In Episode #011 of The Efficient Advisor Podcast, Michelle Klisanich and I talk about how to nurture and spoil your Centers of Influence. Whether tax season is around the corner or it's just time for a little extra, she's sharing a Surprise and Delight idea she's rolling out this tax season. And when I see a good idea, I have to pass it along.
RESOURCE LIBRARY
I know advisors are looking for services and vendors ALL THE TIME. But, where do you even start!? Well, look no further than The Efficient Advisor's Resource Library. This is a collection of vetted services handpicked by moi! These are people and products that I have worked with personally in my own business or have had advisors I work with recommend (and then I vet!). I will only ever recommend a product or service that I trust and believe in.
Please do me a solid and let them know The Efficient Advisor sent you!
Podcast Sponsors
Systems & Technology
T2MWorks
Most firms already use AI, but the payoff comes when it's tied into your systems, workflows, and data. T2M Works builds and maintains that foundation so follow-ups happen automatically, your CRM stays current, and you're ready for every SEC exam. The AI does the work. You make the call.
Quin
Great client meeting, then an hour of follow-up waiting for you. Quin is an AI assistant built for advisors that takes your meeting notes, drafts follow-up emails, updates your CRM, and sets reminders, giving you back up to 15 hours a week. You can even talk to it while you're driving, so it's like finally having that dream assistant.
Asset Map
Efficiency matters both behind the scenes and in front of clients, and Asset-Map covers both. Thousands of advisors use it to turn complex client data into one interactive, easy-to-follow snapshot that makes meetings more engaging and decisions easier. Try it today or schedule a demo to see how much time you can save.
Team & Hiring
Belay Solutions
Chasing documents, updating CRM notes, and wading through your inbox shouldn't keep you from the work only you can do: helping clients grow their wealth. Delegation is your most valuable tool, and BELAY matches you with U.S.-based Client Services and Executive Assistants who are background checked, identity verified, and experienced in wealth management ops.
Claire Myers Consulting
Scaling takes a team, but finding people who want to grow and take on more is the hard part. Claire Myers Vitale is a headhunter who works exclusively with financial advisors, placing everyone from executive assistants to fully licensed directors of operations. She's helped many advisors I work with find great team members, and her 90-Day Guarantee backs it up.
Templates
Client Family Tree Template
In Episode #146, I show how I used a Family Tree Template to manage client data, connect more deeply with clients, spot new opportunities, and help my team understand our clients better. Make a $15 or more donation to my favorite charity and you'll get a copy of the template, so you don't have to build your own.
Death of a Loved One SOP
When a client loses someone they love, you shouldn’t have to wing it. The Death of a Loved One Client Care SOP, created with grief expert Ashley Quamme, walks your team through exactly what to do and say. Pay what you want (starting at $39.99), with every dollar going to St. Jude.
Planning & Education
The Financial Planning School
Financial Planning School by MindShift Financial helps advisors turn planning into a clear, paid part of their business. You'll learn how to structure your offer, separate it from asset management, set your fees, and talk about the value with confidence. Choose a self-paced course or a live six-month cohort, and if you've been giving planning away, you'll get the framework and language to go from "free to fee."
Use discount code LIBBY to get 10% off!
One-Page Financial Plan Masterclass
I get asked all the time about one-page financial plans, and we used them in our own business because they simplify your recommendations so well. I've partnered with The Perfect RIA to offer this masterclass to my listeners. You'll walk away knowing how to turn even the most complicated financial situation into a one-page easy read.
Tax Tools
37-Point Tax Return Checklist
When I was an advisor, analyzing tax returns set our service apart, but it took years of research and software tinkering to figure out how to add real value. I searched high and low for a CPA who could support that work and came up empty. Having Steven Jarvis and RTS early on would have saved me a ton of time and headache, and he's made his 37-point tax return checklist available for a ridiculously low price.
Start-to-Finish Roth Conversion Guide
Most advisors recommend Roth conversions and backdoor Roths, but in my own practice we kept finding out the CPAs had botched them. RTS created a comprehensive guide to IRS Form 8606 that walks you through it line by line, plus the five questions to ask on every backdoor Roth so you, your team, and their CPAs get it right.
Value Adds
Legacy Letter Challenge
Blake Brewer is on a mission to help parents leave their kids a legacy beyond finances, and he partners with advisors to help them become indispensable to their clients. His Legacy Letter Challenge was even featured on the Today Show, and it's a low-effort, high-impact value add. Here's the process I'd follow to roll it out in my own practice.
Attorney Care Package Gift Ideas
In Episode #011 of The Efficient Advisor Podcast, Michelle Klisanich and I talk about how to nurture and spoil your Centers of Influence. Our care package for CPAs during tax season was a huge hit, so this year we've pulled together ideas for spoiling the attorneys you work with. My suggestion: have a process (shocker) for surprising and delighting them.
Productivity
The "Focus Gummies" I'm Obsessed With
Don't worry, they're not drugs! In Episode #170, I break down how I found, tested, and tweaked these focus gummies, which added 90+ minutes a day to my productivity (full transparency: they haven't worked for everyone). If you're easily distracted, give them a try, since they're risk-free with a full refund. Choose the Brilliant Gummies 1-pack subscription, not the single purchase, because it's way cheaper.
