November Chapter Program

 Friday November 14th
Hyatt Regency, DTC

Guest Speaker: Susan Zimmerman

How to ACE the Hard Part of Soft Skills in Financial Planning
pre-approved for 2 hours of CFP CE credit 

Ace means “one that excels,” and the goal of November’s program is for you to leave with new confidence and skills when dealing with client emotions. Susan will share her A.C.E. steps to effectively manage financial discussions that may require resolving conflict or confronting problematic behavior. She’ll provide specific “phrases for phases” of the planning process using the ACE steps to help ease the way with common, yet challenging situations. She’ll relay specific wording suggestions on how to refer clients for therapy or other services without igniting defensiveness or anger. You’ll also learn how to use the 3M’s to raise client awareness of their own patterns, and how to cultivate new behavioral habits to best support their goals. You’ll also experience stress management techniques from the latest neuroscience studies that help combat many forms of stress or burnout.

Lunch will be served at this meeting. Registration and networking from 11:30 am - 12 noon.
Meeting begins promptly at 12 noon

Want to learn more about our committees or our chapter in general? 
Member orientation will commence at 11:00am. 

Meet our speaker for November:

 
Susan Zimmerman, ChFC 

Susan Zimmerman, ChFC, is also a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). She co-founded Mindful Asset Planning, an Independent RIA firm, with Steven Zimmerman in 1988. In her primary role as communications consultant the past ten years, Susan is known for her creativity and pragmatic training programs. She’s frequently interviewed in television and print media, including Investment News, MONEY, The Wall Street Journal, Ticker, Smart Money, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Susan currently serves on the Financial Therapy Association board and has served on the boards of the Minnesota FPA and the National Speakers Association-MN.

Susan’s new book in 2014, Mindful Money for Wealth and Well-Being: Help Clients Strike a Balance in Financial Planning was listed as #1 must read book for advisers by Investment News. It provides methodologies from the psychology world tailored for financial planning discussions.  Susan speaks to financial practitioners on how to use therapeutic language practices when emotions show up in the financial planning meeting. She calls this “the hard part of soft skills” because traditional training has focused primarily on technical analysis. Her tips help advisers gain increased comfort and effectiveness communicating therapeutically when needed for client progress.

Her research and assessment on motivational patterns in personal finance was nominated for an EIFLE Award (Excellence in Financial Literacy Education). It scores the primary money motives that drive individuals’ attitudes and actions. Having a structure to introduce financial psychology and relay findings with clients saves time and eases the discomfort of unfamiliarity for both client and advisor. Advisers report improved persuasive communication skills that help increase revenues, relationship cooperation, and energetic leadership.