Planning & Beyond® - Where financial planning meets human understanding

Ashley Quamme

Planning & Beyond® is for financial advisors who want to go beyond the numbers and build deeper, more trusted client relationships. Hosted by Ashley Quamme, a licensed therapist and financial behavior specialist, this podcast helps advisors better understand the psychology, emotions, and behaviors that shape client conversations. Each episode offers practical strategies you can apply in discovery meetings, prospect conversations, difficult money discussions, and major life transition planning. Through conversations with experts in behavioral finance, financial psychology, and financial therapy, Ashley explores how advisors can strengthen communication, navigate emotional moments, build trust, and support clients with more confidence. If you want to improve the way you connect with clients, ask better questions, and bring more empathy and clarity into your planning process, Planning & Beyond® will help you sharpen the human side of your advisory work. Topics include: Mastering discovery and prospect meetingsNavigating difficult money conversationsUnderstanding client psychologyBuilding trust and deepening client relationshipsManaging emotional client situationsImproving advisor-client communicationApplying behavioral finance strategiesSupporting clients through life transitions New episodes release weekly. Subscribe for practical conversations on the human side of financial planning. Learn more at Beyond the Plan.

  1. 22h ago

    57. Crafting Relatable Conversations to Attract Ideal Clients with Derrick Kinney

    Text us to share what you found helpful! What do you say when someone asks, “So, what do you do?” For many financial advisors, that simple question can turn into a missed opportunity. In this episode, Derrick Kinney, bestselling author and founder of Success for Advisors, joins Ashley to talk about how advisors can explain their work in a way that feels clear, natural, and relevant. Derrick walks through his “you know how” framework, a simple way to start conversations by naming a problem the other person already recognizes. Instead of leading with “I’m a financial advisor” and watching people tune out, Derrick shows advisors how to speak to the real worries their clients and prospects are carrying. Ashley and Derrick also talk about why advisors often rely too heavily on titles, credentials, and services when prospects are really listening for one thing: do you understand the problem I need help solving? Derrick explains how clearer language, a slower pace, intentional pauses, eye contact, and body language can help advisors sound more caring, confident, and trustworthy. Episode Highlights: How to use the “you know how” framework in everyday conversationsWhy “I’m a financial advisor” often does not say enoughHow to identify the real problems your best clients came to you to solveWhy simple language works better than polished industry languageHow tone, pauses, and body language shape trustHow to talk about your work without making the conversation feel forcedWhy the right words can open the door to stronger prospect conversationsRESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About the Guest Derrick Kinney is a bestselling author and founder of Success for Advisors, where he helps financial advisors communicate more clearly, attract ideal clients, and grow through better conversations. His work focuses on helping advisors explain the problems they solve in simple, relatable language so prospects can quickly understand their value. Connect with Derrick Kinney: Website: https://www.successforadvisors.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickkinney Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derrickkinney/?hl=en Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: https://www.planningandbeyond.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-quammeBeyond the Plan®: https://www.beyondthefp.comMonthly Newsletter: https://www.beyondthefp.com

  2. Jul 23

    56. The Missing Piece in Wealth Planning: Beneficiary Education with Torri Hawley

    Text us to share what you found helpful! Welcome back to Planning & Beyond®. Today Ashley sits down with Torri Hawley, Chief Learning Officer for Tamarind Learning, about the role financial advisors can play in family wealth education. Torri brings both professional and personal experience to this conversation. She is a seventh-generation member of an enterprising family, and she has seen firsthand what helps rising generation clients feel included, respected, and prepared, and what makes them shut down. Ashley and Torri talk about what advisors often miss when working with younger family members and downstream clients. Torri explains why family wealth education needs more than a vague promise to “educate.” It needs a clear on-ramp, defined topics, structure, activities, and a real understanding of what clients actually need at their stage of life. In this episode, Ashley and Torri also discuss: How advisors can build trust with rising generation clientsWhy younger family members should be treated as future clients, not side conversationsWhat family wealth education looks like when it is done wellWhy generic education libraries and slide decks often miss the markHow to shape education around a client’s interests, life stage, and confidence levelWhy psychological safety matters when talking about wealth, inheritance, and family rolesHow advisors can support family wealth education while staying in their laneThis conversation is especially useful for advisors who work with families, business owners, inheritors, or rising generation clients and want to approach wealth education with more care, structure, and intention. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About the Guest Torri Hawley, CFWA, CFBA is the Chief Learning Officer for Tamarind Learning in the U.S. and has a decade of experience working with enterprising families. She is also a seventh-generation member of an enterprising family that owns a 150-year-old operating company. From an early age, Torri was empowered to take an active role in governance, helping form a family council and championing next-gen education and engagement. She now serves on her family office and operating company boards. Torri is passionate about helping next-generation family members build confidence and credibility through education, empowerment, and practical learning. Connect with Torri Hawley: Website: https://tamarindlearning.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torri-hawley/ Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: https://www.planningandbeyond.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-quammeBeyond the Plan®: https://www.beyondthefp.comMonthly Newsletter: https://www.beyondthefp.com

