The Efficient Advisor: Tactical Business Advice for Financial Planners

We talk a lot about systems, workflows, delegation, and building more efficient financial planning practices around here. But today, we're switching things up! I'm taking you behind the scenes of the advisory practice I built, the mistakes I made along the way, and how I managed to run a $1.5 million practice serving 285 households while working just three days a week. I'm answering some of your most frequently asked questions about my team, my first hires, why I sold my practice, and what I've learned about building a business that supports the life you actually want to live. And because...

In a world where AI is changing how financial advisors do business, one thing is becoming more valuable than ever: genuine human connection. But are you using the right words to attract your ideal clients, build trust, and stand out from the competition? In this episode, I'm joined by returning guest Derek Kinney, who shares the powerful communication strategies behind his wildly popular presentation at Future Proof. We're breaking down three critical moments that can make or break your ability to attract high-net-worth clients, along with practical scripts, questions, and small shifts in language that can make a massive...

We have more technology, automation, AI, and digital tools than ever before—but having more ways to capture information doesn’t necessarily help us decide what deserves our attention. In this episode, I’m sharing why I still rely on a physical planner in an almost entirely digital business and the planning system that has helped me build multiple seven-figure businesses while continuing to work reduced hours. The goal isn’t to cram more into your day. It’s to get intentional about what actually matters and make consistent progress on the work that moves your business forward.

In this...

Being a financial advisor is one thing. Leading a team, managing different personalities, and holding people accountable without feeling like the bad guy? That’s a whole different skill set! In this episode, I’m joined by Julie from XY Communication to tackle some of the most frustrating (and often uncomfortable) parts of leadership. We’re talking about how to have difficult conversations, communicate expectations clearly, and create a team culture where people feel supported while still getting things done. Plus, we dig into the generational differences that can create tension between advisors, team members, and successors—and how to bridg...

Automation doesn’t fix a bad process—it just helps you do a bad process faster. Yet too often, financial advisors jump straight to the technology: building CRM workflows, connecting Zapier, creating AI assistants, and automating email sequences before they’ve clearly defined what the process is actually supposed to accomplish. In this episode, I’m breaking down why automation should come at the end of process building, not the beginning, and the six steps you need to take before handing anything over to technology.

In this episode you will learn:

When a prospect pushes back on your financial planning fee, it can be tempting to lower the price just to get them to say yes. But a fee objection doesn’t automatically mean you have a pricing problem. You might have a value communication problem, an offer problem, or you may simply need to get better at articulating the outcomes your planning creates. In this episode, I’m breaking down why I don’t believe in discounting your fees just because someone asks, how to make your value more tangible, and the language you can use to confidently navigate fee co...

You blocked the time. You had every intention of doing the work. But somehow, when that time block arrives, email, team questions, client needs, and a dozen other things suddenly take over. If this sounds familiar, the problem might not be discipline at all. In this episode, I’m digging into the research behind why we procrastinate and sharing practical ways to turn your time blocks into time you actually use.

In this episode you will learn:

What if you had your own personal board of directors—not for your business, but for you? A carefully chosen group of people who challenge you, encourage you, open doors, tell you the truth, and help you become the person you need to be for whatever you’re building next.

In this episode, I’m joined by Eric Negron to break down exactly how to build your own personal board of directors. Eric shares the six key seats he believes we all need around our table, how to identify the right people to fill them, and how to int...

Every process in your business creates an experience for your clients—whether you designed it intentionally or not. In this episode, Libby shares a simple CEO Day exercise to help you step into your clients’ shoes, identify the experience you actually want to create, and find opportunities to make your processes more personal, friction-free, clear, and human. You’ll walk away with a practical way to improve your client experience without adding a bunch of new touchpoints, gifts, or work to your plate.

In this episode you will learn:

AI is moving fast—and for financial advisors, the conversation can’t just be about what these tools can do. It also needs to include what they can access, where your data is going, and whether what’s actually happening inside your business matches what your compliance documents say. In this episode, I’m joined by Hugh from T2M Works to unpack the concept of “shadow AI,” the hidden risks that can come with rapidly adopting new technology, and how advisors can build an AI-ready foundation without sacrificing all of the incredible efficiency these tools can create.

In this ep...

Need a hack to finally get better at delegation—without feeling like you have to lower your standards? If you’re a financial advisor who knows you need to get more off your plate but keeps thinking, “It’s just faster if I do it myself,” this episode is for you. I’m breaking down Gary Vaynerchuk’s 15-80-5 framework, a simple approach that lets you maintain ownership of the vision without owning every step of the execution.

In this episode you will learn:

Should you be charging for financial planning—and if so, how much? For many advisors, the idea of charging directly for their advice brings up a whole lot of questions (and maybe a little head trash). In this episode, I’m joined by Jacqueline Bradley and Ben from MindShift Financial Coaching to unpack what it actually looks like to move from “working for hope” to confidently charging for the value you provide. We’re talking pricing, positioning, separating planning from AUM, communicating your value, and even how to approach existing clients when you’ve been providing planning for free.

In this...

What should financial advisors charge? Too often, advisors answer that question by looking around at what everyone else is charging and picking a number that feels safe. But your clients aren’t paying for the number of hours you spend creating a financial plan or the number of meetings on your calendar. 

They’re paying for the years of experience, expertise, and pattern recognition that allow you to help them make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and move forward with confidence. In this episode, we’re breaking down how to think differently about pricing your advice—and how to de...

We spend a lot of time talking about how to simplify, systematize, automate, and streamline our businesses—but what about our lives outside of work? After sharing that I recently flew my family to South Africa and back in upgraded seats for mostly free, I got flooded with questions about how I had accumulated so many miles. The answer isn’t complicated travel hacking or a spreadsheet filled with credit cards. In this episode, I’m sharing my “easy button” approach to free travel: a simple, mostly automated system that helps me earn points, score travel perks, and save money with...

Some of the best efficiency wins in your practice aren’t massive system overhauls—they’re the small decisions you find yourself making over and over again.

In this episode, I’m sharing one incredibly simple process I used in my own advisory practice to eliminate a recurring interruption, empower my team to make more decisions without me, and ultimately give clients faster service. I’ll walk you through exactly how we created a “first $20,000” distribution strategy for clients, documented it in our CRM, and built a decision tree that helped my team know exactly what to do when a clie...

What does it actually look like to build a fast-growing advisory firm without sacrificing the depth of your client relationships? 

In this episode, I’m sitting down with financial advisor Emily Rassam to take a behind-the-scenes look at the client experience, workflows, and team structure she’s used to build a thriving practice serving approximately 270 families. We dig into how behavioral finance shapes everything from prospect conversations to financial plans, why every meeting in her firm has a defined purpose and process, and how her team delivers a highly personalized experience without relying on traditional client segmentation.

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There’s one CEO skill that may be quietly capping your success—and it has nothing to do with how smart you are, how many credentials you have, or how good you are at financial planning. It’s your ability to make decisions quickly. In this episode, we’re talking about why advisors tend to overthink business decisions, how that slows your growth, and the simple framework I use to help advisors make decisions faster without being reckless.  

In this episode you will learn:

If you think AI in your advisory practice means meeting notes, follow-up emails, and asking ChatGPT to write something for you, we need to talk. Because what AI can do inside of an advisory practice has changed dramatically—and I think most of us are still thinking way too small.

AI for financial advisors has moved far beyond note-taking, meeting summaries, and drafting follow-up emails. In this episode, I’m joined by Gabe to explore the next evolution: agentic AI and what it looks like when AI stops being another piece of software you have to manage and...

I am excited to introduce Efficient Friday! Each week, in 10 minutes or less,  I want to share a super tactical tip, idea, process, hack, etc with you that you can implement in your business right away!

In this episode, we dive into a common misstep advisors make—solving for the wrong problem. Are you actually demand-constrained or supply-constrained? 🧩

You’ll learn how to quickly diagnose where your true bottleneck lies, what to focus on based on your answer, and what to stop wasting time on. Whether you’re drowning in clients or staring at an empty cale...

In this episode, we're talking about something that might feel a little uncomfortable for advisors who love spreadsheets, checklists, and action plans—but it may be one of the most important conversations you'll have all year. Libby sits down with author, speaker, and former financial advisor Ellen Rogin to explore what abundance really looks like inside an advisory practice. From the way you think about money to the energy you bring into client meetings, Ellen shares how shifting from scarcity to service transformed her career and helped her build a thriving practice rooted in generosity, gratitude, and genuine connection.

This episode is a little different. Instead of another tactical strategy or productivity hack, Libby shares three hard truths that may be the very things holding talented financial advisors back from building the business they truly want. Drawing from more than 25 years in the industry, her own experience investing in high-level coaching, and years of working with hundreds of advisors, she challenges listeners to stop searching for more information and start becoming the kind of leaders who consistently execute. If you're ready for an honest conversation about what's really standing in your way, this episode is for you.

One of the hardest conversations many financial advisors avoid isn't about investments or markets—it's about their own fees. If you've ever looked at your client list and realized your fee schedule has evolved over the years into something inconsistent, you're not alone. 

In this very candid conversation, Libby sits down with advisor Todd Lester to discuss how he tackled a firm-wide fee increase after more than 30 years in the business. Todd shares the mindset shifts, compliance considerations, communication strategies, and surprising results that came from finally aligning his fees with the value his firm provides.

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I changed my mind on a very common piece of business advice. 

It's one of the most common messages we hear as entrepreneurs: build a business that runs without you. But what if we've been chasing the wrong goal? In this episode, Libby shares a mindset shift that completely changed the way she thinks about systems, delegation, and business ownership. Drawing on a recent personal experience and an unexpected epiphany, she explores why freedom and absence are not the same thing—and why building a business that allows you to spend more time doing the work you lov...

You built the process... so why aren't you (or your team) following it? 

This episode is all about the difference between creating great processes and actually getting your team to follow them. While most advisors spend time documenting workflows, the real challenge is building habits that stick when business gets busy. Libby shares practical strategies for turning systems into your firm's default way of operating, helping advisors reduce mistakes, create consistency, and build a business that can truly scale without relying on constant oversight.

In this episode, you'll learn:

If you only had 20 minutes to diagnose why your advisory firm feels chaotic, where would you look first? In this episode, Libby walks you through the same rapid-fire audit she uses to identify the biggest operational bottlenecks inside an advisory practice. Instead of focusing on working harder or becoming more disciplined, you'll learn how to quickly pinpoint the systems that are creating unnecessary stress, consuming your time, and keeping you stuck as the bottleneck in your business. 

By the end of this episode, you'll have a simple framework you can use to perform your own 20-minute operational a...

If you've ever wondered whether Systems to Scale Group Coaching is the right next step for your business, this episode is for you. Libby pulls back the curtain on exactly who the program is designed for, who should wait, and why so many successful advisors eventually realize they don't have a revenue problem—they have a capacity problem. You'll hear the philosophy behind the program, what transformation advisors can expect over the 10-month coaching experience, and answers to many of the most frequently asked questions about how the program works, what the commitment looks like, and what you can ex...

If you've ever looked around your business and thought, "I know I need better systems, but I have no idea where to start," this episode is for you. In today's conversation, Libby shares one of the most impactful exercises from a recent CEO Day with her alumni community—an exercise that gives advisors immediate clarity on where to focus next. Instead of chasing every new idea, you'll learn how to identify the one or two processes that will create the biggest impact in your business over the next 90 days.

In this episode, you'll learn:

One of the biggest mistakes I see growing advisory firms make is waiting too long to define roles and responsibilities. When your team is small, it's easy for everyone to pitch in wherever needed. But as your firm grows, those blurry lines quickly turn into confusion, duplicated work, bottlenecks, and frustration.

In this episode, I share one of the exercises we teach inside our Systems to Scale Group Coaching Program that helps advisors create clear job roles before they become a problem. 

You'll learn why well-defined roles aren't about creating bureaucracy—they're about giving your tea...

Today, I am sharing one simple process that transformed our client experience, helped us stay on schedule, reduced unnecessary follow-up meetings, and ensured we walked into every meeting fully prepared. If you've ever had a client bring up a major planning question with five minutes left on the clock, this system is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

If you've ever wondered whether a three-day workweek is actually possible as a financial advisor, this episode is your practical roadmap. In Part 2 of this series, I move beyond the story of how I built my business and dive into exactly what it takes to intentionally reduce your schedule without sacrificing client experience or business growth. From annual planning rhythms to delegation, systems, and CEO thinking, I break down the step-by-step framework I would follow if I were building toward a three-day workweek all over again.

In this episode, you'll learn:

If you're anything like most financial advisors, you've collected hundreds of valuable resources over the years: articles, calculators, PDFs, client-friendly graphics, and planning tools. But if they're scattered across bookmarks, downloads, and random folders, they're almost impossible to find when you actually need them. 

In this episode, I share one of the simplest organizational systems I've seen for creating a searchable planning resource library, inspired by one of the incredible advisors in our Systems to Scale alumni community. This easy-to-implement idea will save you time, reduce frustration, and make it easier to deliver value to clients.

If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to build a successful advisory firm while working fewer hours, this episode pulls back the curtain. After receiving more than 80 questions from advisors, I'm sharing the honest story behind my three-day workweek. From the systems and team structure that made it possible to the mistakes, trade-offs, and mindset shifts along the way, this is the first of a two-part series that dives into exactly how I redesigned my business to support the life I wanted instead of the other way around.

In this episode, you'll learn:

If there's one thing every financial advisor says they value, it's time. But when it comes to running our own businesses, many of us make decisions that protect our bank account while quietly sacrificing months or even years of our lives. In this episode, I challenge that mindset and explore why buying speed, guidance, and systems is often one of the smartest investments you can make. I'll walk through a simple way to evaluate the true cost of waiting and share a practical exercise to help you stop trading time for unnecessary trial and error.

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This week, I'm joined once again by Adam Holt, founder of Asset-Map, for a conversation every advisor needs to hear. We dive into one of the biggest challenges facing advisory firms today: technology adoption. It's easy to get excited about a new tool, but it's much harder to fully integrate it into your business and unlock its true value. We talk about why so many advisors end up underutilizing the software they already own, how successful firms approach implementation differently, and what it really takes to become a student of the tools that can help you scale.

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One of the hardest conversations advisors have is about changing expectations with long-time clients. If you've created (or maybe inherited) a service model that's packed with quarterly meetings simply because "that's how it's always been," this episode will help you rethink what truly delivers value. I'll share a simple client script you can use to confidently transition appropriate clients to fewer meetings while strengthening—not weakening—the relationship.

In this episode you will learn: 

As advisors, we spend a lot of time working in the business—but not nearly enough time working on the business. 

In this episode, Libby pulls back the curtain on the exact quarterly CEO Day framework she recently led for her Systems to Scale alumni community. With Q2 coming to a close, she shares how to create the space for strategic thinking, avoid turning your CEO time into a glorified catch-up day, and walk away with a clear plan for the next 90 days. Whether you're a solo advisor or leading a growing team, this episode will help you...

If you've ever struggled to come up with meaningful gifts, memorable client experiences, or even remember the little details that matter most to your clients, this episode is for you. In this Efficient Friday episode, Libby dives into the power of building a Client Intel Process—a simple but powerful system for gathering, storing, and using personal information to deepen relationships and create remarkable client experiences. 

More importantly, she shares the common mistakes advisors make when collecting client intel and how to avoid turning something thoughtful into something transactional. Based on conversations from a live Q&A wit...

What if you could get back 100 to 200+ hours a year without sacrificing the quality of your investment management?

In this episode, Libby sits down with Darol Ryan, Managing Partner of Main Management, to discuss one of the biggest hidden time drains in many advisory firms: portfolio management. From researching investments and preparing for review meetings to managing custom portfolios and rebalancing accounts, advisors often spend countless hours on work that may no longer be the highest and best use of their time. Together, they explore how custom model portfolios can help advisors create scale, increase consistency, and...

As the end of the quarter approaches and the halfway point of the year comes into focus, many advisors are planning CEO Days to step back and think strategically about their businesses. But before you jump into goal-setting, planning, and big-picture thinking, there’s one important step that can dramatically improve the quality of your strategic work. In this episode, Libby shares why an Admin Day—or at least a few dedicated admin hours—should come before every CEO Day and how clearing mental clutter creates the space for better decisions, deeper thinking, and more productive strategy sessions.

In t...

Efficiency is one of the most common goals financial advisors share, but very few can actually define what it means—or measure it. In this episode, Libby challenges the traditional metrics advisors often use to gauge success and introduces four simple KPIs that provide a much clearer picture of productivity, efficiency, and scalability. If you've ever wondered whether you're truly building a business that gives you more freedom, more impact, and better results without simply working longer hours, this episode will help you start tracking what really matters.

In this episode, you'll learn: