Financial Planner Search

Gregory Wilnau
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Investing

Finding a financial advisor is easy. Finding the right one is hard. Most advisors look the same on paper — credentials, services, a polished website. But what you actually need to know is how they think, how they treat people, and whether you'd even enjoy working with them. That's what Financial Planner Search is for. Each episode, we sit down with an independent financial advisor for an honest, in-depth conversation. No sales pitch. No jargon. Just a real look at who they are, how they work, and who they're best suited to help. By the end, you'll know what they’re all about. Whether you're approaching retirement and looking for a fiduciary for the first time, thinking about leaving your current advisor, or simply want to make a smarter hiring decision — this show gives you the inside access you need.

  1. 6d ago

    Retire as You Desire with Bill Bloom | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Bill Bloom, founder of Bloom Financial, shares his "Retire as You Desire" philosophy, helping clients plan for their money to last to age 100 while rediscovering purpose before they stop working. Bill's path started with childhood money scarcity and a college professor who pulled up in a Cadillac Escalade in West Virginia, a sign that he could figure this out too. He launched Bloom Financial at 28 after six years at Prudential, lost every client to a non-compete, and rebuilt from $24,000 in net revenue his first year. That scrappy beginning shaped a practice built on family-first relationships, tough conversations, and planning that goes far past the numbers into the soul of retirement. Bill walks through the four phases of retirement, the free Retire with Purpose course he built to help people avoid the "lost" phase, and why he tells clients to plan for 100 even when no one in their family has lived past 75. Takeaways * Plan for your money to last to age 100 and let your beliefs catch up to the math * Retirement has four phases; purpose (not the portfolio) is what falls apart in phase two * A family-first approach means tough conversations, not fluff * The Retire with Purpose course helps couples map time, health, and meaning before they retire Chapters * 00:00 Retire as You Desire * 02:31 The Cadillac in West Virginia, origin story * 04:24 Prudential in 2008, and leaping into Bloom Financial * 06:47 Who finds Bloom Financial, the family-first approach * 09:32 Herman Miller, and learning from the veterans at lunch * 11:36 First meetings, childhood money stories and the "why" * 13:45 A tough conversation with a widow and two houses * 16:41 Giving retirees "pay raises" and planning for inflation * 18:02 The four-meeting client experience * 23:00 Plan to 100, and the vision for $1B AUM * 26:34 Shout-outs, Ozaic, Dan Sullivan, and the people who shaped the practice * 29:04 The Retire with Purpose course, the four phases of retirement * 33:10 How to reach Bill Bloom You can find them at: https://www.bloomfinancialco.com/ If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #retirementplanning #retireasyoudesire #financialplannersearch

  2. Aug 27

    Divorce, Money & Starting Over with Leah Hadley | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Leah Hadley, founder of Intentional Wealth Partners and Intentional Divorce Solutions, discusses her work supporting people through divorce and the financial transitions that come with suddenly being on your own. Leah never planned on a career in finance. She was a burnt-out teacher drowning in student loans when she took a temp job on a trading floor and discovered there was an entire language around building and protecting wealth that nobody had ever taught her. That humbling moment set her on a path from equity research analyst to founding her own firms in 2016. Today she helps people, most of them newly single, widowed, or freshly divorced, who are responsible for their finances for the first time and waking up at night worrying about money. Having been through her own divorce, Leah brings a rare empathy to the work, and her philosophy is simple: no two divorces are the same, so meet people where they are, give them grace and space, and remember it's their plan, not hers. Takeaways * Divorce financial planning is "financial planning on steroids" * Clarity starts with getting money worries out of your head and onto paper * A settlement is only as good as the plan behind it * Confidence to spend matters as much as confidence to invest * It's okay to get support — you don't have to figure it out alone Chapters * 00:00 Meet Leah Hadley & Her Two Companies * 01:07 From Burnt-Out Teacher to Equity Research Analyst * 05:50 Why Leah Specializes in Divorce * 08:03 Who Comes to Leah for Help * 12:36 The Woman With the Million-Dollar Settlement * 17:45 First Steps to Get Centered * 21:12 The Vision: It's Okay to Get Support * 25:38 What Onboarding Looks Like You can find them at: https://www.intentionalwealthpartners.co If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #divorce #womenandmoney #lifetransitions

  3. Aug 25

    Turning a Big Number Into a Paycheck with Josh Ackerman | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Josh Ackerman, financial planner and second-generation owner of Context Financial in Lexington, Kentucky, discusses how he helps successful people translate a lifetime of savings into a retirement they can actually understand. Josh's father started the firm in 2000 with a simple conviction: don't sell product, sell advice. That idea shaped everything — including a piece of coaching Josh still carries today: "two numbers and a story that connects them." It's the difference between handing a client a balance sheet and handing them something their brain knows how to process. Josh walks through what happens when "the switch flips" and a prospective client realizes retirement is going to happen to them, why the question keeping them up at night is almost always "how do I turn this into a paycheck?", and how a post-it note on a client's refrigerator became one of his favorite planning tools. Takeaways The "switch flips" when retirement stops being abstract and becomes realTwo numbers and a story beats a balance sheet every timeTurn a big number into a paycheck-sized number clients can actually understandThe value of a plan is in the planning — the conversations, not the documentSpeak English, not financial Chapters 00:00 Meet Josh Ackerman & Context Financial03:29 Two Numbers and a Story: Lessons from Dad07:52 Who Josh Serves — When "The Switch Flips"10:23 The Question Keeping Clients Up at Night13:05 Turning a Big Number Into a Paycheck17:52 Where Clients Come From: Referrals19:57 Vision: From 60 to 100 Households23:03 The Process: Fit Meeting to Ongoing Planning27:37 The Post-It Note & "The Value Is in the Planning"36:07 Red Ocean vs. Blue Ocean & the Identity Conversation39:12 "You Don't Talk Like a Financial Advisor" You can find them at: https://www.contextfinancial.com If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #retirementplanning #financiallifepanning #lexingtonky

  4. Aug 20

    Leaving Product Sales Behind with David D'Albero & Carmine Coppola | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, David D'Albero and Carmine Coppola, co-founders of Strata Capital, talk about the moment they decided they couldn't keep working for the company instead of the client. They met at MetLife's Premier Client Group, where the job was to sell a product and move on. They watched on a TV in the office as the news broke that they'd been sold to Mass Mutual, and when the new management told advisors to drop their planning and investment licenses and focus on "core product," that was the moment they looked at each other and knew they were leaving. Their next firm started better and ended the same way. Carmine describes a six-month stretch where he tripled his assets under management and watched his income go down, because he wouldn't sell someone a life insurance policy just to hit a goal. Today Strata Capital works almost exclusively with Fortune 500 professionals at the VP level and up: people with complicated benefit packages nobody has explained to them, tax bills they suspect are too high, and a growing question that David says is showing up in nearly every conversation now, which is whether they can walk out of the big stressful role early and still keep the purpose and the social side of work. David and Carmine build plans around the worst case rather than the best one, run every recommendation through a tax lens, and put the whole team in the room on every client case so no one is the single point of failure. Takeaways * Why true independence was the only way to work for the client * How complex corporate benefits get overlooked in most financial plans * The rise of semi-retirement and walking away from the grind early * Building a firm that outlasts its founders Chapters * 00:00 Meeting at MetLife and finding common values * 04:19 The TV announcement that started it all * 07:47 Who Strata Capital serves * 11:24 What keeps clients up at night * 12:50 The semi-retirement conversation * 20:00 Raising the standard of advice in the industry * 24:21 Onboarding and the war room approach * 29:13 A year in the life of a Strata client * 34:39 How to get in touch You can find them at: https://www.stratacapital.co If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #fiduciary #corporatebenefits #semiretirement

