Clients are looking for answers on lifestyle changes and advisors must be able to give them options, even before they start asking, Brown said. Advisors, she said, should pass on stories of other clients who have been able to successfully navigate their lives. “Our clients really like to hear what our other successful clients are doing. They know we are surrounded by successful individuals,” she said. “So, I think this is a really important area for advisors. We need to understand the math but maybe step aside from the math and help them through what lifestyle options exist for them.”
Bradley added that the numbers are important, but this is a time when the human side is more of a driver. She said with everything that’s been going on with the economy and wars, putting together a financial plan that may not mesh with someone’s plans is a challenge.
“And there is nothing worse than seeing a beautiful financial plan and a long-term financial relationship fall apart because of some emotional driven something that’s going on,” she said. “And the truth is, we don’t know how other people feel, we don’t know what’s going on inside. This is the kind of environment that we are all in right now. It brings out different things.”