherit. Michael also shares how monthly tax seminars fill his pipeline, how his team set a "road to a billion" goal, and why he uses an internship program to hire for attitude before credentials.Takeaways* Why many near-retirees feel a tax problem before they can explain it* Roth conversions as a way to manage RMDs, IRMAA, and family outcomes* Front-loading the "go-go" years instead of waiting to enjoy the money* Discovery and assessment before asking someone to commit* Building culture with internships while aiming for a billion under managementChapters* 00:00 Complex tax planning as the specialty* 01:43 The accidental start and the leap from Fidelity* 04:39 How tax planning became the differentiator* 08:31 Ideal clients: go-go, slow-go, and no-go* 11:28 The questions people ask (and the RMD conversation they avoid)* 13:50 Seminar marketing and the Roth conversion bucket* 16:39 The team's "road to a billion" vision* 20:44 Hiring for attitude and the internship filter* 25:13 Discovery, assessment, onboarding, and quarterly cadence* 31:33 How to connect with MilestoneYou can find them at: https://milestoneamg.com/If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #taxplanning #rothconversions #retirement
Transcribe →Put Consumers in Charge of Finding Advisors with Brian Thorp | Financial Planner Search
2w ago00:29:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Brian Thorp, founder of WealthTender, discusses why most people who never work with a financial advisor still distrust the profession and how online reviews and consumer-controlled search can change that. After 22+ years in corporate wealth management, Brian built WealthTender as one of the first platforms where Americans can read advisor reviews the way they already do for doctors and attorneys, once SEC rules finally allowed client testimonials.Brian walks through the perception gap that still defines the industry: people who work with advisors are overwhelmingly happy, while people who don’t often rate the profession lower than auto mechanics—because for decades the loudest stories were the bad actors on the nightly news. He explains why reviews almost never talk about investment performance, why consumers should stay in control instead of filling out forms that get sold to multiple advisors, and why searching for an advisor “for me” (special needs, large-employer transitions, business owners) often beats “near me.” He also shares how WealthTender is building advisor profiles and Voice of the Client awards so the right matches show up not only on wealthtender.com, but inside ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI search answers.Takeaways* Why advisor perception lags the lived experience of people who actually work with one* Putting consumers in charge instead of selling their contact info to the highest bidders* Searching “for me” before filtering down to “near me”* What client reviews actually say (confidence, catalysts, and how an advisor makes them feel)* Positioning advisors for AI discovery and recognizing best-in-class with Voice of the Client awardsChapters* 00:00 Meet Brian Thorp and the origin of WealthTender* 03:01 Why advisors get ranked below auto mechanics* 05:04 Reviews are about experience, not performance* 07:27 The Dallas advisor brought to tears by client reviews* 09:11 Consumer control vs. lead-selling “find an advisor” sites* 11:24 Find an advisor for you, not just near you* 15:12 What shoppers care about—and how AI changes discovery* 20:14 Building profiles that actually reflect the advisor* 27:28 Vision: AI search and Voice of the Client awardsYou can find them at: https://www.wealthtender.com/If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #advisorreviews #findanadvisor
Transcribe →Putting Your Neck Out for Clients with John Llodra | Financial Planner Search
3w ago00:31:06Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, John Llodra, CFP®, co-founder of New Harbor Financial Group in Worcester, Massachusetts, explains why he refuses to hand his clients' money off to a third-party manager. He spent the first decade of his career in the energy industry the last stretch of it at Enron. He watched good, ethical coworkers lose their life savings to somebody else's fraud, then took a severance, read a book called Do What You Are, and walked away from several hundred thousand dollars a year of guaranteed income to start over at essentially zero.That experience shows up in how he runs the firm today. John and his founding partner Mike Preston are both engineers by training, and they bring what John calls "healthy skepticism" to markets — show me the data, where are we in the cycle, what does market history actually say. They'll tell a prospective client that US stock valuations look richer today than at any point in history, including 1929, and that the honest read on the next decade isn't a comfortable one. John's line for people who have already built the nest egg: your biggest risk is screwing it up, not missing out on late-stage