In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Leo Anzoleaga, Senior Vice President of Residential Lending at Luminate Bank.

Leo breaks down what's really happening in today's housing market, from fluctuating mortgage rates to persistent inventory shortages, and how these dynamics are impacting buyers across different stages of life. He explains why today's real estate environment cannot be painted with a single national brush and how regional factors, hybrid work models, and demographic shifts continue to shape local markets.

More importantly, Leo shares how a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist approaches lending differently. Rather than treating a mortgage as a standalone transaction, he views it as an integrated part of a client's overall financial plan aligned with taxes, investments, estate planning, and long-term goals.

In this conversation, Leo discusses:

1. The real story behind today's mortgage rate fluctuations

2. Why inventory shortages are tied more to new construction than resale

3. The financial psychology of giving up ultra-low pandemic mortgage rates

4. How mortgage planning can help advisors retain assets under management

5. Creating additional investable assets through strategic financing decisions

6. The opportunity cost conversation around paying cash vs. leveraging debt

7. Strategies to engage millennial and Gen Z clients before wealth transfers occur

8. Innovative client events that build education, trust, and next-generation relationships

Leo also shares real-world case studies of how mortgage modeling can help advisors quantify opportunity costs and provide clients with neutral, data-driven decision frameworks.

For advisors looking to integrate mortgage strategy into their planning conversations—and deepen collaboration with lending professionals—this episode offers actionable insights.

Guest Links

Website: https://www.luminate.bank

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leoanzoleaga

Recommend a Podcast Guest

👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Smarter Planner Podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, a company that helps small businesses, authors, and startups build credibility and visibility through strategic press release distribution.

With nearly three decades of experience, Mickie explains what a press release really is and what it isn't. While many advisors assume PR is expensive, outdated, or ineffective, Mickie breaks down how the right story, placed in the right channel, can lead to meaningful media coverage, stronger SEO, and increased trust with prospective clients.

In this conversation, Mickie shares:

• What makes a press release newsworthy (and why most fail)
• Why human-interest stories outperform corporate announcements
• How local media can be one of the most powerful and overlooked channels for advisors
• The role of press releases in SEO and AI-driven search results
• How media coverage builds long-term credibility, improves conversion rates, and reduces client churn

Mickie also discusses why advisors don't need to appear "big" or overly polished to attract media attention and how authenticity, personal stories, and even contrarian viewpoints can help advisors stand out. He outlines practical ways advisors can start exploring PR without a massive budget and why consistency matters more than a single press hit.

Guest Links

Website: https://www.ereleases.com

Free PR Masterclass: https://www.ereleases.com/plan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/publicity/

Recommend a Podcast Guest

👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

____________________________________________________________________________The Smarter Planner Podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath welcomes Michael Kitces, Chief Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com.

In this conversation, Michael shares research-backed insights on what truly drives productivity in advisory firms and what surprisingly does not. Drawing on data from hundreds of advisory firms, he explains why revenue per advisor is one of the most consistent and meaningful ways to measure productivity across business models.

Michael discusses:

• Why technology alone rarely delivers the productivity gains advisors expect

• How team structure, delegation, and role clarity create real leverage

• The optimal size of advisory teams and why productivity often declines as teams grow too large

• How hiring the right support staff can dramatically increase capacity and revenue

He also challenges advisors to rethink pricing, sharing why fee compression is largely a myth and why many above-average advisors undervalue their work. Michael explains how pricing is a lever advisors are allowed and encouraged to use to build sustainable, scalable firms that reflect the true value they deliver.

Guest Links
Website: https://www.kitces.com
Podcast: Financial Advisor Success Podcast
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkitces

Recommend a Podcast Guest
👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Carl Richards, CFP®, creator of The Sketch Guy column for The New York Times, where for more than a decade he translated complex money ideas into simple, hand-drawn sketches.

Carl has built and sold a successful investment firm and is now a sought-after speaker and bestselling author of The Behavior Gap, The One-Page Financial Plan, and Your Money: Re-Imagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches. He is also the host of the podcast Behavior Gap Radio.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Carl challenges advisors to rethink how they communicate with clients. While advisors are trained to manage complexity, Carl argues that actual value lies in elegant simplicity. He explains how the overuse of jargon and technical language can unintentionally distance clients and why most people nod along even when they don't understand what's being said.

Carl shares why simplifying financial conversations helps clients:

• Feel truly heard and understood
• Build trust more quickly
• Engage more deeply with their financial decisions
• Stay focused on what actually matters to their lives

He also explores the difference between simplistic and elegantly simple, why visual communication is so powerful, and how one-page sketches can unlock more meaningful conversations. Looking ahead, Carl discusses the rise of artificial intelligence and why the future value of financial planners lies not in calculations but in human wisdom, presence, and empathy.

Guest Links

Website: https://behaviorgap.com

Podcast: Behavior Gap Radio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlrichards

Recommend a Podcast Guest

👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

________________________________________________________________________________
The Smarter Planner Podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, welcomes Ed Dressel, president and owner of Retire Ready Solutions, a company empowering advisors to simplify retirement education — especially for middle-income workers and pension-eligible employees.

With nearly 40 years in the industry, Ed has identified a critical disconnect: advisors love complexity, but clients crave simplicity. When presentations are too technical, clients feel lost and miss the most essential questions about their retirement readiness. Ed explains how shifting from over-analysis to interactive simplicity helps clients:

-Truly understand their retirement path

-Express their values and priorities

-Make informed decisions with confidence

-Stay engaged long after the meeting ends

He also shares how Retire Ready Solutions' tools help advisors show on one page whether a client is on track and how minor improvements (like 1–2% contribution increases) can dramatically boost outcomes without overwhelming them.

Website: retireready.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwarddressel/

👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

____________________________________________________________________________

The Smarter Planner Podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, sits down with Mike Padawer, CLTC, founder and president of Inertia Advisor Services Group and Carefidence, to discuss why financial planners must shift their approach from simply paying for care to truly planning for care.

Mike—author of What's the Deal with Long-Term Care and co-author of What You Don't Know About Retirement Will Hurt You—shares how advisors can guide clients through the emotional, legal, and financial realities of aging with intention.

He explains how most advisors stop at the funding question ("Can the client afford it?"), missing the more profound planning questions that matter most:

• Who will provide care?
• Where will it happen?
• And how can families avoid conflict and crisis when the time comes?

Mike outlines his four-step framework—Awareness, Assessment, Alignment, and Action—that helps advisors integrate long-term care into every financial plan with empathy and clarity.

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.inertia-asg.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-padawer/

Recommend a podcast guest:

👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

____________________________________________________________________________

The Smarter Planner Podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.

In this episode of The Smarter Planner Podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, sits down with Ari Galper, founder and CEO of Ari AI — the world's only trust-based proprietary AI sales growth advisor — to explore how financial planners can build deeper trust and stronger client relationships in today's commoditized advisory landscape.

Ari, author of seven bestselling books including Trust in a Split Second and Unlock the Sales Game, explains why we're in what he calls a "trust recession." He challenges the traditional focus on relationship-building and free consulting, showing instead how advisors can earn trust faster by adopting a doctor–patient approach — diagnosing problems before offering solutions.

Together, Belle and Ari unpack:

• Why "value" and "education" are no longer effective trust builders

• How to shift from being "shopped" to becoming the trusted choice

• Practical ways to change your first meeting language to build instant credibility

• How emotional connection—not intellect—is what drives client commitment

• The role of AI in transforming trust-based communication and client engagement

Learn how to stop chasing prospects and start creating trust in a split second.

Guest Links:
Website: AriGalper.com
Book: TheTrustBook.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arigalper

Recommend a podcast guest:
👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

The Smarter Planner Podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.

In this episode of The Smarter Planner podcast, host Belle Osvath, CFP®, sits down with Jane Mepham, CFP®, founder of Elgon Financial Advisors, to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of financial planning for immigrants and foreign nationals living in the United States. Jane, a former H-1B visa holder herself, brings a deeply personal and professional perspective to helping clients bridge two financial worlds- from understanding tax treaties and global reporting requirements to navigating cultural expectations around money and family support.

She also shares insights from her podcast, The International Money Café. She explains how collaboration between financial planners, immigration attorneys, and tax experts is essential for clients with cross-border ties.

Website: https://elgonfa.com

Podcast: https://www.theimcafe.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemepham/

Kitces Article-

https://www.kitces.com/blog/investing-for-work-visa-holders-nonimmigrant-challenges-foreign-workers-h1b/

Recommend a podcast guest here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWXHTV7

The Smarter Planner podcast is produced by the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (FPA NCA) for educational purposes only. Belle Osvath and FPA NCA do not endorse specific individuals or services mentioned.