Tag Archives: AI

Making the American Dream a Reality: A Conversation with Sathya Chey Patterson (Ep. 70)



In this episode of the Always On Podcast, host Duncan MacPherson engages in a profound and inspiring discussion with Sathya Chey Patterson CFP®, Esq., AIF®, Managing Partner at Arise Private Wealth. Recognized as a 2023 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisor and a 2024 AdvisorHub Advisors to Watch, Sathya shares her incredible journey from adversity to achievement, demonstrating the power of resilience and vision.

This conversation is divided into three compelling parts:

  1. Honoring the Past – Sathya’s remarkable personal story, including her family’s survival through the Cambodian genocide, and how those experiences shaped her perspective and purpose.
  2. Thriving in the Present – Insights into the strategies and tools she uses to differentiate herself as a financial advisor, from leveraging cutting-edge technology to building authentic client relationships.
  3. Designing the Future – Sathya’s vision for scaling her impact by empowering advisors and clients alike with a structured, values-driven approach to achieving financial independence.

Whether you’re a financial professional, a leader, or simply seeking inspiration, this episode delivers invaluable lessons on purpose, perseverance, and professionalism.

Resources:

Connect With Duncan MacPherson:

Connect With Sathya Chey Patterson:

About Our Guest:

Sathya is a trailblazing leader in wealth management, co-founder of Arise Private Wealth, and a dedicated advocate for empowering others through financial clarity and purpose. With nearly two decades of experience, she is renowned as a financial architect, crafting personalized strategies that secure her clients’ futures while helping them live purpose-driven lives. Her name, meaning “truth” in Sanskrit, reflects her commitment to understanding clients’ deepest needs and aspirations, enabling them to navigate complex decisions with confidence.

Born in a Thai refugee camp after her family fled the Cambodian genocide, Sathya’s story is one of resilience and transformation. Her journey fuels her passion for mentoring women and minorities, empowering them to achieve generational success. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CSRIC®, and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®, Sathya holds an MBA from USC and was named a 2024 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisor Best-In-State.

Beyond her practice, she serves on the Long Beach Commission for Women & Girls, the MemorialCare Governing Board, and supports critically ill children through Miracle for Kids. A wife, mother, and mindfulness advocate, Sathya is unwavering in her mission: to inspire others to create not only financial abundance but lives of profound meaning and impact.


Purpose-Driven Practice: Elevating Client Experiences with Rob Brown (Ep. 65)



Building meaningful client relationships is essential for long-term success in financial services.

How can you enhance client experiences and ensure lifelong fulfillment while delivering unmatched value?

This week, Duncan MacPherson is joined by Rob Brown, Founder of the Truest Fan Coaching and co-host of The Purpose-Focused Advisor podcast.

They explore the significance of purpose in building a client-centric practice, the distinctions between client service and client experience, and actionable insights from Rob’s book, “The Truest Fan” and its forthcoming sequel, “The Truest Fan Blueprint.”

They discuss:

  • Enhancing Client Experience: The difference between client service and client experience
  • The Truest Fan Blueprint: Rob’s upcoming book, which provides a roadmap for financial advisors to incorporate purpose into their practice
  • Balancing Productivity with Purpose: The importance of maintaining purpose-driven productivity and understanding clients to solve their problems effectively
  • Leveraging Technology: The role of AI and video messaging in personalizing client relationships and enhancing process efficiency
  • Personal Touches: The value of small, thoughtful gestures in client interactions
  • Niche Marketing: Strategies for identifying and serving specific client segments effectively
  • And more!

Resources:


Connect With Duncan MacPherson:

Connect With Rob Brown:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Rob Brown is the founder of Truest Fan Coaching and the author of Truest Fan: Live, Love, and Lead with Purpose and Impact and Delivering the Ultimate Client Experience. His journey from being a top financial advisor to becoming a sought-after mentor for hundreds of advisors highlights his leadership strengths. Now, as a coach to some of the industry’s top advisors, Rob turns his insights into actionable strategies—the foundation of Truest Fan Coaching. He also hosts The Purpose-Focused Advisor podcast, where he shares his experience and wisdom. His upcoming book, The Truest Fan Blueprint, will be released soon. On a personal note, Rob is a devoted husband, father of triplet daughters, proud grandfather, and a lifelong Cleveland Guardians fan.


The Power of Personalized Gratitude: Building Client Loyalty with Cathi Durrell (Ep. 64)



In this episode of the Always On with Duncan MacPherson Podcast, Duncan sits down with Cathi Durrell, co-founder of Lavish Cards, to discuss the power of personalized gratitude in building lasting client relationships for financial advisors. Discover how sending customized cards to clients can enhance your client retention strategies, foster loyalty, and increase client advocacy.

Cathi shares insights from her 12+ years of experience in helping financial professionals use hand-crafted greeting cards to make a lasting impact with clients.

Tune in to learn:

  • Why Thanksgiving cards can give your business an edge over competitors
  • How to make gratitude part of your daily routine to deepen client relationships
  • Real stories of financial advisors using gratitude to boost referrals and client advocacy
  • The BRAG method: How Belonging, Recognition, Appreciation, and Gratitude drive client engagement
  • A look at Lavish Cards’ One Card at a Time program designed for financial professionals

This episode is full of actionable strategies to humanize your client experience, foster stronger client loyalty, and generate organic referrals.

