The word “align” is key. Helping clients make or save more money with no deeper understanding of what the money is for can be done by robo advisors or call-center advisory services offered by Vanguard, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade or Schwab for 0 to 35 bps. If you compete in this market, you will fail and fail fast.

Rather, it’s about helping clients be more aware of their values, purpose and goals, so that regardless of whatever emotion they’re feeling (e.g., freaking out with what the market is doing), your clients can behave in a way this is aligned with what gives them greater satisfaction in life. And who wouldn’t want that?

Certainty Of Uncertainty

If all this talk about alignment, values, purpose and behavior feels too “soft” to you, then Lennick has another way to position your value.

He says you can position yourself as a truth teller and “the truth is uncertainty.” And your value arises when you prepare your clients, “for the certainty of uncertainty.”

As you talk to clients, Lennick says you can frame your value this way.

I don't know what's going to happen. Now, it's appropriate for you to expect that I have educated guesses and I do, but they're still guesses. I don't know what's going to happen for sure. What I do know is I can prepare you for whatever happens, such that whenever you need money for whatever the reason, there will be a smart place to get it.

Whenever you need money, no matter what's going on in the world, you can call me and we'll have a smart place to get that money from. That will help me help you make a rational decision even though you might think the sky is falling and the world is coming apart. We'll be ready. We'll be ready for the financial implications of dying. We'll be ready for the financial implications of living. We'll be ready for the financial implications of not being healthy and the financial implications of being healthy and we'll be ready for the markets being up or the markets being down.

This “certainty of uncertainty” and “smart place to get your money” framework is a great way to describe your value because it combines your financial acumen with your behavioral coaching. And it can naturally lead into the values, purpose and goals conversation I described earlier so there’s no disconnect.

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