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Should Advisors Provide Opinionated Advice Or Coach Clients To Choose Their Own Path?: Kitces & Carl 183

February 5, 2026 07:02 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Kitces & Carl Podcast

Kitces & Carl Ep Should Advisors Provide

There is a juxtaposition in giving great financial advice: often, there is an objective 'right' answer to many financial planning questions… at least from a mathematical perspective. Yet the decision that best aligns with the client's real values is often less clear-cut. For example, there is an objective 'right' answer to whether to pay off a low-interest mortgage early or invest in the stock market, yet a client may prioritize being debt-free over the 'optimal' decision. For financial planners, the challenge lies in recognizing when clients need guidance versus when they need space to clarify what matters most to them. Advisors balance being the authority with being a facilitator, respecting the client's autonomy while also protecting them from avoidable missteps.

In this 183rd episode of Kitces & Carl, Michael Kitces and client communication expert Carl Richards discuss how advisors can walk the line between the advisor's personal opinion, the 'objective' answer (when there is one), and the client's values – especially when a client wants to make an 'inoptimal' decision. A planner's values can unintentionally influence client decisions. Even the presence of an expert in the room biases what clients say and how they process options. For example, issues such as debt repayment, funding education, or discretionary spending often elicit strong emotions and financial judgments from planners. One advisor may bristle at a client wanting to pay off a low-interest mortgage, seeing it as inefficient, while another empathizes deeply, having celebrated mortgage payoff milestones themselves. Every financial decision intersects with personal values, making it difficult for planners to remain truly neutral.

Financial planning decisions often do not have one objectively 'correct' answer (regardless of what the spreadsheet says!). Trade-offs – such as those between short-term experiences and long-term security – must be framed in ways that honor the client's goals and values, not just the planner's analytical framework. This is where coaching and planning intersect. Advisors can bring technical clarity and model outcomes, but must also develop the emotional and relational skills to help clients make decisions they can own. When clients ask, "What should I do?" the invitation is not necessarily to command, but to co-create clarity – ideally after deep exploration of their motivations, fears, and hopes.

Ultimately, financial planning exists in a hybrid space between coaching and technical expertise. They are guides who can – and sometimes must – offer strong recommendations, but only after the client feels fully seen and heard. The deeper responsibility lies in helping clients make well-informed, value-aligned decisions, not just efficient ones. Asking follow-up questions, illustrating the outcomes of various decisions, and helping clients dive deeply into the trade-offs are all crucial to helping them sound out the true consequences of their decisions. This approach not only fosters better outcomes but also strengthens the client's sense of ownership and agency. Advisors who can recognize their own biases and stay curious about their client's worldview are better positioned to offer advice that resonates and endures!

Vibe Coding For Financial Advisors: How You – Yes, You – Can Build Custom Technology For Your Practice When You’re Not A Software Developer

February 4, 2026 07:02 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Technology & Advisor FinTech

Financial advisors who work with a particular client niche often face recurring planning questions that, in turn, require the same calculations or analyses for different clients each time they arise. It's often helpful to have software that can perform these analyses faster, more repeatably, and in the way the advisor wants; however, the economic reality of the technology industry is that it's only really viable to build, market, and sell a piece of software if it provides a solution that a lot of people are willing to pay for. Which means if the advisor is only one of a few people – or the only person – who needs that particular kind of software, they aren't likely to find that solution on the market unless they build it themselves.

Traditionally, many advisors have built custom spreadsheets to handle these types of analysis for which an out-of-the-box solution doesn't exist, but those spreadsheets are often cumbersome and time-consuming to build, maintain, and debug. And while custom-built web apps can perhaps do the job more reliably, they've historically required the advisor to either be an expert in programming languages such as Python or JavaScript, or to hire a developer to build it for them.

More recently, however, it's become possible to build custom software programs without coding expertise using certain types of AI tools – a process popularly known as "vibe coding". At a high level, using vibe coding tools like Replit, users can essentially tell an AI bot what type of tool they want to build. The AI then handles all the code and back-end infrastructure needed to develop a working product. The user can then test the program and iterate with the AI bot to resolve any issues until the final version is ready.