  3. Jul 16

    55. Retirement Realities: What Advisors Need to Know About Client Psychology and Support with James Woodfall

    Text us to share what you found helpful! Retirement is not just a date on the calendar. It is a major life transition that can affect a client’s identity, routines, relationships, and sense of purpose. In this episode, Ashley welcomes back James Woodfall for a conversation about the psychology of retirement and what financial advisors need to understand as clients move from working life into retirement. James shares findings from his recent research in developmental psychology, including how concepts like continuity theory and role theory can help advisors better understand what clients may be feeling during this season of life. He explains why too much change can feel destabilizing, even when the change is positive, and why clients often need to hold on to what still feels familiar as they adjust. In this episode, Ashley and James also discuss: What continuity theory can teach advisors about retirement planningWhy clients often need stability and familiarity during retirement transitionsHow structuring retirement income like a monthly salary can help clients feel more secureWhy retirement conversations should start before the actual retirement dateHow advisors can help clients think through identity, purpose, and new roles after workWhy financial advisors often become the “default retirement counselors” for their clientsTune in to better understand the emotional side of retirement, ask better questions, and support clients through one of the biggest transitions of their lives. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About James Woodfall James Woodfall founded Raise Your EI in October 2023 after 15 years as a financial planner and business owner. Through science-based emotional intelligence training, he helps financial planners, wealth management teams, and private banking professionals improve communication, build stronger relationships, and lead more effectively. James is also the author of the best-selling book Financial Planning for Entrepreneurs, a certified behaviour analyst, a Six Channel Analysis System trainer, and an e-Factor® coach-trainer. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION 19. Mastering Emotional Intelligence in Financial Planning: How EQ Drives Client Trust and Business Growth with James Woodfall About the Guest Connect with James Woodfall: Website: https://raiseyourei.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswoodfall/ Newsletter: Sign up for his weekly insights on his websiteConnect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: https://www.planningandbeyond.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-quammeBeyond the Plan®: https://www.beyondthefp.comMonthly Newsletter: https://www.beyondthefp.com

  4. Jul 9

    54. Augmented Intelligence: How AI Can Elevate Your Financial Practice and Human Connection with Matt Halloran

    Text us to share what you found helpful! In this episode of Planning & Beyond®, Ashley talks with Matt Halloran, Chief Evangelist at Zocks, about how AI is changing the way financial advisors work with clients. Ashley and Matt talk through how advisors can use AI to reduce the time spent on notes, follow-up, and other admin tasks that often pull attention away from clients. Matt explains how the right tools can help advisors stay more present in meetings, listen more closely, and create a better client experience. They also discuss the value of in-person events, the importance of real connection in an increasingly digital industry, and what advisors can do with the time they get back when technology takes repetitive work off their plate. In this episode, you’ll hear: The difference between artificial intelligence and augmented intelligenceHow AI can help advisors spend less time on admin workWhy being fully present matters in client meetingsHow better tools can support stronger client relationshipsWhy in-person connection still matters in financial servicesHow advisors can use reclaimed time to grow personally and professionallyExamples of how AI is helping advisors become more human, not lessMatt’s message is clear: financial advising is not only about numbers. It is about trust, presence, and relationships. This conversation is a strong fit for advisors who want to use technology without losing the personal side of their work. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION 25. Shut Up and Listen: How Strategic Listening Skills Transform Client Relationships with Matt Halloran About the Guest Matt Halloran is a human-centered communication expert and Chief Evangelist at Zocks. He helps financial advisors build deeper relationships and create meaningful impact through better listening and authentic connection. A seasoned keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, and three-time author, Matt blends practical tools, real-world stories, and his HOPE framework to help advisors communicate more clearly, lead with intention, and stay human in an increasingly digital world. Connect with Matt Holloran: Book: https://www.amazon.com/Shut-Up-Listen-Matt-Halloran/dp/B0DKVZVZDSTedtalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLh-st00UYcEvent advisors: https://event-advisors.net/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgpthalloran/Insta: https://www.instagram.com/mattgpthalloran/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoreHumanwithZocksZocks: https://www.zocks.io/mattgptConnect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: https://www.planningandbeyond.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-quammeBeyond the Plan®: https://www.beyondthefp.comMonthly Newsletter: https://www.beyondthefp.com