  5. Aug 18

    Garden-Glove Service for Family Offices with Jack Dwyer | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Jack Dwyer, President of Sunpointe Investments, talks about why he left a giant consulting firm to build a practice that shines a bright light on fees and conflicts and why he thinks of advising as garden-glove work, not white-glove waiting. Jack came to this as an Army engineer who commanded a bridge company in Iraq. He still uses that same instinct: take the fog of war, markets, taxes, family dynamics, a job change and boil it down to what actually matters for this family. He and his partner grew Sunpointe out of family-office work at Hammond Associates and Mercer, serving established offices alongside tech entrepreneurs and even other finance professionals. One moment that meant a lot to him: a fellow CFA charterholder hired them, first for his aging parents, then for himself. The through-line is what money is supposed to carry. Jack sits with kids as young as sixth grade to talk about how markets actually work. He helps grandparents put a family mission and five core values in writing. As he puts it, pass along personal values at the same time you’re passing along account values. Takeaways Garden-glove service: digging in beside families instead of waiting on themPass personal values with account valuesNext-gen education as early as sixth gradeA family playbook so you can adjust when life happensEven people who “could do it themselves” still hire a coach Chapters 00:00 From Army engineer to family-office advisor03:03 Why they built Sunpointe for transparency07:17 Family offices, entrepreneurs, and the CFA who hired them10:18 Preparing kids and grandkids for wealth15:27 Family playbooks when the plan meets real life21:29 Garden-glove service, not white glove22:29 Building out family governance, education, and giving26:52 How working together actually looks30:18 Where to start a conversation You can find them at: https://sunpointeinvestments.com If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #familyoffice #nextgenwealth

  6. Aug 14

    Life Beyond the Retirement Number with Andy Schelitzche | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Andy Schelitzche, financial advisor at Manifest Planning, discusses his comprehensive, relationship-first approach to financial planning. Based in the Minneapolis metro with a second office in the Chicagoland area, Andy and his team act as the "quarterback" for around 450 households, coordinating with CPAs and estate attorneys to solve holistic problems for their clients. Andy explains why most people delay finding an advisor until a life event forces the conversation, and why nearly every client tells him they wish they'd started five years earlier. He pushes past the obsession with "the number" to the question he really asks clients approaching retirement: what are you going to do at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays? Along the way he covers his onboarding process, the role client events play in building referrals, and his vision for growing the next generation of advisors at Manifest Planning. Takeaways * Retirement readiness is about lifestyle, not just a savings number * A financial plan is a lifelong relationship, not a transaction * Investments are one piece — real value is coordinating every part of your financial life * Life events are what finally move people to seek advice — don't wait * Prioritize competing goals by understanding what each truly requires Chapters * 00:00 Meet Andy Schelitzche & Manifest Planning * 03:25 Who Andy Works With & Why People Seek an Advisor * 08:27 What Keeps Clients Up at Night * 11:58 Building Lifelong Client Relationships * 18:45 Where New Clients Come From * 21:36 Vision for Growth & the Next Generation of Advisors * 25:57 The Onboarding Process & Annual Reviews * 32:46 How to Connect with Andy You can find them at: www.manifestplanning.com If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #retirementplanning #wealthmanagement #Minneapolis

  7. Aug 11

    Why Business and Personal Money Can't Stay Separate with Ryan Staton | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Ryan Staton, managing partner and co-founder of Staton Walsh, explains why the old advice to keep work and home life separate falls apart the moment you own the company. For a business owner, the two are already tangled, the succession plan is a family conversation, the balance sheet is a retirement plan, and nobody is treating them as one thing. Ryan's firm exists to put them back together. Most of his work lives in construction: trades contractors and government contractors, largely between Philadelphia and Northern Virginia. He walks through the prevailing wage math that decides whether a contractor can afford to offer benefits at all, the fringe dollars on a public contract, the 20 to 35 cents of payroll burden riding on every dollar paid in cash, and what a company can do with that money instead. It's a technical strategy with a very human reason behind it. Ryan grew up in a blue collar household, and the line he keeps coming back to is the one he hears from guys on the job site: "I'm going to do this as long as I physically can." He also shares how the firm measures itself. Not assets under management. The ten year goal is 20,000 people in their retirement plans, 500 families served, and 50 successful business exits. Big enough to serve the clients they have, small enough to still care. Takeaways * Building the bridge between business life and personal life * Prevailing wage strategy that funds benefits instead of payroll tax * Measuring a practice by impact, not assets under management * A behavioral questionnaire that tailors the process to each client * Intentional, boutique growth including a waiting list. Chapters * 00:00 Building the bridge between business and personal * 02:59 An accidental origin story in wealth management * 05:35 Why they left to start Staton Walsh * 07:31 Staying small on purpose * 09:44 The construction niche: trades and government contractors * 13:53 Prevailing wage, fringe dollars, and the 25-cent problem * 18:07 Retiring with dignity in a physically demanding trade * 19:15 Reputation, referrals, and the ABC partnership * 21:45 Ten year goals measured in people, not assets * 25:10 The real bottleneck: finding advisors who share the mission * 29:53 Discovery, strategy, implementation and the behavioral questionnaire * 35:18 What the first 90 days and the years after look like * 39:11 Where to find Staton Walsh You can find them at: www.statonwalsh.com If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #constructionindustry #businessexit #401k

  8. Aug 6

    The Tax Problem Retirees Can't Name with Michael Mezheritskiy | Financial Planner Search

    In this episode of Financial Planner Search, Michael Mezheritskiy, President of Milestone Asset Management Group, discusses why his ideal clients often know they have a tax problem but can't put it into words. Michael left a long career at Fidelity to build a fee-only practice that lives in projections, estimated payments, Roth conversions, and Medicare IRMAA management not product sales. He works with people who are retired or close to it, typically with enough assets that the real risk isn't running out of money. It's the tax bill waiting for them at RMD age, the widow's penalty, and the ten-year rule their kids will inherit. Michael also shares how monthly tax seminars fill his pipeline, how his team set a "road to a billion" goal, and why he uses an internship program to hire for attitude before credentials. Takeaways * Why many near-retirees feel a tax problem before they can explain it * Roth conversions as a way to manage RMDs, IRMAA, and family outcomes * Front-loading the "go-go" years instead of waiting to enjoy the money * Discovery and assessment before asking someone to commit * Building culture with internships while aiming for a billion under management Chapters * 00:00 Complex tax planning as the specialty * 01:43 The accidental start and the leap from Fidelity * 04:39 How tax planning became the differentiator * 08:31 Ideal clients: go-go, slow-go, and no-go * 11:28 The questions people ask (and the RMD conversation they avoid) * 13:50 Seminar marketing and the Roth conversion bucket * 16:39 The team's "road to a billion" vision * 20:44 Hiring for attitude and the internship filter * 25:13 Discovery, assessment, onboarding, and quarterly cadence * 31:33 How to connect with Milestone You can find them at: https://milestoneamg.com/ If you are a financial advisor looking to grow your business you can find out more about Wilnau Design at https://www.wilnaudesign.com/ #financialplanning #finance #financialplannersearch #taxplanning #rothconversions #retirement

See All (47)

About

Finding a financial advisor is easy. Finding the right one is hard. Most advisors look the same on paper — credentials, services, a polished website. But what you actually need to know is how they think, how they treat people, and whether you'd even enjoy working with them. That's what Financial Planner Search is for. Each episode, we sit down with an independent financial advisor for an honest, in-depth conversation. No sales pitch. No jargon. Just a real look at who they are, how they work, and who they're best suited to help. By the end, you'll know what they’re all about. Whether you're approaching retirement and looking for a fiduciary for the first time, thinking about leaving your current advisor, or simply want to make a smarter hiring decision — this show gives you the inside access you need.

Information

  • Creator
    Gregory Wilnau
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Gregory Wilnau
  • Show Website
    Financial Planner Search