Behavioral Finance 2.0: Meeting Clients Where They Are

In this episode of Managing Your Practice, host Stephen de Man speaks with Brian Portnoy, founder of Shaping Wealth, about whether clients see advisors as a mechanic or a guide. Portnoy argues that advisors fill both roles, but the guide role is less understood, and that becoming a wiser guide matters as technical knowledge becomes more commoditized. The discussion links that role to empathy, self-reflection, self-care, and referral-worthy moments of genuine connection.

1. The episode asks whether clients perceive advisors more as a mechanic or a guide.
2. Portnoy believes modern financial advisors fill both roles, but the guide role is less understood.
3. He makes the case that becoming a wiser guide is vital as technical knowledge becomes more commoditized.
4. Portnoy says the empathy required to be a wiser guide must start with self-reflection and self-care.