Behavior Gap Radio: Exploring human behavior...with a Sharpie

We've reached the end of our series on Talking About Money. I'm sure I'll come back to this topic again, but today, I want to leave you with plea. Both as advisors and human beings, don't give up on this discussion. You are going to bump up against uncomfortable things during these discussions. That's OK. Embrace it. Work through it, and don't ever stop talking about money. To learn more about being a real advisor, visit behaviorgap.com.

Whenever you're talking about money, be it with clients, your partner, your spouse, everyone gets a time out. You must honor this need to hit the pause button, particularly when things head south, and it becomes clear that emotion trumps everything else you're discussing. You can come back in a few minutes or wait until the next meeting, but good conversations about money will probably require taking a break. To learn more about how to have these conversations, visit behaviorgap.com.

Finding Enough by Carl Richards: Human Behavior, Creativity, Behavioral Finance

Basement thinking. It happens to the best of us. We've had a long day. We're stress from work. We're just done. Then, something happens. The AMEX bill gets opened. Somebody mentions how much they miss the beach. Because we're in the basement, our first instinct is to throw a verbal dagger. "How could you spend that much?" "Of course, let me work harder so you can go to the beach." You know what I'm talking about because you've either done it or had it done to you. Just stop. Take a deep breath and hit the pause button. To learn how to have better client conversations, sign up for my free mini course at behaviorgap.com.

To keep breaking our money-talking taboo, it helps to think about three things: time, place, and energy. We shouldn't avoid money conversations, but we also should make sure that we have the energy to deal with the emotions. So if the right moment presents itself, don't miss the chance to have that conversation, but I also encourage both clients and advisors to schedule a regular time and place to have these conversations so we don't avoid important discussions. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, sign up at behaviorgap.com.

One of the most important things you'll need to remember about money involves a hat. It's the No Shame, No Blame hat, and you'll need to wear it during your personal money conversations, and you'll need to encourage your clients to wear it during there's. Because as experience and research has shown, shame doesn't help us have the kind of conversations that will lead to better decisions. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, visit behaviorgap.com.

When we talk with clients about money, we need to find ways to remove ego from the discussion. One of my favorite tools is the Overnight Test. It gives people permission to back away from earlier investing decisions and make much-needed course corrections. It's also a great way for dealing the emotions we've invested in some of our financial decisions. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, visit behaviorgap.com.

Get Off the Treadmill by Carl Richards: Human Behavior, Creativity, Behavioral Finance

How do you have good, healthy conversations around money? In today's episode, I'll cover the conversations we have as advisors with clients and the conversations we have about our own finances. As real financial advisors, the things we learn, both in our work and with our own finances, creates a valuable feedback loop we can learn from. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, visit behaviorgap.com

At the core of helping people make good decisions with money is helping people get clear about their values and goals. I realize that no one comes in your office asking for that kind of help. In this episode, I'll walk through why it's so important to have make sure this kind of conversation happens with your clients. You can learn more about being a real advisor by signing up at behaviorgap.com.

In many countries and cultures, we've been taught to NOT talk about money. But it's so important that we break that taboo because failing to talk about money means we often fail to align our use of capital with what we say is most important to us. This is part one in my series, Talking About Money. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, sign up for the Behavior Gap Newsletter: www.behaviorgap.com.

Financial advisors are used to talking about money, but with other people. Even the "experts" can struggle to talk about money in their personal lives. I know. I'm speaking from experience. I love having these great conversations with clients, but when I go to talk about money with my wife or kids, it becomes less easy. This episode marks the start of a new series focused on how to talk about money. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, sign up for the Behavior Gap Newsletter: www.behaviorgap.com.

When I first start working with clients, there's a period of time I refer to as the financial pornography detox. It's when you'll get calls from clients wanting to know what they should do based on what some talking head said or some headline they read. Your job as a real financial advisor is to help them detox from this nonsense and understand they don't need to do pay any attention to this so-called investment news. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, sign up for the Behavior Gap Newsletter: www.behaviorgap.com.

You Choose: 5 Days or 5 Years by Carl Richards: Human Behavior, Creativity, Behavioral Finance

Real financial advisors are the release valve for their clients. But that valuable service comes at a personal price, often both physical and mental. That's why it's so important take time for ourselves to reset, that we leave a little slack in the system. To do so means we need to redefine what "work" means for a real financial advisor. To learn more about being a real financial advisor, sign up for the Behavior Gap Newsletter: www.behaviorgap.com.