Monthly Archives: November 2023

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Episode #53 Using Financial Advisor Podcasts to Acquire Ideal Clients with Misty Lynch, CFP®



Have you ever wondered if the hosts of financial advisor podcasts actually get new clients from it?  Is all the effort worth it? 

And, by the way, do many of your prospects and clients seem to have limiting beliefs and mistaken assumptions about money?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates and his guest Misty Lynch, CFP®, author of the book Demystifying Money and host of the Demystifying Money Podcast have a lively discussion on these two (and other) topics. 

Misty shares her journey from a financially struggling family to becoming a top financial advisor, highlighting the power of a positive money mindset. 

She explains how her unique blend of financial planning and life coaching helps clients overcome financial challenges and make informed decisions. 

Additionally, Misty discusses the power of financial advisor podcasts, and reveals how podcasting has helped her acquire more ideal clients and bring great value to many listeners.

Bill and Misty discuss: 

  • Her personal story of how her interest in finance started in grade school and was solidified by her parents’ financial struggles.
  • Her decision to marry become both a Certified Financial Planner AND a Certified Life Coach. 
  • Why she wrote her book Demystifying Money and how it serves as a credibility builder, lead magnet, and referral tool.
  • How she went from hosting a Radio Show to her current podcast, and how it helps her attract ideal new clients.
  • The two effective strategies to monetize financial advisor podcasts.
  • Her experience as the host of the television show HeartBroke, a money-makeover show with ten different couples – revealing their money mindsets and improving their financial situation.
  • …And more!

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Misty Lynch:

About Misty Lynch:

Misty Lynch, CFP®, is a personal finance expert and the Owner and CEO of Sound View Financial Advisors, LLC. Misty hosts the unscripted reality show HEARTBROKE and the Demystifying Money podcast. She is also the author of DEMYSTIFYING MONEY and a personal finance expert and resource for media outlets, including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, CNBC, CNN, Investopedia, Real Simple, Student Loan Hero, and many others.

Investopedia named her one of the Top 100 Financial Advisors in 2021, and US News and World Report called her one of the 9 Women in Finance to Follow “because sometimes you need life advice, not just financial advice.”


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Episode #52 Using Curiosity to Ignite Your Prospecting & Client Acquisition with Chris Ridgway



While curiosity may have killed the cat, it didn’t hurt this advisor!

How about you?  Have you developed a strong Curiosity Muscle?  Do you exercise it often as you endeavor to bring more ideal clients into your business?

Curiosity will serve you well in this business:

  • You will meet new people.
  • You will serve your clients better by knowing more about them.
  • You will learn about other’s in your clients’ lives who could be candidates for your important work.

Today’s featured guest, Chris Ridgway, has attained rapid success in this business through personal observation, curiosity, and a strong belief in his value.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Chris Ridgway, Growth and Development Director & Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual. They explore the power of curiosity in the financial advisory industry, emphasizing the importance of being genuinely interested in people and their stories. Additionally, Chris shares his unique approach to client acquisition through observation and connection, finding common interests, and aligning values.

Bill and Chris discuss: 

  • Curiosity as a valuable trait for financial advisors.
  • How Chris implements personal observation in daily interactions.
  • How to obtain the contact information of prospects, and the reason for follow-up after a conversation.
  • Chris’ unique “Pillar of the Community” approach to meeting CEOs and other high-level prospects.
  • How laying out your entire process and philosophy to Centers of Influence can help build trust and referability while creating productive COI relationships. 
  • The power of nesting in a company to turbo-charge prospecting opportunities. 
  • …And more!

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Chris Ridgway:

About Chris Ridgway:

Chris Ridgway is the Growth and Development Director & Financial Advisor at Northwestern Mutual.

Chris believes the starting point of any financial conversation should be with you — your life, your family, your priorities, and your goals. He will listen to what’s important to you and design a financial plan from multiple strategies specifically designed to help get you where you want to be.

Chris is committed to helping you get closer to your dreams. When you partner with him, you can expect a judgment-free, pressure-free environment with conversations that will be jargon-free. Chris strives to provide you with the best experience possible


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Episode #51 Creating Interesting, Edgy, and Authentic Content Marketing for Financial Advisors That Turns Prospects into Clients with David B. Armstrong, CFA



This is an interview you don’t want to miss.

David Armstrong, CFA has found a way to message his value and attract new clients who are perfect for his business.

He does it in a genuine, compelling, and slightly fun way. 

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews David Armstrong, President & Co-Founder of Monument Wealth Management. They explore the importance of finding the right fit with clients and the value of clear and compelling messaging. They talk about the role of differentiation in the financial industry and the benefits of content marketing for financial advisors.  

Bill and Dave discuss: 

  • The importance of differentiation and how to convey that to prospective clients.
  • Why losing a client can be a “gift” to the firm.
  • The powerful crossroads where Digital Marketing & Referrals come together to produce a flow of ideal clients.
  • How Dave and his team incorporate humor into their website and marketing materials to create an authentic and relatable brand.
  • Dave’s decision to bring dogs to the office, the positive response from clients, and the impact on the firm’s culture and branding.
  • How Dave’s outspoken “critic” of the financial services industry has become a magnet for great clients.
  • Reasons for starting a podcast as a means to better communicate important information and connect with clients.
  • How the right content marketing for financial advisors can be used to generate a clear and tangible ROI.
  • …And more!

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Dave Armstrng:

About our guest:

Dave Armstrong discovered his passion for finance in his mid-20s. Unable to spend money over several different deployments while serving in the Marine Corps, he became a self-taught investor. He proudly remembers his investing performance to be, “Along with a few bucks of cash income as a bouncer, good enough to pay for a graduate degree, a new car, and two years of living expenses.”

After returning home from active duty for an MBA at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina, Dave became a CFA Charterholder and started working at a large Wall Street firm in New York City. After 8 years, it became abundantly clear to Dave that the financial services industry was drowning in a sea of sameness. He felt that true wealth planning either didn’t exist or was nothing more than a smokescreen to generate a generic asset allocation and sell products. Creativity was nonexistent, the culture was focused on shareholder profits first, and advisors were accountable to sales managers, not their clients.

He was unimpressed, to say the least—and very, very bored. So, fed up with it all, he co-founded Monument Wealth Management in May of 2008 and experienced a very real-life example of the difficulty in market timing.

Dave is a combat veteran and served as an officer in the United States Marines Corps on both active duty and in the reserves, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He proudly tackled his post-retirement, mid-life crisis head-on by journeying out on a solo, month-long backpacking trip along the Pacific Crest Trail which totaled over 200 miles through the California Sierra Mountains.

He currently hosts the OFF THE WALL podcast with co-host Jessica Gibbs, where they interview top experts on topics aimed at helping founders and high-earning execs build wealth with purpose.

He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation which stewards the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico Virginia, The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and The Station Foundation which assists Special Operations warriors navigate the rough terrain of transition and reintegration back to civilian life.

His passions outside of work are fostering dogs for the Lab Rescue of Central Potomac, cheering on his beloved Gamecocks, quoting 80’s movies, and scoring under 100 on the golf course. His two current hobbies are hosting the Moments in Leadership podcast, where he conducts long-form interviews with senior military leaders, and Ham Radio but admits that could change at any moment because his wife Sara keeps calling him a dork.