Military to Financial Planner Podcast

Today we welcome Brandon Lovingier, the Enlisted Money Guy on the podcast. Brandon has created some really great content out there to serve his fellow servicemembers and shares his journey of financial successes and lessons learned. In addition to his prolific content creation, Brandon is also a virtual paraplanner - all while still being on active duty.  

We discuss Brandons’ personal finance experiences, his curiosity to learn more about money that led him to the CFP/ChFC program, and his relentless experimentation of creating content including doing paid ghostwriting for other planning firms. 

There are a lot of helpful resources mentioned in this podcast that will also be in the shownotes so be sure to check them out. I especially love how Brandon is still in the middle of his career journey and looking ahead to what comes next after active duty life and when he can do even more of this work he loves.

Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonlovingier/ 

Paraplanner resources: https://yourvirtualparaplanner.com/paraplanner-resources/

Start 100K: https://start100k.com/podcast/ 

Enlisted Money: https://enlistedmoney.com/

https://www.instagram.com/enlistedmoneyguy/

I welcome Matt Fizell on the podcast today after admiring his work for quite awhile. Matt is the founder of his own RIA, Harmony Wealth based in Madison Wisconsin. But as we discuss in this interview, Matt took a circuitous route from his initial undergraduate training in financial planning, working in a broker dealer, finding out about fee-only financial planning, and networking across the breadth and depth of opportunities and careers. 

One of the main reasons I invited Matt on this podcast was to have him share about his experience helping new planners break into the financial planning profession. Matt has so much experience in this role with hundreds of conversations across the profession, especially in his past role as co-host of the You’re a Financial Planner Now What. Side note, if you haven’t added that one to your to-do list, I would encourage you to dive into their past archives of great conversations.

Matt shares his extremely helpful career advice and how he helped create a course called the New Planner Collective. The goal of this course is to help teach new people to this profession how to build a career, not just the technical skills.  I loved what he shared as it provides another helpful perspective. Be sure to check out the links in the show notes to learn more about these opportunities and where to learn more about this course and Matt.

Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattFizell 

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fizell-cfp%C2%AE-0606134a/ 

Matt’s RIA: https://planwithharmony.com/

IAPD Website: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/ 

New Planner Collective: https://newplannercollective.com/

I’m honored to have Caleb Brown join us on the podcast today. Caleb is the co-founder of New Planner Recruiting, which we have mentioned several times on this podcast before. 

This recruiting firm specializes in sourcing, screening, and integrating financial planners in firms nationwide. He was named the Next Generation Influencer by Financial Planning Magazine, and one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the Industry by Investment Advisor Magazine. In addition, Caleb was named to the prestigious 40 Under 40 list by Investment News.

As a graduate of Texas Tech University’s Personal Financial Planning Program, Caleb has mentored, hired, managed, and coached thousands of career changers and college students seeking positions in financial planning, as well as the firm owners who hire them. For his outstanding accomplishments, he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus for the Texas Tech University College of Human Sciences, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus for their Financial Planning Program.

Caleb also has a special connection to the military community both through family members who have served but also because he has served as a military financial counselor before and also helped to stop predatory lending practices against military members. 

In this episode, we talk about Caleb’s fantastic new book, Finding your Path: The Roadmap from Student to Successful Financial Planner. We also explore the challenges of understanding the landscape of firms, realistic expectations for compensation, whether in-person vs virtual is the way to go, and how important intangibles are in the hiring process. As someone who sits on both sides of the hiring process, I know that Caleb’s insights will be extremely valuable. 

https://newplannerrecruiting.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebbrowncfp/

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-your-Path-Successful-Financial/dp/B0C9SQHHM9

Today I welcome back Sean Gillespie to talk about some of the exciting things going on within the MFAA community. Specifically we dive into the details of Skillbridge integration within MFAA, our very first intern going through the program, and the vision for what comes next. For those of you who might not be that familiar with Skillbridge, this is a DoD program that allows transitioning servicemembers to gain valuable civilian work experience during their last 180 days of military service. You still have full military pay and benefits during this program which can help ease the transition for both the hiring employer and the servicemember. Approval is subject to your chain of command. 