One advantage of vibe coding is that you can start small to build familiarity. Advisors can experiment with simple tools and calculators – which can often be created using the free tiers of vibe coding tools like Replit – while they get comfortable with the process of iterating back and forth with the AI bot to improve the software. Once they've reached a baseline level of comfort, they can upgrade to paid tiers that allow for more complex or comprehensive tools, while potentially adding steps like 'wireframing' (i.e., creating a basic visual guide to the software before building the full-blown version) to help plan out particularly advanced software in advance to avoid problems that would need to be worked out after the fact.

The key point is that although there is a learning curve to vibe coding, it's not nearly as steep or time-intensive as learning traditional programming languages. What matters most for advisors who vibe code is their own financial planning expertise and their ability to communicate, since those are the main skills needed to 'converse' with an AI bot that can handle the technical development capabilities. Ultimately, then, vibe coding has the potential to provide a lot of value for expert advisors in highly niche fields – since they already have the expertise to develop the tools they need, and will no longer be reliant on off-the-shelf software solutions to build the exact tools to help them serve their clients' needs!

Adding Deeper Tax Planning Capabilities (And Generating More Google Reviews In The Process) To Grow To $600M Of AUM: #FASuccess Ep 475 With Erik Brenner

February 3, 2026 07:02 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Financial Advisor Success Podcast

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 475th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast!

My guest on today's podcast is Erik Brenner. Erik is the CEO of Hilltop Wealth and Tax Solutions, an RIA based in Mishawaka, Indiana, that oversees approximately $600 million in assets under management for 830 client households.

What's unique about Erik, though, is how he has doubled his AUM in the past three years in part by offering a deeper level of tax-related services, including preparing client tax returns through an associated business and by working with an external firm for expertise on more complicated client tax situations.

In this episode, we talk in-depth about how Erik decided to partner with a CPA, creating a separate tax business alongside his wealth management firm (with both under one brand umbrella), how Erik takes a three-pronged approach to tax planning by having advisors leverage tools such as Holistiplan and Income Lab on the wealth management side, using the CPAs from the tax business to review proposed planning strategies, and working with an outsourced provider for expertise on more complex tax planning issues, and how Erik offers tax return preparation not as a loss leader for his wealth management services but rather as a profitable line of business in its own right.

We also talk about how Erik's firm brings in almost half of its new clients through in-person dinner seminars where the team demonstrates its expertise in the key issues facing their ideal clients (such as reducing their tax bill in retirement), how Erik uses a service that sends sufficient mailings to ensure a full room at each seminar (saving his firm the time it would take to market these events as well), and how Erik generates new client revenue from these events that exceeds the cost of holding them in the clients' first year alone.

And be certain to listen to the end, where Erik shares how he takes a two-pronged approach to generating online reviews, using both Google Reviews (which helps with the firm's search engine optimization) and Amplify Reviews (which appear on the firm's website), how Erik invites all clients to leave reviews then uses email automation software ActiveCampaign to track responses to ensure clients aren't asked to do so after they've already left one, and how Erik has ultimately found success not only by offering a deeper level of tax planning for his clients, but also by developing his leadership skills to manage a growing firm and help his team grow their careers as well.

So, whether you're interested in learning about taking a multi-tiered approach to providing tax planning services to clients, partnering with a CPA to offer tax return preparation and a deeper level of tax planning, or how to boost the number of online reviews your firm receives, then we hope you enjoy this episode of the Financial Advisor Success podcast, with Erik Brenner.

Pershing The Latest RIA Custodian To Launch Client Referral Program (And More Of The Latest In Financial #AdvisorTech – February 2026)

February 2, 2026 07:01 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Technology & Advisor FinTech

Welcome to the February 2026 issue of the Latest News in Financial #AdvisorTech – where we look at the big news, announcements, and underlying trends and developments that are emerging in the world of technology solutions for financial advisors!

