The Influential Advisor Podcast
The Authority Marketing Platform for Financial Advisors. Built for advisors who want to be known for what they're already great at.Influential Advisor Media helps financial advisors build visibility, attract better clients, and grow through authority rather than cold outreach. If you've spent years developing real expertise and you're frustrated that the right people don't know you exist, this podcast is for you.Influential Advisor Media was founded by Paul G. McManus, host of The Influential Advisor Podcast and creator of The Authority Operating System. Our team has worked with more than 500 financial advisors and helped them generate over $100 million...
111: How Financial Advisors Get Found in AI Search with Online Reviews | Brian Thorp | Wealthtender
How can financial advisors get found in AI search, build trust faster, and use online reviews in a compliant way?
In Episode 111 of The Influential Advisor Podcast, Paul G. McManus interviews Brian Thorp, Founder and CEO of Wealthtender, about one of the biggest opportunities in advisor marketing today: compliant online reviews as a trust signal for Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI-powered search tools.
Financial advisors have always relied on referrals, reputation, and trust. But today, before a prospect reaches out, they are often searching online, reading reviews, asking AI tools who to...
110: Sharpen Your Message: Guest Podcast Preparation for Financial Professionals with Gabe McManus
How can financial advisors use podcast guesting to build trust, attract ideal clients, and turn their expertise into new business opportunities?
In this episode of The Influential Advisor Podcast, Paul G. McManus interviews Gabe McManus about his book, Sharpen Your Message: Guest Podcast Preparation for Financial Professionals.
Gabe shares how financial advisors and financial professionals can prepare for podcast interviews, clarify their best stories, and communicate their expertise in a way that builds trust with prospects. Drawing from his background in theater, storytelling, book coaching, and podcast preparation, Gabe explains why the right message can...
109: The Zero Tax Strategy: Legally Eliminating Taxes with Jeremy Lederer, CPA
In this episode, Gabe McManus sits down with Jeremy Lederer, CPA and founder of XIT CPA, to explore what separates a tax preparer from a true tax strategist. Jeremy brings more than 16 years of experience working with entrepreneurs, business owners, and high-income professionals to zero (yes, zero) out their federal tax liability using legal, government-backed strategies. From film financing deductions to healthcare software investments, Jeremy breaks down the frameworks he writes about in his book The Zero Tax Strategy. He makes the case that implementation, not information, is the missing ingredient for most people. This is one for any...
108: Rob Bedinghaus on the $10 Million Tax Bill Nobody Saw Coming
A couple had done everything right — dual income, debt-free, millions saved in tax-deferred accounts — and they were on track to hand $10 million to the IRS. Not because they made bad decisions, but because nobody had ever shown them what "doing everything right" actually costs without proactive planning.
In this episode, Gabe sits down with Rob Bedinghaus, Ph.D., CFP® — founder of Bedinghaus Wealth Planning and author of Beyond the Numbers — to dig into the retirement planning conversations most advisors never have. Rob brings a teacher's instinct to every client meeting, and this episode reflects that: clear frameworks, real scen...
107: The Investor's Coach — The IRA Tax Trap Nobody Warned You About with Ira Work
Imagine going into business with a partner who tells you upfront: at the end of every year, I'll decide how much of the profits I keep. You'd never agree to that. But Ira Work says millions of Americans already did the day they opened a traditional IRA.
That's one of several hard truths Ira Work, a 42-year financial industry veteran, addresses head-on in his new book and in this conversation. After 17 years working for firms like Smith Barney and Shearson Lehman Brothers, Ira walked away from the traditional brokerage model — not because he failed, but because he sa...
106: Scott Leibfried: What Climbing Wealth Taught Me About the Retirement Red Zone
Scott Leibfried's grandfather sold the family business at 60 with more money than he'd ever seen. He was generous, he lived long, and he ran out. That story is why Scott has spent 28 years in wealth management — and it's why he wrote Climbing Wealth.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Gabe sits down with Scott Leibfried, a Midwest-based financial advisor with 28 years of experience, to explore the parallels between mountain climbing and financial planning. From the moment Scott summited Long's Peak without a guide and couldn't wait to get back down, to guiding clients through th...
105: Jason Wendt: Beyond the Numbers — Why Your Retirement Number Isn't Enough
Most successful people have a retirement number. Very few have a retirement reason.
That's the gap Jason Wendt has spent 15 years closing. After watching client after client arrive with a solid portfolio and a hollow plan, he wrote a book about it. And now, fresh off an Amazon bestseller ranking and a feature segment on NBC Chicago, he's bringing that message to a wider audience.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Gabe McManus sits down with Jason Wendt, a Chicago-based financial advisor and author of Beyond the Numbers, to explore...
104: Why the Virtual Family Office Advantage Exists and What Business Owners Are Really Losing Without It with Dale Montgomery
Most business owners assume their advisory team is working for them. A CPA here, a financial advisor there, an attorney on retainer. What they don't realize is that those advisors are working in parallel, not together. No one is seeing the full picture. No one is coordinating. And the business owner, without ever signing up for it, becomes the quarterback of their own financial life on top of running their company.
That's what the Virtual Family Office Advantage exists to solve. And according to Dale Montgomery, a Certified VFO Professional who has worked with business owners for...
103: Blue Jean Millionaire — How Everyday Decisions Can Lead to Extraordinary Wealth with Dan Carver
She called her advisor on closing day. Boxes still everywhere, no movers available, hours until she had to be out. He showed up in his truck, spent four hours hauling boxes to a friend's garage, and wouldn't let her pay a dime. That's the kind of advisor Dan Carver is, and that story tells you more about his practice than any credential ever could.
Dan Carver is a St. Louis-based financial advisor with 26 years of experience helping ordinary people make smart decisions with their money. His book, Blue Jean Millionaire, takes its title from a formative observation...
102: From Work to What's Next — Jim & Sarah Charles on Designing a Retirement Worth Living
Most retirees nail the math. Then they hit a wall.
Jim Charles retired in 2021 after more than three decades in financial services. He had the savings, the freedom, and a 90-year-old house full of doors that needed rehanging. Within 18 months, he decided to un-retire. Not because the money ran out, but because the meaning had. That experience became the foundation for Sanctuary Financial Planning, the flat-fee firm he co-founded with his wife Sarah, and for their new book, From Work to What's Next.
In this episode, Jim and Sarah Charles join Gabe McManus...
101: The Authority Operating System: 5 Pillars That Turn a Book Into a Business Growth Machine
At the Exit Planning Institute CEPA Summit in Nashville, 1,200 credentialed advisors gathered in one room. The first night, they held an awards ceremony. Every single person who walked on stage had one thing in common. It wasn't their credentials, their AUM, or their years in practice. It was a book.
Episode Summary
Paul and Gabe McManus just returned from four days in Nashville at the EPI CEPA Summit, where they presented the Authority Operating System to one of the most credentialed audiences in financial services. In this episode, they break down all five...
100: The Authority Operating System: Turn Your CEPA Credential Into Deal Flow by Paul G. McManus
The Authority Operating System: Turn Your CEPA Credential Into Deal Flow
You earned your CEPA credential. You know how to help business owners navigate the biggest financial decision of their life.
But the business owners who need you most don't know you exist.
Right now, someone in your market is asking ChatGPT who they should trust with the sale of their company. They're searching Google. They're listening to podcasts. They're forming opinions about who the expert is long before they ever pick up the phone. By the time they're ready to...
099: Scott Snider on Why Exit Strategy IS Business Strategy
A $200 million exit — and the client who should have been celebrating, but wasn't. That's what started the Exit Planning Institute. And it's the same story Scott Snider has lived himself: a successful business sale in his mid-20s followed by two years of feeling completely lost. Identity, purpose, what comes next — these are questions the transaction doesn't answer. Exit planning does.
Episode Summary
In this conversation, Paul sits down with Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI), ahead of the 2026 CEPA Summit in Nashville. Scott walks through the founding story of EPI...
098: What the 18% of Fortune 500 Companies Paying Zero Taxes Know with Alex Sonkin
Most business owners assume their CPA is doing everything possible on taxes. They aren't. And the reason isn't incompetence. It's access.
The strategies that allow 18% of Fortune 500 companies and America's wealthiest individuals to legally pay zero in federal taxes are real, documented in the tax code, and available. The problem is that most CPA firms, even highly successful ones, are stretched thin producing returns and financial statements. They don't have the time or infrastructure to find, vet, and gain confidence in the advanced strategies their highest-earning clients need most.
Alex Sonkin spent 20 years building the...
097: Conor Delaney on Going from $40 Million to $20 Billion Through Supported Independence
When you go independent, nobody tells you that you're just trading one set of constraints for another.
When Conor Delaney went independent in 2012, he started with $40 million in AUM and a blank whiteboard. What followed was a 14-year education in becoming a CEO, a shareholder, and a leader, all while still serving clients. Today, Good Life Companies supports more than 200 advisors across the country, and the firm's advisors grew at 34% annually over the last two years, compared to an industry organic growth average of just 3%.
In this episode, Conor joins Paul and Gabe McManus to...
096: Mark Rasner on Why Only 5% of People Achieve True Financial Freedom
Most financial advisors will tell you to save more and invest wisely. Mark Rasner will tell you that's not enough. After 32 years of watching people succeed and fail financially, he has the track record to back it up.
Mark grew up poor on a dairy farm in Upper Michigan, worked his way through college without taking a single student loan, and watched his father transform from a struggling farmer into a financial advisor who changed people's lives. That backstory didn't just shape who Mark is. It became the foundation for The Group A Mindset, a framework built...
096: Guest Podcasting for Financial Advisors: How to Land on Top Shows and Attract Clients
Guest podcasting is the most underutilized authority-building strategy for financial advisors. And Paul G. McManus built a system to do it at scale.
Most financial advisors who guest podcast do it occasionally and without a plan. They say yes when invited, show up, and move on. The Virtual Speaking Tour is built on a different premise entirely. It is a systematic, deliberate campaign of appearances across the podcasts where your ideal clients, referral partners, and professional peers are already paying attention, designed to build cumulative authority that compounds over time.
In this episode, Paul G...
095: Bernd Steinebrunner: Beyond the Numbers — Building a Financial Dashboard for a Life Without Regrets
Most people doing the right things financially still have no idea if they're actually on track.
They're saving, investing, contributing to the 401k — and still lying awake wondering if retirement will actually work out. That gap between doing well and knowing you're okay is exactly what Bernd Steinebrunner has spent nearly two decades helping families close.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Gabe McManus sits down with Bernd Steinebrunner, CFP® and founding partner at Parliament Wealth Management in Costa Mesa, California. Bernd walks us through the core ideas behind his new...
094: Take Fridays Back with Stanley C. Leong
He built a successful practice — and it was quietly destroying your life.
That's exactly where Stanley C. Leong found himself a decade ago. Making $600K in revenue, working nights and weekends, falling asleep on the floor while his daughters played around him. On paper, everything looked great. In reality, the business was running him.
Today, Stanley averages 34 hours a week, takes every Friday off, and hit $2 million in revenue last year — roughly triple what he was making when he was burning out. He's now channeling what he learned into 52 Fridays, a one-on-one coaching program he co-f...
093: Ron Phelps On Values, Service, And Real-World Wealth Advice
Episode Summary
Ron Phelps, a wealth advisor with nearly 30 years of experience, joins the Influential Advisor Podcast to discuss his book Beyond the Sales Pitch: A Roadmap for Finding the Wealth Advisor You Deserve. Ron shares his journey from growing up in a tough Milwaukee neighborhood to military service to building a client-centered advisory practice. The conversation covers what separates a true trusted advisor from the rest of the industry, why jargon-free communication matters, and the questions every consumer should ask when evaluating a financial professional.
Key Topics Covered
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092: From Fragile to Anti-Fragile: How to Become a Better Investor in Retirement
Joseph Falbo has spent 30 years helping people navigate retirement, from the 1999 tech boom through COVID and beyond. In this episode, we explore his concept of the "functional retirement advisor" and why modern retirement demands a completely different approach than what worked for previous generations.
About Joseph Falbo
Joseph is the founder of Falbo Wealth and Amazon #1 bestselling author of Retirement Success: Hiring Your Functional Retirement Advisor. After starting his career at a penny stock firm (think Wolf of Wall Street), he committed to doing things the right way, completing Merrill Lynch's two-year training...
091: Find Stories So Powerful Your Clients Can't Help But Share Them | Financial Advisor Book Writing Webinar
In this transformative webinar, Paul and Gabe McManus reveal why your most powerful marketing assets—your client transformation stories—are trapped in your head, and exactly how to turn them into a book that builds your practice.
What You'll Discover:
The "You have my faith" story that made Gabe triple his life insurance immediatelyWhy Steven's Target bag story about throw pillows made Paul hire him as his financial advisorHow Bernd went from "I'm just a numbers guy" to writing a book about Antarctica and retirement planningMorgan's journey from "I'm not a storyteller" to booking the...090: "Engineering Your Finances: The Tech Professional's Roadmap to Financial Success" with Stanley Leong
Episode Summary: A tech professional in her 50s had everything planned—enough saved to retire at 55. Just one problem: 80% of her net worth was company stock. Stanley Leong warned her to diversify. She agreed but couldn't bring herself to sell, feeling it would betray the company that made her successful. Then 2008 hit. The stock crashed. Her retirement at 55 vanished—she worked another decade to rebuild.
Stanley, a former engineer who survived the 2002 tech crash, now helps tech professionals avoid this exact mistake. After 20 years managing tech wealth, he reveals why brilliant engineers fail at one crit...
089: Why 70% of Advisors Lose Their Best Clients After Business Sales—And How to Keep Yours with Jeff Armstrong
Episode Summary:
Your best client just sold their business for $8 million and calls to say they're moving everything to Goldman Sachs. This devastating scenario happens to 70% of advisors, but Jeff Armstrong has the antidote. As a former business owner who ran a company for 23 years, Jeff reveals the blind spot costing advisors their most valuable relationships. While most advisors focus on managing wealth outside the business, Jeff shows how becoming the expert on your client's largest asset creates unbreakable loyalty. He shares why 97% of business exits disappoint owners and the actions that transform you from...
088: Book #1 Tripled His Business. Here's Why He's Writing 3 More. With Guest Anton Anderson
Episode Summary:
After 11 years scaling Elite Resource Team, Anton Anderson's revenue tripled when he released "The Art of Collaboration" in 2024. He shows how one book became a growth flywheel, why his event is now the "Virtual Family Office Collective," & how AI is speeding—not threatening—progress. Anton previews book #2, "The Art of Proactivity" (co-authored with Paul Latham, who sold his accounting firm for $45M) to help accountants become proactive VFO pros. These titles anchor a four-book series proving collaboration now outperforms competition.
About the Guest:
087: Beyond Enough: Building Financial Confidence for Meaningful Impact with Andrew LaFontain
Episode Summary:
Andrew shares the tragic story that changed his career: a couple delayed retirement until reaching a financial milestone, only for the wife to pass away before they could enjoy it. This moment reshaped his mission from managing money to helping people retire with confidence. He breaks down the three pillars of financial planning, explains how small spending habits reflect deeper priorities, and offers strategies that help clients shift from fear to freedom. He also challenges conventional advice on Social Security and urges listeners to take action, not just make plans.
A...
086: The Book-Launch Party Playbook for Financial Advisor Authors with Elyse Stoner & Angela York
Episode Summary:
Ever hosted a client event and wondered if it truly moved the needle for your business? In this episode, we’re joined by Elyse Stoner and Angela York—co-founders of Event Advisors—who share the secret sauce behind turning events like book launches into powerful referral and relationship-building tools.
Unlike traditional advisor events that focus on entertainment, Elyse and Angela dive into the art and science of designing strategic events that align with business goals and client journeys. They reveal how financial advisors can host meaningful book parties that not only celebrate a mile...
085: Paycheck to Prosperity: The G4 Cashflow Model for Lasting Financial Freedom with Stephen V. Soderstrom
Episode Overview
Financial advisor Stephen Soderstrom reveals why high earners struggle with the paradox of "I make good money, where does it all go?" After watching countless successful professionals face this challenge, Stephen developed a radically simple system that requires no budgeting apps, no expense tracking, and no complicated spreadsheets. Learn how the G4 cash flow model can transform your financial life.
Guest Bio
Stephen Soderstrom is a financial advisor and author who started his career as a teacher before transitioning to finance after an...
084: [Audiobook] Book Marketing for Financial Advisors: Transform Your Book Into a Million-Dollar Client Attraction System by Paul G. McManus
Transform Your Book into a Million-Dollar Client Attraction System
Most financial advisors who write books make a critical mistake: they focus on book sales instead of client acquisition. This comprehensive guide reveals the proven system that has helped nearly 500 financial advisors generate over $100 million in fees and commissions—not through royalties, but by strategically using their books to attract high-value clients.
The Problem This Book Solves
You've written (or plan to write) a book to showcase your expertise, but you're unsure how to leverage it effectively. Maybe you've al...
083: Fearless Finance: Building Confidence Through Financial Clarity with Laura Rehbein
Episode Summary:
Laura Rehbein shares her journey from becoming head of household at age 12 in rural Michigan to building a successful financial advisory practice over nearly three decades. Her book "Fearless Finance" addresses the anxiety that highly educated, successful professionals feel about their finances despite their achievements. Laura reveals why knowledge replaces fear and how proper planning can help clients "face everything and rise" rather than "forget everything and run." She discusses practical strategies like productive pessimism, the bucket approach to retirement income, and often-overlooked risks that can derail investment plans.
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082: The Wealth Builder: Essential Strategies for Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, and High-Achievers with Paul Cook
Episode Summary:
Many entrepreneurs focus intensely on growing their businesses while neglecting personal financial security. Paul Cook, a veteran insurance professional with decades of experience, reveals how life insurance can serve as more than just death benefit protection - it can provide tax-free retirement income, emergency liquidity, and protection from market volatility. Drawing from real-world stories of families he's helped through tragedies and business owners who've faced unexpected challenges, Paul demonstrates how proper financial protection strategies can make the difference between financial security and disaster.
About the Guest:
081: Beyond Money Management: The Value of Personal Connection in Financial Advising with Urban Adams
Episode Summary:
In a world dominated by digital platforms, Urban Adams offers a refreshingly human approach to financial advising. With 25 years in the industry and a philosophy grounded in stoicism, Urban helps clients balance enjoying the present while planning for the future. His new book, "Wealth Your Way," challenges traditional mindsets about wealth accumulation, advocating instead for an intentional, values-driven approach. Urban shares how he applies stoic principles to help clients navigate financial uncertainty, why he maintains a high-touch service model in the digital age, and how his experience as a father of three daughters...
080: [Introduction] Book Marketing for Financial Advisors: Transform Your Book Into a Million-Dollar Client Attraction System by Paul G. McManus
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079: Words That Win: Turning Financial Expertise into Client-Attracting Language with Hillary Gale
Episode Summary:
There's a significant gap affecting nearly every financial advisor: the disconnect between their expertise & their ability to communicate it in a way that resonates with prospects. Hillary Gale, a former linguistics professor turned copywriting expert, shares insights on how advisors can transform their marketing through better messaging. She reveals strategies for identifying language that connects, having conversations that convert, and creating content that actually brings in business. From conducting "voice of client" research to crafting compelling lead magnets, Hillary provides practical frameworks for advisors to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
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078: Building a Values-Driven Advisory Practice with Morgan Nichols
Episode Summary:
Many financial advisors find their practices increasingly transactional despite their best efforts. In this conversation, Morgan Nichols unpacks how she's pioneered an approach that puts values at the center, creating what she calls "simultaneous multi-generational success" - a practice that serves clients across generations while developing advisors across generations too. Morgan shares practical steps to building a values-driven practice that nurtures deep client relationships, attracts like-minded advisors, and creates fulfillment that transcends financial success.
About the Guest:
077: Beyond Break Even: Mastering Social Security Strategies with Russ Gaiser and Mike Hoeflich
Episode Summary:
In today's episode, Russ and Mike unpack their insightful five-pillars framework for Social Security optimization and reveal strategies that could help maximize retirement benefits. With pensions disappearing and Social Security representing 30-50% of retirement income for many Americans, making the right claiming decision is crucial. The authors highlight a startling reality: 80% of men die married while 80% of women die single, yet most claiming strategies overlook this fact. Their approach moves beyond simple break-even analysis to consider timing, taxation, coordination, longevity, and legacy planning. They also discuss the hidden danger of "dollar cost...
076: Intentional Legacy: Aligning Wealth and Values Across Generations
This episode features an in-depth conversation with Morgan Nichols and Kelly Bays, financial advisors at Ameriprise and co-authors of the new book "Intentional Legacy." The discussion explores how legacy isn't something you plan for at the end of life, but something you live every day through your financial decisions, family interactions, and the values you demonstrate and pass on to future generations.
Guest Information
Morgan Nichols: Financial advisor at Ameriprise for 10 years, comes from a family of financial advisorsKelly Bays: Financial advisor at Ameriprise for 19 years, joined the profession...075: The Personal CFO Revolution: Interview with Bestselling Author Erik Brenner
In this episode of The Influential Advisor podcast, host Paul interviews Erik Brenner, founder of Hilltop Wealth and Tax Solutions with 32 years of experience in wealth management. Erik discusses his innovative "Personal CFO" model that brings comprehensive financial services under one roof, including integrated tax planning and wealth management. The conversation explores how this approach can transform retirement planning for successful individuals by breaking down traditional silos in financial services and providing family office-level services to non-ultra-wealthy clients.
Guest Bio
Erik Brenner is the founder of Hilltop Wealth and Tax Solutions...
074: "From 4,000 Stalled Words to Bestseller: The "Beyond Break Even" Success Story"
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Russ Gaiser and Mike Hoeflich, financial advisors and authors of the bestselling book "Beyond Break Even."
Discover how they transformed their stalled manuscript into a #1 bestseller in five categories in just six months, and how their book has opened unexpected doors for their financial practice.
Whether you're a financial professional considering authorship or someone who's stuck on a creative project, this conversation offers valuable insights on the power of following a proven process.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why even knowledgeable experts struggle to tu...073: Worry Free Wealth | How Ancient Wisdom Can Transform Your Financial Future with Shuey Wyne
In this podcast episode, I welcome I welcome Shuey Wyne, V.P. Wealth Advisor at RVW Wealth and author of the Amazon bestseller Worry-Free Wealth. Shuey offers a unique take on wealth management, combining timeless wisdom with evidence-based investing.
We explore his unconventional path from rabbinical studies to managing over $1.6 billion in assets and discuss key principles for avoiding financial mistakes, delegating effectively, and building long-term wealth security.
Shuey’s Journey: From Rabbi to Wealth Advisor