gains.He also talks about what he never expected to enjoy most — teaching. His dad was a teacher and the math never worked out for John to become one, so instead he built a YouTube channel approaching 10,000 subscribers, with monthly unscripted live Q&As where clients can put him on the spot. He and Mike stay personally reachable for investment conversations, because "the buck stops with us."Takeaways* Healthy Skepticism, Backed by Data* Defense Before Offense for People Who Already Won* Teaching as the Growth Engine* Direct Access to the People Making the Decisions* No-Pressure Conversations, No Arm-TwistingChapters* 00:00 New Harbor Financial Group and hands-on money management* 01:41 Engineering, Cornell, and the road to Enron* 03:19 What Enron actually felt like from the inside* 05:15 Founding New Harbor in 2005 with Mike Preston* 06:29 Why engineers keep becoming advisors* 07:52 Clients nationwide and why they leave their last advisor* 09:21 Valuations, market history, and your real risk* 12:20 Conversations with no pressure to close* 13:38 The YouTube channel and monthly live Q&As* 16:43 The questions people actually ask* 17:42 "Your job is to gather assets" — and why he rejected it* 18:50 Vision: $830 million today, and hiring humans over AI bots* 22:39 Onboarding, fiduciary duty, and Schwab as custodian* 24:54 Transferring in kind and protecting clients from tax surprises* 26:50 Accessibility, quarterly reviews, and open-door access* 30:01 How to get in touchYou can find them at: https://www.newharborfinancial.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #riskmanagement #retirement
Transcribe →Family Office for the Rest of Us with Mikey Manghum | Financial Planner Search
3w ago00:28:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Mikey Manghum, Vice President and Financial Advisor at Regent Private Wealth in Tulsa, Oklahoma, discusses bringing a family-office style of planning to households that aren't yet worth $30 million. Born in the UK to a professional basketball player father, Mikey stumbled into financial planning as a college freshman and built a practice around the conviction that the people who most need a coordinated team of advisors are the ones who haven't yet "arrived."Regent Private Wealth launched less than two years ago as a spin-off from a fast-growing community bank, and Mikey walks through the three client avatars his team serves best: HENRYs (high earners, not rich yet) juggling a business and a young family, empty-nesters preparing to pass on wealth without ruining the next generation, and nonprofits needing professional stewardship of donated funds. His team plays the role of "personal CFO" — pulling tax, estate, investment, and insurance voices around one table, then reverse-engineering the financial plan from the life the client says they want to live, not from a retirement "number" on a pedestal.Takeaways* A family office shouldn't be reserved for $30M+ households — the people who need it most haven't gotten there yet* The plan starts with the life you want, not the number you're chasing* Three clear client avatars: HENRYs, transitioning empty nesters, and mission-driven nonprofits* A "personal CFO" model brings tax, estate, investment, and insurance voices into one aligned conversation* Quarterly meetings, value-add webinars, and a manageable book let advisors go deep instead of wideChapters* 00:00 Introduction to Regent Private Wealth* 00:50 From Basketball to Financial Planning* 02:02 How Regent Private Wealth Came to Be* 03:48 Three Client Avatars: HENRYs, Empty Nesters, Nonprofits* 07:07 What Keeps Clients Up at Night* 11:43 How Clients Find the Practice* 13:53 Vision: Advisory Teams in New Markets* 17:23 The Family Office Approach and Process* 21:02 Beyond the Number: Casting Vision Across Life* 24:30 Working Together Through the Year* 26:58 Where to Find MikeyYou can find them at: https://RegentPrivateWealth.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #familyoffice #HENRYs #legacyplanning
Transcribe →The Least Boring CPA with Steven Jarvis | Financial Planner Search
3w ago00:28:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Steven Jarvis CPA and founder of Retirement Tax Services makes a case most accountants would find heretical: the most valuable thing a CPA can do is say no.Steven jokes that he's "the least boring CPA you know," and he's got the race medals (and one hard-earned skull) on his office wall to prove it. But the real story is why he walked away from partner track at a big national firm. After a decade on giant corporate projects, he was tired of shipping a PDF and never knowing if he'd actually helped a single human being. So he started over with one narrow focus: sitting beside financial advisors and their clients to make sure the tax side of someone's life is handled right and nothing else. No international tax. No trying to be everything to everyone. He turns away business every year to protect the quality of the work. Greg and Steven get into why that discipline earns trust, how being blunt and consistent online lets the right clients pick themselves, and the small scheduling change that quietly ended the most stressful part of tax season.Takeaways* Why saying "no" wins better clients* Taxes handled with your advisor, not around them* The scheduling fix that ends the tax-season silence* Specialize in people, not just paperworkChapters* 00:00 Meet the Least Boring CPA* 01:49 From Big Firm to Real Impact* 08:11 Who Steven Serves and the Right-Fit Client* 13:15 Why Being Blunt Attracts the Right People* 16:23 The Bigger Vision* 19:06 Peers, Partners, and Shout-Outs* 21:22 What It's Like to Work Together* 25:15 The Story Behind the Medals and the SkullYou can find them at: retirementtaxservices.