This month's edition kicks off with the news that Pershing has become the latest RIA custodian to announce the launch a client referral program, following closely behind other custodians like Goldman Sachs, Robinhood/TradePMR (who in turn followed Schwab and Fidelity in light of the high demand for their referral programs), which exemplifies the recent trend towards custodial platforms seeking to differentiate themselves with client referrals to the PE-backed mega-RIAs who are willing to pay their substantial cost – even though one notable to exception, Altruist, has managed to achieve significant growth without any client referral program by leaning into its technology capabilities to attract small- and medium-sized RIAs for whom custodial referral programs aren't usually an option anyway.

From there, the latest highlights also feature a number of other interesting advisor technology announcements, including:

BridgeFT, the provider of data connections between RIA custodial platforms and advisor technology tools, has been acquired by iAlta, a startup company co-founded by a co-founder of Envestnet that's aiming to build a unified alternative investment data infrastructure layer – which will help iAlta's alternatives analytics and administration tools plug into the custodians and technology solutions that advisors already use (and could foreshadow more acquisitions to come as iAlta builds an end-to-end alternatives investment management tool)
The tax data startup TaxStatus has introduced a new Tax Return History report that allows advisors to easily compare clients' prior-year tax returns side-by-side, further building out its capabilities for advisors to deepen their understanding of clients' current tax situations – and raising questions about whether TaxStatus will at some point build out more forward-looking planning tools like Holistiplan or FP Alpha, or if it sees enough of uses for clients' prior-year tax data to focus solely on that side of the timeline?
Aquilance and Atomic Insights, two providers of billpay solutions for advisors of UHNW clients, have each announced separate venture capital investments, highlighting how technology could conceivably help bring concierge-style billpay services downmarket as RIAs are increasingly seeking to go upmarket – expanding the overall market for providers serving those firms (though it's debatable exactly how much that market will expand if 'mere' HNW clients simply don't get the value from billpay that UHNW clients do)

Read the analysis about these announcements in this month's column, and a discussion of more trends in advisor technology, including:

The advisor workflow automation tool Hubly has announced new integration capabilities with AI tools including Jump, GReminders, and Pulse360, which serves as a reminder that as much is made of AI tools' ability to automate tasks, they aren't necessarily reliable for the kind of highly structured and repeatable workflows that are needed for an advisory firm, and require tools like Hubly to provide that structure for them
Although AI notetaking tools are mostly used for their ability to save time in meeting prep and follow-up, advisors may not want to overlook the tools' ability to gather and report on meta-level meeting data like talk time and sentiment analysis, which can help advisors build their own meeting skills to develop deeper connections with clients (or help advisory firms identify the advisors with those skills so they can aid in training others!)

And be certain to read to the end, where we have provided an update to our popular "Financial AdvisorTech Solutions Map" (and also added the changes to our AdvisorTech Directory) as well!

*To submit a request for inclusion or updates on the Financial Advisor FinTech Solutions Map and AdvisorTech Directory, please share information on the solution at the AdvisorTech Map submission form.

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (January 31–February 1)

January 30, 2026 02:00 pm 0 Comments CATEGORY: Weekend Reading

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that CFP Board announced a series of changes to its competency standards. For current CFP professionals, the biggest changes concern Continuing Education (CE), with CFP Boarding increasing the requirement to 40 hours every two years (up from 30 hours), though certificants will be able to count five hours of practice management credit towards this requirement and roll over up to 10 hours to the next cycle if they earn more than needed. Candidates for CFP certification will see changes as well, including to the experience requirement, where those pursuing the 6,000-hour standard pathway will need to show their experience demonstrates at least three of the seven steps of the financial planning process. Notably, these revisions have staggered effective dates in the coming months and into next year, so CFP professionals and candidates alike will have time to adjust to these changes.

Also in industry news this week:

A report finds that while an infusion of private equity dollars has increased valuations for RIAs, internal successions continue to remain viable as firms explore a range of pathways to transfer ownership to the next generation
A pair of surveys finds that while adoption of artificial intelligence tools is increasing amongst advisory firms, it is often done on an ad hoc basis without a strategic approach to how potential time efficiencies gained could be redeployed to improve client service and business performance

From there, we have several articles on investment planning:

While many investors spend significant time and money seeking investment "alpha", the performance of the broader market often has a greater influence on an individual's absolute returns, suggesting that redeploying these resources to other planning areas could have a greater influence on reaching their financial goals
An analysis finds that even if an investor could identify a 'stock-picker's market' in advance, the potential gains from moving away from an index might not be worth the cost of doing so
Why it might be worth paying extra for certain funds if doing so significantly reduces investment frictions or helps an investor stay the course on their chosen investment plan

We also have a number of articles on advisor marketing:

A marketing plan for smaller firms that can allow them to attract their ideal target clients without breaking the bank (or their calendars)
How an advisory firm website refresh can ensure that prospective clients understand what the firm looks like and who it works with today (which might be quite different than when the site was first created)
How advisory firms can accelerate growth by marketing how they are 'different' instead of 'better' than other sources of advice

We wrap up with three final articles, all about social media:

Why the "ultra-processed" nature of social media is different than other forms of content and helps explain why it's so hard to reduce this form of consumption
How LinkedIn has experienced significant growth over the past several years in part by holding strong on requiring participants to use their actual names (reducing the amount of abrasive content on the platform)
Tactics for reducing time spent on social media, from physical changes (e.g., keeping one's smart phone in a particular room when at home) to logistical tweaks (e.g., scheduling a specific time of day to manage one's social media accounts)

Enjoy the 'light' reading!

The 6-Figure Care Decision: Evaluating Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) And Other Later-Life Housing Strategies

January 28, 2026 07:02 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Retirement Planning

When it comes to the decision of where to live in retirement, some clients might assume they will remain in their current home for the duration of their lifetime, while others might quickly gravitate toward a senior-specific living arrangement (e.g., a 55+ living community or a Continuing Care Retirement Community [CCRC]). However, given that the decision of where to live in one's later years also has implications for how they will receive care as they age, this choice can be more complex than it appears on the surface, creating an opportunity for financial advisors to support clients in thinking through the full implications (both financial and lifestyle) of this issue.

In this guest post, Kathleen Rehl – a former financial advisor with significant professional and personal experience in navigating later-life transitions – examines the housing choice issue by shifting the advisor-client conversation from "Which community should we choose?" to the more fundamental question of how housing and care will be delivered, coordinated, and paid for during a client's 70s, 80s, and beyond.

Given the number of later-life housing and care options available, financial advisors can help clients analyze their choices (and the tradeoffs involved) on a variety of factors, both qualitative (e.g., housing stability, care coordination, and social and community infrastructure) and financial (e.g., upfront costs and ongoing cost predictability). For example, a 55+ rental community requires minimal upfront cost but requires the client (or family members) to manage their care coordination, while a CCRC itself handles care transitions, but often at a higher upfront cost.

At a more fundamental level, financial advisors can offer value for their clients by starting this conversation in the first place, at an age (perhaps in the client's late 60s or early 70s) when clients are typically healthier, more financially flexible, and more likely to meet admission criteria than they would be as they approach their 80s or 90s. Given the potential sensitivity of this topic, advisors can help clients prepare for the discussion by introducing the topic gently in a pre-meeting agenda and using a short discovery checklist to surface client values, fears, family dynamics, and tolerance for uncertainty. In addition, by coming to the meeting with data on the estimated costs of local options, advisors can better lay out the financial tradeoffs involved with different later-life housing and care options.

Ultimately, the key point is that because clients might not have thought through the full implications of where they will live and how it affects how they will receive care (and how housing transition decisions will be made as their care needs evolve), financial advisors can play an important role in helping clients think through both the lifestyle and financial implications of different options for their later years. Which could allow clients to maintain their independence, reduce future stress, and make intentional decisions before health issues restrict their options.