• They appeared mentally and physically fatigued.

  • They had a few very simple things to do for your work with them, but didn’t get them done.

    • None of this is extraordinary. There are stages of transition and there are predictable patterns of struggles.

    To get from what was to what will be almost always takes much longer than anyone would have thought and certainly longer than anyone wants. Why? Because of all of the wonderful things that make us who we are: our emotions, our relationships, our expectations, our hope and dreams, our history of resilience (or lack thereof), our mindset about stress and about change, and our own unique style of processing new information and events.

    In short, the difficulties that arise live in the personal side of money—the Rodney Dangerfield of financial advisory that has only recently begun to get some respect. And I’m thrilled to see that finally shifting.

    However, we have a long way to go and our attention has strong competition in robo-advisors and meeting new fiduciary requirements. Everyone is stretched for time as well as undeniably affected by the political landscape.

    So what can you do, right now, to better serve your clients-in-transition? Absent formally studying the human dynamics of financial change, you can do something truly revolutionary: begin your own odyssey of adaptation.

    Too many advisors are taken aback by the seemingly odd, uncharacteristic behavior of their clients. But—and here’s the problem—they press on, ever the expert, comfortable with their position as the authority on all matters financial. Underneath the veneer of expertise and confidence, however, they simply don’t know what to do with their clients…or with themselves.

    It usually takes years of internal work, formal training and real-time experience to become fluent in skillfully handling clients-in-transition. Coming to grips with the reality that the trainings for the most prestigious certifications in our field focus on the technical side and merely accommodate for the personal is a crucial, humbling moment of reflection. But so much can be done. For starters:

    • Practice (and practice and practice) listening deeply and completely, with your only agenda being ensuring your client knows they are heard and understood.