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #cpa #taxes
Transcribe →From Fighter Pilot to Flat-Fee Advisor with Steve Ankerstar | Financial Planner Search
4w ago00:25:56Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Steve Ankerstar, founder of Ankerstar Wealth and a retired Air Force fighter pilot, discusses how "getting angry" at the finance industry led him to build a flat-fee, fiduciary firm for the mass affluent. Frustrated by the "we're smart, you're dumb, just hand us your money" mentality and by mutual funds that quietly overexposed him to a single stock while charging nearly 1%, Steve set out to do it better. Today his eight-person team (six of whom are former military or teachers) serves over 300 clients with a service-first, "we're just like your neighbor" approach.Steve breaks down his core-and-satellite investment philosophy: a big-box-style core portfolio paired with a satellite sleeve built around themes clients actually get excited about cybersecurity, quantum computing, humanoids, space, and crypto. He also shares his contrarian service model (he rarely holds scheduled review meetings, opting instead for fast, on-demand answers via email and text), his efficient two-to-three-day digital onboarding, and how a partnership with Autopilot created a second, fully digital revenue stream for the next generation of investors.Takeaways* Flat-Fee, Fiduciary, and Proud of It* Core-and-Satellite Investing Built Around Client Interests* A Service Model That Respects Your Time* Building for the Next Generation of InvestorsChapters* 00:00 Meet Steve Ankerstar & Ankerstar Wealth* 00:53 Why He Started: Getting "Angry" at the Industry* 03:29 Who He Serves: The Mass Affluent* 05:59 Common Client Situations (Inheritances)* 07:57 The Three Fee Questions Everyone Asks* 09:33 How Clients Find Him: Website, Word of Mouth & YouTube* 12:53 Vision & Growing Without Losing the Culture* 15:06 Crypto, Autopilot & a New Digital Offering* 18:56 The Onboarding Process: Core & Satellite* 22:21 What Working Together Looks Like Ongoing* 24:45 How to Get StartedYou can find them at: https://www.ankerstarwealth.com/If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #flatfee #fiduciary #investing
Transcribe →Institutional Portfolio Management with Michael Bellody | Financial Planner Search
Jul 1600:34:08Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Michael Bellody, founder and CEO of Imperia Wealth Management in Braintree, Massachusetts, discusses bringing institutional-level portfolio management to clients who traditionally wouldn't have access to it. Inspired by his upbringing in Hartford and a desire to give people like his parents the same white-glove advice wealthy institutions receive, Michael built a practice grounded in deep portfolio management expertise a discipline he's practiced since age 25.Michael walks through the three client types he serves, pre-retirees, business owners (with a focus on exit planning), and nonprofits and explains why most portfolios he sees were "pulled off a shelf" rather than built for the current market cycle. He shares his dynamic, tactical, style-agnostic approach to investing, the tax-efficiency gaps he finds in retirement distributions, and the educational workshops that consistently fill rooms of 40–60 people. He also outlines his vision for a one-stop firm with in-house CPAs and attorneys, so portfolio, tax, and estate advice coordinate instead of falling through the cracks.Takeaways* Institutional-level portfolio management made accessible to everyday investors* Dynamic, tactical portfolio construction versus off-the-shelf models* Tax-efficient structuring for the retirement distribution years* Running a nonprofit like a for-profit so it can better fund its mission* A white-glove, systemized client experience from onboarding through annual reviewsChapters* 00:00 Meet Michael Bellody & Imperia Wealth Management* 01:00 Why He Got Into the Business* 03:31 Institutional Portfolio Management Background* 05:03 Three Client Types: Pre-Retirees, Business Owners, Nonprofits* 08:16 Pre-Retiree Planning & Tax-Efficient Retirement* 10:43 Ongoing Client Questions & Having a "Take"* 13:04 Educational Workshops as a Growth Engine* 16:14 Vision: A One-Stop Firm with In-House CPAs & Attorneys* 20:18 Shout-Outs: John Rodriguez & Dr. Rick Jensen* 22:19 The Onboarding Process* 28:29 Annual Review Cadence* 33:09 Where to Learn MoreYou can find them at: https://imperiawealth.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #portfoliomanagement #retirementplanning #exitplanning
Transcribe →Building a Life, Not a Portfolio with John Browning | Financial Planner Search
Jul 1400:33:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, John Browning, founder of Guardian Rock Wealth, discusses his mission to turn "miserable rich people" into "happy rich people." After 28 years on Wall Street including being on Morgan Stanley's trading desk on 9/11, John walked away to build a fiercely independent, fiduciary RIA that takes no outside money or marketing dollars and answers only to its clients.John's philosophy is simple: money is a tool to build the life you want, not the goal itself the theme of his book, Build a Life Not a Portfolio. Instead of handing clients a "collection of investments," he assembles a wealth management system where portfolios, taxes, insurance, and estate planning work together like gears in a machine. He works best with business owners and blue-collar professionals builders, plumbers, electricians, dentists who are excellent in their zone of genius and want to truly understand what's being done with their money. We also dig into why he believes over 90% of family wealth disappears by the third generation, and how he coaches families to prevent it through written family trust plans, family board meetings, and kids as young as five learning to participate.Takeaways* Build a Life, Not a Portfolio — money is the tool, not the goal* A wealth management system beats a collection of investments* Income and tax strategy are the top two questions worth answering* Legacy is taught — include the kids or watch the wealth vanish by generation three* Independence and fiduciary duty are worth fighting forChapters* 00:00 Welcome & Guardian Rock Wealth* 01:55 The 9/11 Origin Story* 05:10 Happy Rich People & "Build a Life Not a Portfolio"* 06:40 Who John Works With* 11:22 Top Questions: Income & Taxes* 13:44 How Clients Find Him* 15:22 Vision & the Challenge of Mistrust in the Profession* 18:36 Mentors & Shout-Outs* 20:48 The Wealth Management System Process* 25:19 Legacy & Why 90% of Family Wealth Vanishes by Generation Three* 28:07 Family Meetings & the Family Bank* 31:47 How to Get in TouchYou can find them at: https://guardianrockwealth.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #wealthmanagement #legacyplanning #independentadvisor
Transcribe →Putting the Person in Front of the Numbers with Marcel V. Quiroga | Financial Planner Search
Jul 900:34:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Planner Search, Marcel V. Quiroga, founder of TQM Wealth Partners, discusses adding a human element to financial planning and acting as her clients' personal CFO. TQM stands for Total Quality Management a business philosophy of quality at every level but, as Marcel explains, it also echoes "te quiero mucho" ("I love you very much"), reflecting her belief that the best results come from putting your heart into the work.Marcel shares who typically comes to her people who have come into money through a business sale, stock options and RSUs, a divorce, or the loss of a spouse or parents and why what they really want is clarity: Will the money last? Am I paying too much in tax? Am I taking too much risk? She walks through her comprehensive approach across financial, human, social, and other forms of capital, her fiduciary standard, and the conversations she has with parents about protecting children from "too much money at the wrong time." She also details her onboarding process, a collaborative "working meeting," a values questionnaire for spouses, and a draft plan presented within 10–15 business days, and her vision for enhancing the client experience as the firm grows.TakeawaysActing as your personal CFO — putting the person in front of the numbersComprehensive planning across financial, human, social, and other capitalCutting through media noise with fiduciary, tailored guidanceProtecting children from too much money at the wrong timeA collaborative onboarding built on a values questionnaire and a draft planChapters00:00 Welcome & Introduction00:27 TQM Wealth Partners and the Human Element02:04 From a UN Dream to Financial Planning05:03 Who Comes to TQM and Why09:29 Cutting Through the Noise of Financial Media13:23 The Fiduciary Standard and Comprehensive Planning15:14 Real Estate Families and Protecting Children20:40 Vision: Enhancing the Client Experience23:43 The Onboarding Process and Values Questionnaire32:22 How to Connect with MarcelYou can find them at: https://tqmwealthpartners.comIf you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/#financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #wealthmanagement #fiduciary #familylegacy
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