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Cathi:

 

About Our Guest:

Cathi Durrell, along with her husband Glen, who is a professional photographer, are the owners of Lavish Fine Art Cards, a company they co-founded 11 years ago. Lavish has grown extensively over the past 11 years and specializes in catering to the bespoke communication needs of their clients. The entire crew at Lavish are committed to creating and supplying the highest quality greeting cards. In her spare time, Cathi enjoys traveling and exploring “the back-roads” with Glen, in search of the next image for Lavish.


AI Insights and Breakthroughs — Especially for Advisors! with Kevin Bishopp (Ep. 61)



AI will not replace humans. It will replace humans who don’t embrace AI.

Ever-curious advisors committed to learning about AI’s latest use cases are more likely to achieve professional contrast and elevate their client experience!

To learn what’s new with AI (especially for advisors), join Duncan MacPherson’s conversation with Kevin Bishopp, Vice President and Performance Coach for the Advisor Consulting Group at First Trust. They explain why you shouldn’t fear AI, but rather leverage it for content creation, research, client communications, and much more.

They discuss:

  • The evolution of AI from early machine learning to generative AI
  • Practical applications of AI for financial advisors — with specific examples
  • How to use AI to see through the lens of your clients and discover unmet needs
  • Easy-to-use prompts you can start using right away
  • Recent AI breakthroughs and future potential
  • And more

 

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Kevin:

Promotions:

 

About Our Guest:

Kevin Bishopp is a Vice President and Performance Coach for the Advisor Consulting Group at First Trust. His focus is the best practices and mission-critical strategies that propel professionals/firms to be truly unique within the industry. His insights into key metrics, resource allocation, team structure, marketing and client acquisition equip professionals/firms to make high-quality strategic decisions that can generate dynamic results. Prior to joining First Trust, Kevin spent 12 years with Russell Investments, where he held positions as Director of Practice Management, RIA Channel Head and Business Development Director. In those roles, he focused on coaching, content creation, sales management, national account management, and business development. Before joining Russell Investments, Kevin spent 5 years as a wealth manager for The Bishopp Group LLC, a family-owned wealth management practice. In 1994, he started his career in financial services as an associate for Principal Financial Group. Kevin holds an MBA from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington and a BA in Finance from Eastern Washington University.


The Advisor of Tomorrow with Isaac Richard III (Ep. 59)



Newer advisors in the industry are always thinking of ways to not just survive but thrive.

Meanwhile, more experienced advisors want to attract younger talent as part of their continuity and succession plan.

Let’s explore this transition to the next generation and how it coincides with a similar wealth transition among clients. In this episode, Duncan MacPherson speaks with Isaac Richard III, CEO of Mavros Capital, about forward-thinking growth strategies that cater to the advisor and client of tomorrow.

They discuss:

  • How younger advisors can break through the “reputational equity” barrier
  • The evolving needs of Gen 2 clients and their family dynamics
  • The essential role of technology, particularly AI, in modernizing advisory services and client interactions
  • Actionable insights into advisor branding
  • How to enhance your fee-worthiness in the current environment
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Isaac:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Isaac Richard III is CEO of Mavros Capital, a premier multi-family office and strategic advisor to some of the world’s most accomplished and influential entrepreneurs, visionaries, athletes, families and institutions. Mavros integrates a platform of family office, asset management and investment banking solutions continuing to shape the future of how significant wealth is managed, how capital is deployed and how legacies are extended across generations.

Isaac manages the firm’s strategic direction and continues to serve select single-family offices and UHNW clients. As an avid investor, Mr. Richard chairs the firm’s Investment Committee, leading the Mavros expansion offering bespoke asset management strategies across both public and private markets that includes venture capital, private equity, private credit and real assets. Prior to Mavros, Isaac spent his career as a private advisor at Morgan Stanley & First Republic & J.P. Morgan.


The Future of Branding and Client Acquisition with Seth Diener and Alex Lerch (Ep. 55)



With messaging, the key is brevity, specificity, and proprietary.

You must choose your target audience, personalize your marketing to resonate with them, walk them through a proprietary process, and share their experience using effective testimonials!

Learn more about elevating your brand in this episode, as Duncan MacPherson speaks with Seth Diener, owner of Diener Money Management, and Alex Lerch, director of Oak & Stone Advisor Marketing. They explain how advisors can better focus their marketing efforts on their ideal audience — and then harness the power of AI during the implementation phase.

They discuss:

  • The multi-fold benefits of giving your process an identity (i.e., a brand within a brand)
  • How to garner a newfound appreciation from existing clients
  • How to use client testimonials in multiple ways and make the most out of them
  • Using AI to craft content (especially when the average human attention span is at an all-time low)
  • And more

Resources:

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Connect With Seth:

Connect With Alex:

Promotions:

About Our Guests:

Seth J. Diener is an independent Private Wealth Manager and is the founder of Diener Money
Management, a financial services firm in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Seth is a proud Pareto graduate and has implemented his proprietary process, The Flourish Formula,
throughout his operations, marketing and practice.

Alex Lerch is the Marketing Director for Oak & Stone Advisor Marketing, specializing in assisting
financial advisors for nearly a decade. He excels in developing marketing systems for advisors within
their practices, referral strategies, communication plans, and modern media to help advisors grow
their firms.

With a deep understanding of the industry and a focus on personalized solutions, Alex has established
a reputation as a trusted partner for financial advisors seeking marketing support.


Harness the Power of AI: Game-Changing Strategies for Modern Advisors with Craig Kirkpatrick (Ep. 52)

Harness the Power of AI: Game-Changing Strategies for Modern Advisors with Craig Kirkpatrick (Ep. 52)



Whether you like it or not, the world is quickly adopting artificial intelligence (AI).

Now, the choice is yours — Do you want to get on board and leverage AI to improve your business? Or do you want to risk falling behind other advisors?

To stay ahead of the curve, Join Duncan MacPherson and Craig Kirkpatrick, founder of Act-Three Consulting, to learn how to use AI to save time, connect better with clients, and expand your knowledge along the way. This insightful conversation will expand your thinking around how AI is here to serve you, not hurt you.

They discuss:

  • A methodical approach to AI prompting for better results
  • How to use AI for faster content creation (with insights about navigating compliance)
  • A list of up-and-coming AI tools that may be relevant to your business
  • Real-world examples of successful AI applications
  • Why the “human touch” will become even more important with the adoption of AI
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Craig:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

With over three decades of seasoned experience in the financial services sector, Craig Kirkpatrick is committed to educating advisors to help them better serve their clients. His Act Three journey is characterized not just by his prior achievements, but with relentless curiosity and dedication to empowering financial advisors through the understanding and application of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technologies.

Craig deeply values the potential of AI to enhance client interactions in financial advising, advocating for its integration as a tool for smarter decision-making and stronger relationships. His interest in blockchain, with certificates by DACFP and CAIA, underpins Act Three’s vision of understanding through education. Craig also co-founded Orinda Asset Management, where they launched pioneering liquid alternative mutual funds. Before Orinda, Craig co-founded Kensington Investment Group which launched one of the first long-short REIT mutual funds, a REIT preferred fund, and a global infrastructure fund. Craig is a grounded professional, who, through Act Three, continues to explore and advocate for the future of financial planning and asset management, guided by innovative technologies.


Timely and Timeless Best Practices with Chris Jeppesen (Ep. 50)



In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of financial advising, get ready to discover timely and timeless strategies that help you achieve professional contrast and create enduring value for clients.

In this 50th-episode special, Duncan MacPherson is back with co-author of The Blue Square Method, Chris Jeppesen, Chief of Advisory Practices at First Trust. Gleaning from their life experiences and the success stories of high-performing advisors, they share valuable best practices to achieve long-term growth.

They discuss:

  • Why more and more advisors are finding personal rejuvenation in their work
  • The upcoming retirement wave in the industry and the opportunities it presents
  • A process-driven approach to exhibiting empathy and personalization 
  • How AI is revolutionizing financial services
  • The power of testimonials in building trust and attracting clients
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Chris:

Promotions:

About Our Guests:

Chris Jeppesen is the head of advisory practices at First Trust, a firm known not only for its robust investment product line which includes UITs, ETFs, SMAs, and VAs (to name a few) but also for its commitment to the growth of financial advisors. First Trust has dedicated many years to finding (and investing in) creative ways to help financial advisors grow their practices. Chris’ goal over the last 18 years has been to give financial advisors the tools to develop an efficient business model focused on building long-term client trust and loyalty. Chris is also the co-author of The Advisor Playbook and The Blue Square Method.


One Good Idea to Build Strong Client Relationships with Cathi Durrell

One Good Idea to Build Strong Client Relationships with Cathi Durrell (Ep. 45)



People are bombarded with hundreds of emails and messages daily.

In a world dominated by digital communication, you need to do something that stops your clients in their tracks. You have to snap them out of the trance… But how?

In this episode, Duncan MacPherson joins Cathi Durrell, owner of Lavish Cards, to discuss how to build intimate relationships through personalized, hand-made cards that your clients will treasure for years to come! Get ready to get at least one good idea to elevate your client experience.

They discuss:

  • The emotional impact of receiving a surprise card
  • Real-world examples of greeting cards serving as a bridge for referrals and advocacy
  • Simple yet incredibly effective ideas for lumpy mail
  • The use of AI in enhancing the card-sending experience
  • Why greeting cards are a great way to connect with the next-generation
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Cathi:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Cathi Durrell, along with her husband Glen, who is a professional photographer, are the owners of Lavish Fine Art Cards, a company they co-founded 11 years ago. Lavish has grown extensively over the past 11 years and specializes in catering to the bespoke communication needs of its clients. The entire crew at Lavish is committed to creating and supplying the highest quality greeting cards. In her spare time, Cathi enjoys travelling and exploring “the back roads” with Glen in search of the next image for Lavish.