  5. Jul 2

    53. The “Why I Care” Story: How Financial Advisors Build Trust Faster with Deirdre Van Nest

    Text us to share what you found helpful! A prospect sits across from you with a decision to make. Before they share the full truth about their money, their fear, their family, or the choice they keep delaying, they are quietly asking one question: Can I trust you? In this episode of Planning & Beyond®, Ashley sits down with Deirdre Van Nest, keynote speaker and founder of Crazy Good Talks®, to talk about strategic storytelling and why your personal brand “why I care” story matters. Deirdre explains why this story is not simply about why you got into the business. It is about helping clients understand why their lives, decisions, and outcomes matter to you. Deirdre shares the personal experience that shaped her mission and how that awareness now fuels her work helping advisors communicate in a way that builds trust faster and moves clients toward decisions they might otherwise delay. Ashley and Deirdre also break down three types of strategic stories advisors can use: the personal brand why I care story, the desire story, and the analogy or illustrative story. Each one has a different purpose. One builds trust. One creates desire without sounding salesy. One makes a complex idea easier to understand and remember. The conversation also challenges a common message advisors often hear: don’t talk about yourself. Deirdre offers a more nuanced view. Tune in to learn more. You’ll walk away with: How vulnerability can build trust without oversharingWhy storytelling is a skill you can build, not a talent you either have or do not haveHow one advisor used his story to improve prospect-to-client conversionWhy your story does not have to be tragic to be powerfulWays to use your story in meetings, video, referrals, and client communicationThis episode is for the advisor who wants to communicate with more clarity, humanity, and confidence. Because when clients understand why you care, they are more likely to trust what you know. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About the Guest Deirdre Van Nest is a keynote speaker and founder of Crazy Good Talks®, a firm that helps revenue-producing entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and leaders turn communication into a measurable business advantage. She and her team help clients build trust faster, convert quicker, and communicate at a level most never reach, so when they walk into a room, they do not just enter it, they own it. Connect with Deirdre Van Nest: Website: https://crazygoodtalks.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvannestStory Creation Template: https://crazygoodtalks.com/asset-creation/Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: https://www.planningandbeyond.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-quammeBeyond the Plan®: https://www.beyondthefp.comMonthly Newsletter: https://www.beyondthefp.com

