The New Skool

In The New Skool season finale, we break down the core lessons from Season 3 into a practical marketing blueprint rooted in authenticity, clarity, and connection. You’ll learn how to align your internal brand with external messaging, modernize your COI strategy, and turn overlooked tools like client communications and events into growth engines. Whether you're stuck on a plateau or building momentum, this episode is your cheat sheet for marketing that actually works.Key takeaways:Your website and messaging should reflect what it’s actually like to work with you.COIs aren't just attorneys—expand to all professionals your ideal client interacts with.Client communications and events can create trust, deepen relationships, and generate referrals.Connect with us: Beverly Flaxington on LinkedInMatt Middleton on LinkedInRishi Bharathan on LinkedInCandice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Since the SEC’s 2023 marketing rule update, client reviews have become a game-changer for financial advisors—fueling both trust and search visibility. In this episode, Rishi Bharathan, CEO of WiserAdvisor, shares why reviews are no longer optional and how even a handful can dramatically improve your SEO and credibility. We dive into how to start collecting reviews strategically, address concerns around negative feedback, and use authentic client voices to build real competitive advantage. Whether you manage $25M or $250M, this conversation will help you rethink organic growth in a review-driven world.Key takeaways:Prospects form up to 90% of their impression before ever speaking with you—your reviews matter.Google rewards user-generated content, making reviews a powerful SEO tool.A sustainable review strategy starts with a representative client sample and builds trust over time.Connect with us: Rishi Bharathan on LinkedInWiserAdvisor WebsiteCandice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Is SEO the silver bullet for growth or just another buzzword?In this episode, Meg Clarke, CEO of Clapping Dog Media, breaks down what SEO really means for financial advisors and why it’s less about algorithms and more about clarity. We explore how Google’s evolving search landscape now favors content that clearly communicates who you serve and how you help—across platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and even TikTok. Meg explains why consistent, authentic content is the real driver of visibility and trust.Key takeaways:SEO today is about clarity, not keywords.Your presence across platforms matters more than ever.Real results come from consistent, client-centered content.Connect with us: Meg Clarke on LinkedInClapping Dog MediaCandice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Tired of hosting client events that feel great but lead nowhere? Micro-events change the game. Create intimate, high-impact experiences tailored to your best clients’ passions that actually deepen engagement and accelerate referrals. - Small groups (under 12 people) = deeper connections- Plan 4-6 months ahead for high-touch engagement- No sales pitches—just meaningful experiencesFrom Porsche racing for adrenaline seekers to hands-on pottery for engineers, these curated events create an environment where unsolicited referrals are a natural outcome without awkward asks.Connect with us: Matt Middleton on LinkedInFuture ProofCandice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Advisors, your prospects are checking you out online before reaching out. Social media isn’t just for trends—it’s a trust builder. - Validation – People search you after a referral.- Client touchpoint – Stay visible between meetings.- Network growth – Get in front of COIs & ideal prospects.You don’t need to be everywhere—just where your best clients are. Focus on creating value, engaging meaningfully, and using social as a tool, not a chore. Tune in for other social media marketing tips!Connect with me: Candice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Your website should be your best marketing tool, not a roadblock. In this episode, we reveal why clear messaging beats flashy design and how top firms use SEO, videos, and personalization to turn visitors into clients. Learn the three-second test to see if your site is working and get practical tips to make it a lead-generating machine—whether you manage $500M or $20B in assets.Listen now and upgrade your digital strategy!Connect with me: Candice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Most COI referral strategies are outdated. In this episode, performance coach Bev Flaxington joins me to break down a more modern approach to COI (Center of Influence) referrals to drive organic growth in your firm. Today’s approach is less about asking for a referral and instead creating an environment where they are a natural outcome. Tune in now to find out more. Connect with us: Beverly Flaxington on LinkedInThe CollaborativeBeverly’s Bestselling BooksCandice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

