Podcast
Managing Your Practice
Hosted by Dimensional Fund Advisors · EN
Managing Your Practice is dedicated to providing financial professionals with best practices in key areas such as driving growth, business efficiency, and the client experience. Dimensional Fund Advisors delivers insights based on our history of industry-leading financial advisor benchmark studies and client surveys. We help advisors leverage those insights when making the critical business decisions successful firms face every day.
The information is provided in good faith without any warranty and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change.
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Strategic Role of Boards in Today's Advisory Firms
Apr 1000:45:27Summary readyWhat role should a board of directors play in shaping the future of your business? In this episode, Lindsay Jordan, Senior Manager in Financial Accounting Advisory Services at Ernst & Young LLP, joins host Catherine Williams, Dimensional's Head of Practice Management, to explore how advisory boards can become a powerful catalyst for growth, governance, and strategic alignment. They emphasize that building a board is not a one-size-fits-all decision, covering how to thoughtfully evaluate whether a board makes sense, how to evolve an existing one, and how intentional design and member selection can bring meaningful expertise, perspective, and momentum to an organization.
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Strengthening Your Service Offering: How Brand Strategy Can Support Firm Growth
Mar 2000:53:22Summary readyWhat role should marketing play in the growth of a modern advisory business? In this episode, Dimensional's Head of Practice Management, Catherine Williams, sits down with Lauren Hong, founder and CEO of Out & About Communications and host of The Out & About Podcast, and Megan Carpenter, co-founder and CEO of Ficomm Partners and host of Growth Leaders of Wealth Management Podcast, to explore how branding, communications, and strategy intersect in today's evolving financial advisory landscape. They discuss the importance of developing an authentic brand, aligning marketing initiatives with broader business goals, and balancing emerging tools like artificial intelligence with the relationship-driven nature of financial advice. The conversation also covers practical considerations for advisors, including how to evaluate outsourcing, the role of testimonials under new regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the role of marketing in mergers and acquisitions, and how firms can strategically allocate resources to support long-term growth.
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Strengthening Your Service Offering: The Role of Annuities
Mar 200:30:36Summary readyHow can advisors better meet their clients' needs and preferences when it comes to insurance and annuities? In the first episode of a new miniseries exploring the key services advisors can offer to strengthen their practice, Head of Practice Management Catherine Williams sits down with DPL Financial Partners Founder and CEO David Lau. They discuss what DPL is doing in the insurance space, dispel common misconceptions about annuities, and challenge advisors to think more critically about how these tools fit into a holistic client offering.
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Navigating M&A Decisions in a Changing Advice Landscape
Jan 1600:44:47Summary readyWhat's really driving mergers and acquisitions in the financial advice industry today? In this episode, Dimensional's Head of Practice Management, Catherine Williams, is joined by Chris Frieden and Brian Hamburger for a conversation on M&A, succession planning, and the role of outside capital in the industry. They unpack how buyer expectations are evolving, why preparation matters long before a transaction, and where firm owners can create or protect long-term value. The discussion offers practical perspective for advisors thinking about growth, transition, or independence in an increasingly competitive landscape.
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Practice Management Year-End Wrap-Up
Dec 1900:54:36Summary readyCue the podcast takeover! In this year-end roundtable, Dimensional Practice Management Regional Directors Stephen de Man, Livia Ramirez, Mark Colaço, and Peter Wozniak share the top practice management themes and advisor insights from 2025. Covering human capital, operations, and firm growth, the team highlights what resonated most with advisors this year and closes with a forward-looking conversation on what to prioritize heading into 2026.
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The Impact of Guiding Principles: A Conversation with Dave Butler
Nov 2100:23:48Summary readyRecorded live at the Practice Management Symposium, Dave Butler, Co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors talks with Catherine Williams, Dimensional's Head of Practice Management, about developing and sustaining an organization's mission, vision, and values and why this work matters to advisors. Dave discusses how guiding principles shape culture, decision-making, and the client experience and offers insight into staying aligned as teams grow and evolve. He also highlights how advisors can translate these principles into daily practice, strengthen firm identity across generations, and communicate a clear, consistent message to clients.
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What the Most Admired Leaders Do Differently
Oct 2400:46:26Summary readyWhat is an "admired leader," and how can you become one? Dr. Suzanne Peterson, partner at CRA | Admired Leadership, has been studying and advising businesses for over 20 years on how senior leaders can create influence and develop trust within their organizations. She joins Dimensional's Catherine Williams for an episode of Managing your Practice to discuss the traits, behaviors, and communication styles of the most admired leaders that can create an authentic, engaging, and inspiring environment for employees and clients alike.
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AI as the Next Thought Partner in Finance
Sep 3000:56:37Summary readyHow will artificial intelligence (AI) transform an advisor's business, and what does it look like in practice? In this episode of Managing your Practice, Dimensional's Catherine Williams sits down with award-winning Prosperity Capital Advisors President and Alison Wealth Management CEO Dave Alison and VastAdvisor.ai CEO Ian Karnell to explore the opportunities for integrating AI into financial services. From their hands-on experience building, training, and using AI to practical ways advisors can embrace it as a strategic thought partner, Dave and Ian's insights on where the technology is headed and how to navigate the legal and compliance considerations along the way are something you should tune in for.
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Jill Schlesinger on the Power of the Pivot
Aug 2201:06:24Summary readyWhat does it take to make a bold career move—or guide your clients through one? In this episode of Managing your Practice, Dimensional's Catherine Williams sits down with CBS News business analyst and best-selling author Jill Schlesinger to explore the mindset and mechanics behind meaningful transitions. From her own pivot from advisor to national media voice, to stories from her book The Great Money Reset, Jill shares what she's learned about helping people navigate change—financially and emotionally. Tune in for insights on empathy, burnout, reinvention, and how great advisors can meet clients where they are (and where they're going).
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Buy, Sell, Plan: The Business of Advisor Succession
Jul 1800:53:18Summary readyWhat does it really take to transition a thriving advisory firm to the next generation? Catherine Williams sits down with Aaron Hasler of SkyView Partners and Matt Crow of Mercer Capital to unpack the realities of internal succession. Covering financing options, common roadblocks, and generational dynamics, this episode offers actionable insights for founders and future owners alike. Whether you're just starting to think about succession or already deep in planning, you'll walk away with fresh strategies to build a lasting legacy.
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