  6. Jun 18

    52. Death and Money: How Advisors Can Support Clients Through Grief and Loss with Rose Zealand

    Text us to share what you found helpful! A client calls, and the news is big. A terminal diagnosis. A sudden death. A surprise windfall that should feel like good news but somehow doesn't. The plan you built so carefully is no longer the point, and the person in front of you is not the same person who sat in your office last quarter. So what do you actually do in that moment? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Rose Zealand, a CFP, Certified Financial Transitionist, and end-of-life doula who works at the intersection of death and money. Rose founded Golden Thread Collaborative to support people facing life-limiting illness, and she has a rare gift for naming what happens to clients, and to advisors, when life stops following the plan. Rose offers a working definition that reframes the whole conversation: acute crisis is transition without anticipation. It is the T-bone event, the thing nobody saw coming. She walks through why crisis can be positive or negative, and why a sudden windfall can leave a client more isolated than a loss, because the people around them assume there is nothing to grieve. From there, Rose lays out how an advisor can show up. Think of your role as a force field around the client, buffering them from pressure and premature decisions. Notice the signs of dysregulation. Ask permission before you ground someone. Use the Now, Soon, Later tool to turn a swirl of urgency into two or three things that truly cannot wait. Become the keeper of the list so your client does not have to carry it alone. You'll walk away with: A clear definition of acute crisis and how it differs from ordinary financial stressWhy positive crises often come with less support, and how to spot that lonelinessSimple, consent-based ways to help a dysregulated client come back to the presentThe Now, Soon, Later approach for clients who feel everything is urgentA practical aftercare plan, including the menu of support that beats "let me know if you need anything"Clear signals for when to bring in a specialist, and how to invest in your own grief and trauma literacyYou are not your client's therapist. As Rose puts it, sometimes your job is to let them be a mess without trying to fix it, and to keep holding them in high regard while they find their footing. This is a conversation for any advisor who has ever sat across from a client in crisis and quietly thought, I have no idea what to say right now. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About the Guest Rose Zealand is a CFP, a Certified Financial Transitionist, and a trained end-of-life doula. She is the founder of Golden Thread Collaborative, a Colorado-based practice that supports people in their 40s and 50s facing a life-limiting or potentially life-limiting diagnosis through the financial, logistical, emotional, and existential challenges of dying too soon. Structured more like a coaching engagement than a traditional planning relationship, her work also supports financial advisors who have younger clients moving through acute crisis. Connect with Rose: Website: deathandmoney.comLinkedIn: Connect with RoseNewsletter: Threads of Insight (twice monthly, available through her website) Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: Planning & Beyond®LinkedIn: Ashley Quamme - Licensed Therapist & Financial Behavior SpecialistBeyond the Plan®: Financial psychology integration servicesMonthly Newsletter: Subscribe at BeyondTheFP.com

  7. Jun 4

    51. Showing Up as Yourself: Why Authenticity Is a Business Strategy for Advisors with Justin Castelli

    Text us to share what you found helpful! You change clothes before a client meeting and feel like you are putting on a costume. Someone asks what you do at a conference and you lead with your title and your AUM, never the parts of your life that matter most. And underneath the professionalism, there is a quiet exhaustion you cannot quite name. In this episode, Ashley talks with Justin Castelli, a financial advisor of more than 20 years and the founder of RLS Wealth, now doing business as Santiago. Justin has built a reputation for showing up as unmistakably himself, and he argues that authenticity is not a personality perk. It is a business strategy and a buffer against burnout. Justin starts where most advisors do not. He introduces himself as a father and a husband first, advisor second. From there, he and Ashley get into what authenticity actually means, and why it does not require blowing up your life or your firm. You can be true to yourself inside real constraints, including a dress code or a compliance department. One insight worth sitting with: performing a version of yourself you are not is expensive. As Justin puts it, it takes energy to be someone who is not true to you, and over time that becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back. When advisors stop performing, they enjoy the work more, and clients feel that shift too. Ashley and Justin also explore authenticity as a series of low-risk experiments rather than one permanent decision, the difference between leading with your heart and overriding it with your head, and the story behind the Santiago rebrand and Justin's move toward life planning. You will walk away with: A reframe that treats authenticity as something you practice within constraints, not an all-or-nothing leapWhy surface-level performing drives advisor burnout, and what changes when it stopsPlaces to experiment: how you dress, who you serve, how you serve, your fees, and your brandA gentler way to think about niche, starting with the clients who energize youLanguage for the moment a client faces a values-versus-logic decisionJustin also names something many advisors quietly feel. Sometimes the honest question is not how do I serve clients better, but how did I get here. This is a conversation for any advisor who has wondered whether the practice they built still fits the person they have become. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About the Guest Justin Castelli is a financial advisor with more than 20 years in the profession and the founder of RLS Wealth, which he has run since 2015 and recently rebranded as Santiago. A prolific creator, Justin writes a daily note and a blog, hosts a podcast, and produces video, all built around what he calls "the business of the authentic life." Through Santiago he is moving toward life planning and a more collaborative, coaching-informed way of working with clients. Connect with Justin: Website (everything in one place): justincastelli.ioFirm: RLS Wealth, doing business as Santiago (santiago.life)LinkedIn: Connect with Justin Castelli Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: PlanningAndBeyond.comLinkedIn: Connect with AshleyBeyond the Plan®: BeyondTheFP.comMonthly Newsletter: Subscribe at BeyondTheFP.com