When did you last get a compliment on an email you sent to your clients? If it’s been a while, this is the episode for you.Tune in as Candice shares next-level tips on how to write emails that result in increased engagement and increased referrals!Connect with me: Candice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more…Visit ficommpartners.com

Discover how to transform your firm's marketing into a tool for genuine connection with high-net-worth clients. Join me as together we uncover the secrets to overcoming growth plateaus by aligning your strategy with your firm’s core mission, values, and ideal client profile. Learn to craft marketing that resonates, reflects your authenticity, and drives meaningful relationships.Connect with us: Candice Carlton on LinkedInWant to learn more?Visit ficommpartners.com

Facing post-pandemic culture challenges, Stacey McKinnon, COO and CMO of Morton Wealth, decided they had to find a "new way." Dedicated to creating fulfillment, driving firm growth and creating an unmatchable client experience, they decided to do just that. It's highly unconventional and it's working.Embracing the principles of "Brave New Work" her strategy cultivated a vibrant culture of active contributors rather than executors, sparking a remarkable growth. When we learned about her incredible achievements, inviting her to our podcast was a no-brainer. If you're looking to elevate your firm's management style, this episode is for YOU.Stacey's LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-mckinnon-morton/Morton Wealth's LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/mortonwealth/Morton Wealth's Website | https://www.mortonwealth.com/Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

Ross Marino, CFP, social entrepreneur, CEO, and author has navigated the unpredictable tides of life. Emerging from a challenging chapter, he underwent a profound transformation by embracing a human-first approach to his wealth management practice and life.Now he is taking this to the industry as the creator of SHIFT events, a series that brings together industry leaders and pioneers of the human-first approach to expand its impact and help more people. By exploring his journey and the guiding principles behind it, we can all discover valuable lessons on how to cultivate deeper connections that fuel positive change in our industry. Ross' LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-marino/Transitus Wealth Partners' Website | https://transituswealth.com/Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

The number one success factor in an M&A transaction is culture fit, but what is a good culture? How do you create it? Angie Herbers is a well-known management consultant in our industry, and she brings an innovative perspective on how to think about culture and what the real ROI is. In this latest New Skool episode, she shares insights to help you think about it within your own firm.Angie's LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/angieherbers/Herbers & Company's LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/herbers-company/Herbers & Company's Website | https://www.herbersandcompany.com/Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

If you're an advisor and want free marketing resources, check out our monthly marketing masterclass for tangible expert advice! https://ficommpartners.com/marketing-masterclassAs the RIA industry continues to figure out organic growth in the digital-first era, the title of Chief Growth Officer is starting to show up. What does that role do? Do you need one in your firm? In this episode, we interviewed Tiffany Charles - Chief Growth Officer of Destiny Capital and Entrepreneurs Aligned to find out what she does in that role, how she's approaching the priority of organic growth and the evolution of her firms to support it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-charles-1a3998b0/https://destinycapital.com/https://entrepreneuraligned.com/Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

If you're an advisor and want free marketing resources, check out our monthly marketing masterclass for tangible expert advice! https://ficommpartners.com/marketing-masterclassIn this special episode, we are joined by award-winning podcaster, Co-Founder of Onyx Advisor Network, Co-Founder of BLatinX Internship, and Founder & CEO of Gen Next Wealth Emlen Miles-Mattingly in front of a live audience at BNY Mellon Pershing.Emlen uses his influence to create a more inclusive industry that welcomes top talent. We empower you to listen to this discussion through your own lens so that you can create change within our industry.Onyx Advisor Network | https://www.onyxadvisornetwork.com/BLatinX Internship | https://www.blxinternship.org/Gen Next Wealth | https://gennextwealth.com/Emlen Miles-Mattingly's LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/emlen-miles-mattingly/Emlen Miles-Mattingly's Twitter | https://twitter.com/emilesmattinglySubscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on:Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn | https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

If you're an advisor and want free marketing resources, check out our monthly marketing masterclass for tangible expert advice! https://ficommpartners.com/marketing-masterclass We connected with Matt Halloran of ProudMouth, our partner in creating the first end to end advisor podcasting solution, to discuss our shared love of podcasting, how to show up authentically, and the impact it can have on advisor businesses. In this episode, we talk about how to rise above the noise, free yourself from the torment of sales, and grow your client credibility through podcasting. Our FiComm and ProudMouth partnership is designed to elevate advisor marketing across the industry.Website | https://proudmouth.com/Matt's LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthalloranpm/Matt's Twitter | https://twitter.com/MattHalloran_Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

If you're an advisor and want free marketing resources, check out our monthly marketing masterclass for tangible expert advice! https://ficommpartners.com/marketing-masterclass We are wild advocates for advisor video and coach advisors on how to rock video across their client experience in our quarterly DIY Video Workshop. That’s why we were so excited to partner with FMG and partner with Samantha Russell on our podcast to talk about the power of advisor video.Samantha Russell, Chief Evangelist Officer at FMG Suite strives to help financial advisors drive organic growth through digital marketing strategies and marketing automation. Helping advisors understand how digital marketing can transform your mindset and change the way they engage clients. In this episode, we cover how advisors can rock the power of video to supercharge their marketing. We share first-hand experience of what it takes to adopt video, zero click content, and details of the FiComm and FMG partnership designed to elevate advisor marketing across the industry.https://twitter.com/SamanthaTwentyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthacrussell/https://fmgsuite.com/Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on:Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

As the former Head of Acquisitions, Matt Brinker, closed 90 transactions in his 13 years with United Capital. After setting his sights on a new path, Matt is now the managing partner at Merchant Investment Management. In this episode, Matt shares his love for the independent advisor space, how he believes your capital partner influences your destination and what drives his passion. He also speaks about the key ingredients to digital marketing and how his own money story has shaped his perspectives.https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbrinker/https://twitter.com/mkbrinker?lang=enhttps://www.merchantim.com/ Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

Stephanie McCullough of Sofia Financial and Kevin Gaines of AFMG Planning, are this year’s FiComm and Investment News, Podcast Award-winners in the category of Educate and Empower! Forming the Take Back Retirement podcast, these two felt a calling to reshape the retirement conversation for women over 45 years old.    In this episode, co-hosts Stephanie and Kevin share their journey and what drove them to start their podcast, Take Back Retirement. One of their main focuses is to meet women where they are by creating the space for women to concept and understand the possibilities of retirement. They interview women to hear their real-life retirement stories, where they drop the technical jargon and focus on the world's possibilities. Both Stephanie and Kevin attribute their success to not being afraid to take a chance!Podcast Website | https://takebackretirement.com/Sofia Financial Website | https://sofiafinancial.com/about-us/AFMG Planning Website | https://afmgplanning.com/Stephanie’s Twitter | https://twitter.com/sofiafinancialStephanie’s Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sofiafinancial/?hl=enStephanie’s LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemccullough/Kevin’s Twitter | https://twitter.com/2ndHalfPlanKevin’s LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmgaines/ Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

Stephanie Bogan, the founder of Limitless Advisor, is no stranger to success. She sold her first consulting firm to a fortune 200 company and built the client experience at United Capital. But she always felt like something was missing.  In this episode, she shares her own journey in finding freedom, becoming her most authentic self and the power of mindset. We catch a glimpse at not only how to create a business that is successful but more importantly a life that is empowering.  https://twitter.com/steph_boganhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sbogan/https://limitlessfa.life/ Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on:Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

Michael Kitces is an industry speaker, trailblazing Twitteree and the founder of Kitces.com. As the publisher of both The Kitces Report and the Nerd’s Eye View blog, Michael has accumulated a twitter following of 72.9K.  In this episode, Michael shares his own experience in overcoming imposter syndrome and discovering first-hand the power and vulnerability of defining a niche. He attributes much of his success to knowing that some people will love his work and some will hate it and inspires us all to be a little more comfortable in our own skin.https://www.kitces.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkitces/https://twitter.com/michaelkitcesKitces' Insight on the Power of Social Media in 2013Carl Richards + Michael Kitces Podcast on Niches Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on:Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter