Zebra Smash - Real Financial Planners | Real Conversations

In our research for our PowerPoint presentation episode, we learned about William Playfair, and the world hasn't been the same since. Loyal listeners will recall that, among other things, Playfair invented (yes, INVENTED) the bar chart, the line chart and the pie chart.  For most people, that "among other things" would be pretty insignificant. But not for William Playfair. Not only did he birth data visualization into the world, William claimed to have introduced the semaphore telegraph to England, blackmailed a Scottish lord, and participated in the storming of the Bastille. Not bad for a day's work.  In honor of this Scottish Rogue of the Enlightenment, we're releasing the first song from our upcoming musical about the life of Playfair, where he contemplates the potential love of his life, Alexa Bisoap. This one's a keeper.  For those interested in learning more about Playfair, Cara Giaimo wrote this piece on Atlas Obscura in 2016: The Scottish Scoundrel Who Changed How We See Data For even more, Bruce Ber

Through the magic of podcasting, we find ourselves whisked away to sunny Phoenix for the 2018 FPA Retreat.  Our guide on this mystical journey is our friend Holly Donaldson, who attended in person and took copious notes. Here's Holly's post-conference reading list.  Like we said, she took copious notes... Richard Wagner, Financial Planning 3.0 George Kinder,  A Golden Civilization (not published yet) Martin Seligman, Well-Being Theory George Leonard, The Master’s Journey Cindy Wiggelsworth, Deep Change, Inc. Ken Wilber, Integral Approach to Money Ed Schein, Helping Chip and Dan Heath, Switch Chip and Dan Heath, Decisive Sidney Homan, A History of Interest Rates Melanie Swan, Blockchain Marianna Mazzucato, The Value of Everything Dennis Stearns, Fourth Quarter Fumbles Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air Peter Diamandis, Steven Kotler, Abundance Lisa Feldman Barnett, How Emotions Are Made (mentioned in 2 different sessions) Jacob Needleman, Money and The Meaning of Life Groopman and Hartzband, Your Medical

Our 50th episode and our 4th metasode!  What is a metasodo?  Well it's a meta-episode, in which we provide an update on everything going on behind the scenes here at Zebra Smash.  Are our finances still terrible?  (Answer: yes)  Are we still having fun?  (Answer: yes)  Are people downloading the show?  (Answer: We're not sure)  We cover these questions and more.

We chatted with Dr. Wade Pfau about his 2011 paper, Safe Savings Rates: A New Approach to Retirement Planning over the Lifecycle.  It's really the accumulator phase version of Bill Bengen's famous 4% rule for retirees. For CFP CE credit, be sure to go to www.cheetahsmash.com to take a 10 question quiz. Here are the papers discussed in the episode: Safe Savings Rates: A New Approach to Retirement Planning over the Lifecycle - Journal of Financial Planning Getting on Track for a Sustainable Retirement: A Reality Check on Savings and Work - Journal of Financial Planning

Yes, a podcast episode about PowerPoint.  There's a decent chance you dislike PowerPoint and everything it represents, but the truth is that PowerPoint is here to stay.  We'd might as well study how to use it effectively. This is an episode we've wanted to do for quite a while now, so we're excited about it.  Be sure to listen to the bonus section at the end, in which Roger describes his first memory of a PowerPoint slide.  The story involves the Nobel prize, an unexpected pregnancy, and the homecoming queen. Following are links to some of the things we talked about: Kurt Vonnegut video on the shape of stories Five ways to reduce PowerPoint overload - Atkinson, Mayer Minard's map of Napoleon's invasion of Russia William Playfair's Wikipedia entry - He invented bar and pie charts! Buckminsterfullerene's Wikipedia entry - The relevancy of this topic is revealed in the last 8 minutes of the episode.

We return to our not-very-popular series in which Ben and Roger interview themselves on or near their birthdays.  In Part 1, Ben interviewed Roger on his journey to becoming an financial planner.  In this second part, Roger interviews Ben. We get to hear about how he overcame being a Californian, how he found himself doing stand up comedy, and how he found his calling as a financial planner.  And since we've been joking about it for 14 months, we also found a way to talk about his studies in kinesiology.

Tired of using your Alexa device just to check the weather and store your grocery list?  We have a solution: the brand new Zebra Smash Alexa Skill. Our Alexa skill isn't another lame podcast app.  Nope.  Instead we built a turn by turn adventure game.  Collect items and encounter mythical creatures as you attempt to "win" a financial planning conference. How do you enable the skill and then play the game?  Two steps: Step 1: Say "Alexa, enable Zebra Smash" Step 2: Say "Alexa, open Zebra Smash" Ben learned the hard way that saying "Alexa, play Zebra Smash" gets you to a place you don't want to be, so be careful to follow the steps above to the letter. Best of luck, and let us know what you think. Links: Wired - Inside the Alexa Prize Develop an Alexa skill in 5 minutes or less

We visited with Patrick Briaud from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  His firm works with mega donors from corporate entities, foundations, and ultra high net worth families, but it was clear from the conversation that the tools and frameworks they use can apply to clients of all sizes.  Have a listen as we go through the steps to build a solid philanthropy plan that reflects the clients true goals and values. In this episode, we went through Rockefeller's excellent workbook: Your Philanthropy Roadmap.  

Two conference recaps in a row?  Do Ben and Roger ever do any actual work in their offices?  Probably not, but that's for another episode.  In the meantime, they're back with all of their findings and opinions on the NAPFA South symposium, which took place on Monday, February 12, 2018.

We recorded this one fresh off the back of the TD Ameritrade conference.  Ben, who attended, took a break from his overstuffed post-conference inbox to record a recap.

Holly Donaldson, (for NAPFA members listening, you know her as Holly Thomas), built her business as a plug and play operation.  Clients would go to her for financial planning, but with her help they could plug into whichever 3rd party investment manager they saw fit.  Why did she go that route, and how did it work out?  And what sorts of clients were drawn to her approach?

Fresh off of his presentation at the NAPFA 2017 Fall National Conference, Brad Breeding, CFP(R) of myLifeSite.net joins Ben and Roger to talk about aspects that planners need to consider when discussing aging plans/living arrangements with clients.  Brad has a unique perspective in this area, having worked as an advisor for 14 years before launching myLifeSite.net. In that time, he fielded so many questions about Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) that that identified a need for resources and databases related to general questions about CCRCs, various contract types, the application process, and how to research specific communities.  In this episode, Brad touches on: The age/life phase when most folks need to seriously consider long-term aging plans Pros and cons of "Aging in Place" Considerations of defaulting to a family caregiver, and the limitations of direct home care providers Defining elements of most Continuing Care Retirement Communities Differences between the three primary CCRC contrac

On a cold January 2nd, 2018, we spoke with Linda Leitz over Skype about why she went back to school to get her PhD, and how that experience has shaped her as a practitioner and as someone who serves in leadership roles within the profession.  Linda has done great work for financial planners for years, so its no surprise that one of her motivations behind going back to school was to look for new ways to help the profession grow and improve. Links: Linda's Dissertation - She said it couldn't be found!  Google said otherwise. Heat Pumps in Cold Weather - A lot of articles say they work fine, but we know better.

This is the first in what will be a two part series, in which your co-hosts interview each other.  This time around, Ben interviewed Roger.  Here's your chance to learn the origin story of the curmudgeon you've heard in your earbuds over the past year. Part One of this series took place near Roger's birthday on Christmas Eve.  Part Two will be coming soon on or near Ben's birthday.

One 2017 business story you might have caught was IBM's decision to eliminate all remote work.  They announced it during the spring, but basically if you want to work at IBM, you have to work in the office.  No more working from home. No financial advisory firm has reached IBM's size and complexity just yet, but we grapple with the pros and cons of remote work just like they do. In this episode, we chat with Bethany Griffith of the Abacus Planning Group, who continues to work for her South Carolina firm while living in Germany.   Bethany mentions two helpful systems that keep her connected to her firm, which we've linked to below: Allworx phone systems Yammer, an internal chat/social media solution

Anyone who has taken the CFP® exam knows that it's a long, steady process, followed by what feels like incredible excesses in free time. But hardcore ZebraSmash listeners want to know how to fill that void with new reading materials, 'cause they're crazy like that.  In this episode, Roger and Ben talk about the 5 books they recommend for folks who have just put away that insurance textbook and have Amazon gift card burning wholes in their pockets. Roger's list leans more on the managerial/enterpeneur side, while Ben's list touches on history, marketing,  psychology and communication. All in all, it's an impressive list.    Roger's Books High Output Management (Andrew Grove) The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen) The Lean Startup (Eric Ries) Getting Things Done (David Allen) Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson) And here's the Youtube interview Roger mentioned. (not free) Ben's Books Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk (Peter Bernstein) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert Cialdini

The next episode in our series of conference summaries.  Thanks to Chad Smith for taking great notes at the Fincon 2017 conference

Nothing - and we mean nothing - says Thanksgiving holiday like hiding out in your room with a plate full of turkey and cranberry sauce and an industry-specific book. And we we have the book for you! In this very special episode, Roger and Ben review Philip Palaveev's G2: Building the Next Generation. Roger spouts page numbers, Ben recites chapters, we have a spirited debate over the appropriateness of always sending in firm principals to close sales...it's just just like Thanksgiving dinner, but with your favorite ZebraSmash co-hosts.  We both liked this book a lot, particularly because it spoke both to G2 professionals and to firm founders, which seems like a first to us. We highly recommend it to both groups. Topics include: Defining and recruiting G2 Transitioning lead advisors in client relationships - getting G2 from "second chair" to the lead role G2's role in Business Development Management of teams, managing "up" to founders, and management of self (e.g,, the elusive work-life balance question) Buyin

Roger missed the NAPFA Fall conference due to theatre commitments back home in Texas, but his wife Natalie was there and was willing to share her experiences with us.  Did she sugarcoat her review to avoid any awkwardness with conference chair Ben Birken?  (Hint: No)

It's not easy coming up with a snappy, ironic title about employee benefits for government workers. So in the spirit of government service, we're not really going to try. Instead, we're going to let this episode's topic speak for itself.  Kevin Lozer, CFP(R) of ClearLogic Financial in Reston, VA joins Roger and Ben to talk about the workplace benefits and planning opportunities for federal government employees. In this episode, we cover: The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including differences between the two, benefit calculations, and survivor benefits.  The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP; the federal government's version of the 401(k)), including investment options, the awesome power of the G Fund investment option, and the quirky rules around withdrawals.  The myriad of health plan options available to government workers The interplay between Medicare Part B and the Federal Employees Health Benefit program for retirees Long Term Care Insurance and Lif