We also chat about the launch of an Ask Me Anything monthly session where MFAA invites members of our military community to come get their financial questions answered for free in a group coaching setting. 

Lastly, we dive into the details for the Military Qualified Financial Planner - the MQFP designation. This is a new follow-on certification for those serving the military community. Sean shares about the latest details with this project and how it came to be.

We are excited to share some of these latest updates with you all and help advance the profession of financial advice in serving our military community!

MFAA Ask Me Anything (AMA): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/military-financial-advisors-associations-ask-me-anything-tickets-665661139387 

DoD Skillbridge: https://skillbridge.osd.mil/ 

Military Qualified Financial Planner (MQFP): https://mqfp.org/

Today, we welcome Liz Plot, a fellow MFAA member to the podcast. She now runs her own RIA, Primas Financial Planning but as she shares in this episode, that was a long and winding journey to get there. And she certainly is surprised to be an entrepreneur. Liz talks about her learning growth over time, getting the professional education, volunteering thousands of hours that built her experience, and working in a small RIA. I was grateful for her sharing about how she knew it was time for the next act and the personal discovery process she used in that. We also talk about some of the ways in which she does financial planning for her younger clients, how she empowers them to graduate from financial planning if they want, and meeting clients where they are at. Liz shares a common theme of advice on this podcast about having realistic expectations and the challenge of being patient with some lessons only being learned over time. Whether you are a fellow military spouse, career changer, or wanting to make an impact in the world like Liz, this episode will have something for you! 

https://www.primasfp.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizplot/

In this episode, we welcome Sam Lewis to talk about his different career path than all of our prior guests so far. Sam is currently the Recruiting and Retention Senior Enlisted Leader for the Delaware National Guard as well as the founder of his own RIA, SJL Financial. He has served in the Delaware Guard for more than 23 years in a variety of roles. As he shares in our interview, he stumbled into the world of financial advice through the help of information and mentorship at the right times in his life.

We talk about Sam’s educational journey and the reasons why he decided to start his own firm so he could meet the ethical boundaries he set for himself and control his schedule. Sam shares the nurturing he has done in his practice and the seminar marketing that has helped get his name out there. I love how intentionally Sam has deliberately structured his practice to focus on advice-only, project and hourly work. Sam shares how he structures his planning process to deliver the most value for the clients that fit in this advice model. I know you will benefit from hearing his career story!

https://wecanplanforthat.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samueljlewisde/

I’m pleased to welcome Becky Noss in this episode. She is a Lead Planner at Redeployment Wealth Strategies where she analyzes client situations, builds financial plans, meets with clients to help review implementation, and integrates across the entire RWS team. We talk about her career journey including her bachelors and masters in math, her experiences as a teacher and tutor, and how her own journey as the household CFO led her to stumble into the world of financial planning. 

We also chat about her education experience pursuing the CFP at the American College including how her technical expertise was a strength while some of the terminology was so unfamiliar to her as a career changer. Lastly, we discuss the work-life balance considerations  Becky has found her way to in the midst of challenges of military life as a military spouse and how the work she does now is the perfect fit for her life. This episode could be especially beneficial to military spouses considering a career helping people with their money.

https://www.redeploymentwealth.com/about-us/team/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-noss-793858110/

https://simplyparaplanner.com/

https://info.xyplanningnetwork.com/xy-virtual-assistants

In this episode, we welcome Pam Bergeson to the podcast as she shares about her varied military career and now second career as a financial planner. Pam is the founder of Tailwind Financial Planning where she specializes in serving dual military officers and senior military leaders in their career transition. Over her thirty-year military career, Pam learned the importance of setting goals and building a plan to achieve them, and her nearly 35 years as a military spouse reinforced the importance of flexibility and adapting to new challenges. Her story and experiences on both sides of the “ID Card” motivated her to combine a passion for helping people with a love of financial planning. 

In our conversation, Pam details the perseverance it took for her to finally achieve her goal of opening her own firm and the tradeoffs that military life took along the way. She also shares about her personal and professional experiences as a life planner and the Kinder and MoneyQuotient trainings she has undergone. We wrap up talking about her planning process and designing her ideal practice including the number of clients and what each engagement looks like. Pam has one of the most interesting and wide-ranging career stories that I know you will find helpful! 

https://tailwindfp.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-bergeson-85370a1b4/

Derek Merkler joins us today to talk about his career journey. After his initial 8 years in Army aviation, Derek started out in financial planning working for a firm where he cut his teeth in the profession. He realized that there aren’t many financial advisors who work primarily with veterans to put together comprehensive and holistic plans and build long-term wealth. Rather, companies large and small have advisors whose job is to sell their own products, often with commissions and sales targets. For them, a veteran can become merely a number.

Ultimately, Derek wanted some more control over the business model so he decided to launch his own firm, Trophy Point Financial Planning in late 2020. In our conversation, Derek talks about the challenges of starting from zero, what’s worked and hasn’t in his marketing and sales efforts, and the financial considerations for how long it can take to gain traction. I loved his career advice about planning for things to take time. In addition to his work in financial planning, we talk about the most interesting other business activity, or OBA, with his role in thoroughbred horse breeding that has some parallels to the work of financial planning. 

https://www.trophypointfp.com/

In this episode, I’m chatting with my friend and colleague, Andi Wrenn. She has been involved at the intersection of personal finance and military life for many years now. Andi is an AFC as well as having a masters in marriage and family therapy that helps inform her work with clients. It might surprise you to know that Andi is a career changer having previously been a coach. owning gymnastic clubs, and being a math teacher. After becoming a military spouse, Andi found herself heavily involved in helping other military families with money which led her to the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) and officially becoming a personal financial counselor. We also chat about her work helping other people gain experience hours, meet their CE requirements through a program she developed which won the Outstanding Education Program of the year for AFCPE in 2021, and how her work with the AFCPE Board has profoundly shaped her career. Andi is the president elect of AFCPE and shares her excitement and vision for what’s next in that role. Be sure to listen to the end where Andi shares some career mentorship tips! 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andiwrenn/

https://www.afcpe.org/about/board-of-directors/andi-wrenn/

I’m excited to welcome Adam Scherer on the podcast. He is a CFP and EA as well as having two masters degrees including in personal financial planning. In addition to running his own RIA, Adam has been a professor teaching CFP curriculum for many years. One of his primary current roles is as Vice President of Product Development and Innovation at The Boston Institute of Finance or BIF, Bryant University CFP program. As we discuss, Adam is a career changer himself so he shares some lessons learned along his career path. You will find his exam and coursework tips helpful as well as busting some myths about the exam. We close out by talking about scholarship programs and the significant military discount that BIF offers so be sure to check it out!

I’m excited to welcome Adrienne Ross on the podcast. She is a CFP, ChFC, and AFC as well as the founder of Clear Insight Financial Planning based in Washington state. Adrienne shares her personal journey as a young military spouse discovering personal finance to de-mystify the whole process. As she learned she shared her knowledge with other military families as they navigated an endless series of significant life changes. There’s an adage, “A rising tide floats all boats.” She believes this to be true when it comes to financial planning.  Over the past fifteen years, service to others became a passion, a mission, and a profession. Adrienne shares about her growth, personally and professionally, as well as how she deepened her technical expertise in student loan and special needs planning along with her love of life planning. There are lots of career nuggets of advice throughout that I know will be helpful! 

https://mycifp.com/

Nancy Bleeke joins the podcast to talk all about the power of sales in one of my favorite recent conversations! While she’s always been entrepreneurial, finding a passion in sales was never the plan. Who would ever want to be “in sales”? she thought. Yet, she found her calling helping people who also never saw themselves in sales, succeed in selling!

With a focus on making conversations productive for everyone involved, her Genuine® branded training modules guide professionals to fill their funnel, convert prospects efficiently, and retain loyal clients with a comfortable, collaborative approach.

Sales Pro Insider has guided many relationship-driven people in their selling efforts while encouraging them to remain genuine and service focused. She especially enjoys working alongside the “smaller guys” to ensure they receive a healthy ROI on their investment in equipping their businesses to succeed.

Today on the podcast we welcome Brian O’Neill; CFP, and founder of Winged Wealth Management and Financial Planning. Brian launched his firm in early 2021 after retiring from the Air Force with a specific focus on working with military pilots. Brian flew F-16s and F-35s while on active duty, served as Weapons School instructor, and commanded in various roles before finishing his career at Eglin AFB, FL. Winged Wealth Management and Financial Planning began many years ago with an idea that Brian had: In order to get sound financial advice, pilots and the military community shouldn’t have to use a giant financial services company that sells high-priced, high-commission, and often inappropriate financial products. Instead, they deserve sound, fiduciary advice and they should be able to choose how they get it.

I love how his website and marketing are specifically designed to nurture and attract in this sub-niche. Be sure to listen as he shares how his content creation has become a powerful machine through consistency, technical expertise, and speaking the same language as his clients. Brian also talks about the head trash and confidence gap he overcame on both the entrepreneurial journey and household finances side as well as becoming the technical expert in the planning sides. I know you will learn from and be inspired by his story.

https://www.wingedwealth.com/

Today on the podcast we welcome Stacy Livingstone-Hoyte; personal finance counselor, coach and founder of Financial Care Today. Over her financial life and career she’s had a variety of experiences including understanding money as an immigrant to the US, working in a variety of wirehouses, broker dealers, and insurance companies. There was a lot to absorb and figure out as she started from scratch, with zero assets or savings, credit standing, insurance, inheritance or knowledge of how things worked.. On the family front, she is part of a military connected community so she shares how those challenges impacted her. She ultimately found her way to financial counseling and financial coaching. Stacy has her AFC and FFC certifications which we discuss how she uses that training in working with clients by providing guidance, support, accountability, tools and resources to improve her clients’ financial well-being. I loved the advice and encouragement that Stacy shares for our listeners about pursuing a career and working as a financial coach and counselor. I know you will be inspired to hear Stacy’s story!

https://financialcaretoday.com/about/

https://sagefinancialsolutions.org/ffc/

This is the second part picking up from our last episode with Sean Gillespie of Redeployment Wealth Strategies so if you haven’t listened to that episode first, stop and go ahead to do that first. For everyone else, I love hearing Sean’s passion in this episode as he and Paul Allen decided to join forces, the evolution and growth in both clients and staff that their firm has had, and the broader vision for the profession that helped give birth to the Military Financial Advisors Association or MFAA. There are a lot of career ideas and advice about serving, the power of relationships and networking, and perspectives on what kind of firm you might want to build yourself. We are both looking forward to the feedback and ideas that will come from you after his episode!

https://www.redeploymentwealth.com/

In this first part of a two-part episode, I am talking with Sean Gillespie who is the co-founder and partner at Redeployment Wealth Strategies, an RIA based in VA Beach that specializes in serving military families. In this episode Sean shares his journey how he in many ways stumbled into the profession of financial planning and what his early experiences were like in the broker dealer and hybrid RIA world. I appreciated Sean’s candor in how hard the first years were and the valuable lessons learned along the way. Be sure to catch the books and resources that he mentions to help you along your career journey as well. 

https://www.redeploymentwealth.com/

Nick Murray: https://www.nickmurray.com/

David Kakish is the President and CEO of RIA Workspace. He is an author, successful entrepreneur, and an advocate for better, more secure IT. It’s his belief that small and midsize Registered Investment Advisors and Financial Advisors are different than other businesses. He likes to think of these RIAs as the Small Giants in the financial services industry.

David is committed to higher standards and easier access to enterprise-level IT and cyber security for small and midsize RIAs. He believes that an off-the-shelf IT setup doesn’t meet the unique needs of the industry and encourages RIAs to seek out better, enterprise-level solutions to protect their business and their clients. Under his leadership, the RIA WorkSpace team developed cloud and managed IT platforms specifically for RIA and Financial Service firms. They’re keenly focused on creating leading edge security and headache-free environments for their clients.

https://www.riaworkspace.com/podcast/

Rick Nail joins us on the podcast today to talk about the amazing scholarships for the military community from the American College of Financial Services Center for Military and Veteran Affairs. He shares about what the college is about, the history of the school, programs/certifications offered, etc. as well as diving into all the details of the scholarships and certifications it provides for. Rick walks us through how to apply and the logistics of the process as well as lots of advice. 

Rick.Nail@theamericancollege.edu 

https://militaryaffairs.theamericancollege.edu/