Month: August 2026
The Healthy Advisor: What’s Driving Advisor Wellbeing with Michael Kitces

The Healthy Advisor: What’s Driving Advisor Wellbeing with Michael Kitces

By |

Michael Kitces has spent years studying what drives satisfaction among financial advisors, going beyond firm performance metrics to focus on personal wellbeing and career fulfillment.

His latest research, the 2025 Advisor Wellbeing Study, reveals how advisor happiness has shifted in recent years and what factors are shaping those changes. Drawing from responses across the industry, the study highlights both encouraging trends and emerging concerns.

One of the most notable findings is that overall advisor wellbeing has improved, largely due to more stable work environments and stronger market conditions. But not all advisors are experiencing that progress equally, as younger professionals report lower optimism and a weaker sense of purpose.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton speaks with Michael Kitces, Chief Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, about what truly drives advisor wellbeing. He explains how experience, autonomy, compensation structure, and firm dynamics all shape long-term satisfaction and career direction.

Key takeaways:

  • How stabilized work environments and rising markets have contributed to improved advisor wellbeing since 2023
  • Why younger advisors report lower optimism and purpose, especially in firms with outside ownership structures
  • The connection between experience, autonomy, and long-term satisfaction in advisory careers
  • How compensation per hour, not total income, plays a key role in advisor happiness and fulfillment
  • Why staff support and delegation are critical to reducing burnout and improving productivity outcomes

Resources:

Connect With Michael Kitces:

Connect with Wealth Management:

About Our Guest:

Michael E. Kitces is the Head of Planning Strategy for Focus Partners Wealth, a private wealth management firm located in St Louis, Missouri, that oversees more than $50 billion of client assets. In addition, he is the co-founder of the XY Planning Network, AdvicePay, fpPathfinder, and New Planner Recruiting, former practitioner editor of the Journal of Financial Planning, and the publisher of the e-newsletter The Kitces Report and the popular financial planning industry blog Nerd’s Eye View through his website www.Kitces.com, dedicated to advancing knowledge in financial planning.

Michael is also a popular speaker on financial planning and practice management topics, and can be seen presenting at 50-70 regional and national conferences for financial advisors every year.

Michael is one of the 2010 recipients of the Financial Planning Association’s “Heart of Financial Planning” awards for his dedication to advancing the financial planning profession. In addition, he has variously been recognized as financial planning’s “Deep Thinker,” a “Legacy Builder,” an “Influencer,” a “Mover & Shaker,” part of the “Power 20,” and a “Rising Star in Wealth Management” by industry publications. These awards were presented to honor Michael’s active work in the financial planning community. Michael is also a co-founder of NexGen, a community of the next generation of financial planners that aims to ensure the transference of wisdom, tradition, and integrity from the pioneers of financial planning to the next generation of the profession.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
The Healthy Advisor: Living Authentically After Transitioning with Max Kulyk

The Healthy Advisor: Living Authentically After Transitioning with Max Kulyk

By |

Growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, Max Kulyk knew from an early age that the identity others saw didn’t fully match how he understood himself. Over the course of several decades, he built a career in financial services, raised a family, pursued theology and founded Chicory Wealth, all while continuing to explore questions of purpose, identity and authenticity.

After years of reflection and personal growth, Max made the decision to begin his gender transition at the age of 64. That experience deepened his understanding of what it means to feel truly seen, while also reinforcing his commitment to creating a workplace where employees, clients and advisors are supported.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton speaks with Max Kulyk, CEO and founder of Chicory Wealth, about his personal journey, his path into financial advice, and how his experiences shaped the culture and values of his firm. They discuss building an advisory business rooted in meaningful conversations, creating healthier workplaces, and the impact of authenticity on leadership, well-being and client relationships.

Max discusses:

  • How growing up as a member of the LGBTQ+ community influenced his personal and professional journey
  • Why his relationship with money led him from theology into a career in financial planning
  • How Chicory Wealth was built around advisor wellbeing, family support and a people-first culture
  • What inspired his decision to transition and how the experience changed his perspective
  • Why helping people feel understood has become a guiding principle for both leadership and client relationships

Resources:

Connect With Max Kulyk:

Connect with Wealth Management:

About Our Guest:

Max Kulyk is the CEO and founder of Chicory Wealth, a fee-only financial life planning and sustainable wealth management firm. Since entering the financial services industry in 2002, Max has focused on helping people build healthier relationships with money by connecting financial decisions to their personal values, goals, and overall well-being.

Before Max began his career in financial planning, he studied political philosophy and theology, earning a bachelor’s degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is the author of Integrating Money and Meaning: Practices for a Heart-Centered Life.

Outside of work, Max enjoys spending time with his wife, Dr. Wendy Farley, their four children, grandchild, family dog Teddy, and visiting Orcas Island in Washington. His interests also include pickleball, good beer, and time with family and friends.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More