  8. May 21

    50. What Is the Human Side of Money? A 50th Episode Conversation with Brendan Frazier

    Text us to share what you found helpful! You've heard the phrase. It shows up in keynotes, LinkedIn posts, firm marketing, and increasingly, your own conversations with prospects. But if someone put you on the spot and asked what "the human side of money" actually means, could you articulate it? And more importantly, could you tell them what to do about it on Monday morning? For the 50th episode of Planning & Beyond, Ashley zooms way out with Brendan Frazier, Chief Behavioral Officer at RFG Advisory and host of The Human Side of Money podcast. Brendan has been sitting with this exact question since 2017, when reading The Undoing Project cracked open his interest in behavioral finance and set him on a path that quickly outgrew that label. Together, Ashley and Brendan unpack why "behavioral finance" was only ever the gateway, not the destination. They walk through the many dimensions that make up being human (individual, relational, cultural, societal) and how money layers on top of all of them. They draw a distinction that most advisors have never had named for them: the difference between the human side of money (what's happening inside your client) and the human side of advice (how you actually do this work). You'll hear Brendan's honest take on where advisors should start (hint: it's not a four-step framework), Ashley's Five Human Domains as a reframe of traditional planning categories, and the research-backed reason why helping clients vividly picture their future changes behavior in the present. A few ideas you'll walk away with: Why money is a tool to fund the life someone wants to live, and what that means for how you structure conversationsThe "just-in-time learning" approach to building behavioral skills without getting overwhelmedHow to think about security, freedom, connection, legacy, health, and growth as the real planning categoriesWhy communication skills offer the highest ROI of anything you could develop as an advisorThis one is less tool and technique, more map and compass. If you've been doing this work for a while and feel like you're ready to think about it at a different altitude, press play. And thank you, seriously, for being part of 50 episodes. RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION About Brendan Frazier Brendan Frazier is the Chief Behavioral Officer at RFG Advisory and the host of The Human Side of Money podcast, where he has spent hundreds of conversations translating behavioral science, psychology, and communication research into practical tools for financial advisors. His work sits at the intersection of behavior change, client communication, and advisor practice management. Connect with Brendan: The Human Side of Money Podcast: Available on all major podcast platformsLinkedIn: Brendan Frazier (most active, daily content)RFG Advisory: Monthly blog and newsletter on applying the human side of adviceWebsite: rfgadvisory.com Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: Planning & Beyond®LinkedIn: Ashley Quamme - Licensed Therapist & Financial Behavior SpecialistBeyond the Plan®: Financial psychology integration servicesMonthly Newsletter: Subscribe at BeyondTheFP.comAdvisor Foundations Community: Learn more about the 7 Core Relational Skills by joining our community!

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Planning & Beyond® is for financial advisors who want to go beyond the numbers and build deeper, more trusted client relationships. Hosted by Ashley Quamme, a licensed therapist and financial behavior specialist, this podcast helps advisors better understand the psychology, emotions, and behaviors that shape client conversations. Each episode offers practical strategies you can apply in discovery meetings, prospect conversations, difficult money discussions, and major life transition planning. Through conversations with experts in behavioral finance, financial psychology, and financial therapy, Ashley explores how advisors can strengthen communication, navigate emotional moments, build trust, and support clients with more confidence. If you want to improve the way you connect with clients, ask better questions, and bring more empathy and clarity into your planning process, Planning & Beyond® will help you sharpen the human side of your advisory work. Topics include: Mastering discovery and prospect meetingsNavigating difficult money conversationsUnderstanding client psychologyBuilding trust and deepening client relationshipsManaging emotional client situationsImproving advisor-client communicationApplying behavioral finance strategiesSupporting clients through life transitions New episodes release weekly. Subscribe for practical conversations on the human side of financial planning. Learn more at Beyond the Plan.

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