Category: Mental Health

The Healthy Advisor: Lessons Learned From a Dream Not Realized with Tyrone Ross

The Healthy Advisor: Lessons Learned From a Dream Not Realized with Tyrone Ross

Trigger warning: This episode discusses content some listeners may find upsetting.

A lot of folks in the wealth management industry know Tyrone Ross; he’s a frequent speaker at industry events, an active “finfluencer” on social media, and a thought leader in the crypto asset space. Less known is his life journey and how he got to where he is today.

Raised in New Jersey in a family where no one had a high school diploma, as a 16 year old, he watched sprinter Michael Johnson set records at the 1996 Olympic Games and dreamed of winning his own gold medal. Training over the years, he eventually qualified for the 2004 team in the 400-meter dash, only to be left off the roster when coaches decided to trim the athletes competing in Athens, Greece. He tried again in 2008 and 2012, and still didn’t make it to the Olympic games. 

In 2012, after his final Olympic dream was dashed, he says his life came crashing down. There was a confluence of events that year, including his beloved grandmother’s death, struggles with work and money, and a failed relationship. 

In this episode, Diana Britton, WealthManagement.com managing editor, speaks with Tyrone Ross Jr., CEO and co-founder of Turnqey Labs and President and founder of 401 Financial, about this dark time in his life and how he came back from it. Tyrone shares how his experiences have shaped the work he’s doing today. 

Tyrone discusses: 

  • What his childhood was like, moving around a lot and struggling financially
  • His journey to train for the Olympics and the emotions faced when he didn’t make it
  • How the loss of some of his friends, family and dreams impacted his mental health 
  • How his experiences are reflected in his current work
  • How his departure from Onramp in March 2022 impacted him personally

Resources: 

Connect With Tyrone Ross:

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About Our Guest:

Tyrone Ross Jr. is the CEO and Co-founder of Turnqey Labs, Inc., an API suite for bringing cryptocurrency asset data into advisor workflows, and President and Founder of 401 Financial, a registered investment advisor. He’s also the former CEO of Onramp Invest and a thought leader in the crypto asset space. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University, and was also a 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier in track and field in the 400 meters. Tyrone was recognized by Investment News 40 under 40 (2019), and WealthManagement.com as a top ten advisor set to change the industry in 2019. FinancialPlanning.com named him as one of 20 people who will change wealth management in 2020. Recently, he was named to Investopedia’s Top 100 Financial Advisors.

 

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.



The Healthy Advisor: Beating the Odds and a Fresh Perspective on Life With Robert Steinberg

The Healthy Advisor: Beating the Odds and a Fresh Perspective on Life With Robert Steinberg

A little more than six years ago, Robert started living a healthier lifestyle, working out a lot more, in an effort to lose weight. But one day while working out, he had a widowmaker heart attack, which happens when you have a blockage in the biggest artery in your heart. The name of it leaves no question about the severity of it—only 12% of people suffering from this heart attack outside the hospital survive, according to the American Heart Association. Fortunately, he was one of a few to live to tell about the experience.  

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Robert Steinberg, founder and CEO of Blue Chip Partners, an advisory firm in Farmington Hills, Mich., about how the ordeal has changed his views personally and professionally. 

Robert discusses: 

  • What happened the day of his heart attack
  • How his experience changed his perspective as a business owner as well as in life
  • How it has changed his advice to clients in terms of giving them permission and confidence to live life in a fuller way
  • What accelerated his company’s growth after his heart attack
  • Succession planning challenges that came up in the wake of the heart attack

Resources: 

Connect With Robert Steinberg:

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About Our Guest:

Robert Steinberg is the founder and CEO of Blue Chip Partners, an advisory firm in Farmington Hills, Mich. He began his career specializing in tax preparation and planning at Deloitte and went on to practice as an estate-planning attorney for Honigman, Detroit’s largest law firm. Robert’s unique combination of tax, legal, and investment expertise is extremely valuable in helping clients achieve their financial goals.

Robert graduated with an accounting degree from Michigan State University and is an honors graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. Robert has been a frequent contributor to Michigan Lawyers Weekly on a variety of tax and estate planning issues.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.

Products are issued by Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz). Variable products are distributed by its affiliate, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC, member FINRA, 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55416-1297. 800.542.5427 www.allianzlife.com. 

This notice does not apply in the state of New York.



The Healthy Advisor: The Art of Mindfulness With Mary Martin

The Healthy Advisor: The Art of Mindfulness With Mary Martin

Mary Martin had always been very health conscious, making sure she ate right and stayed in shape. But several years ago, she had a miscarriage at five months’ pregnant, although she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time. The experience helped her learn that from an emotional standpoint, she wasn’t really present in her body. She came to realize what it was like to truly be a human being, not simply a human doing.  

Now she focuses on teaching advisors about taking care of their own wellbeing through personal considerations and building connections with others.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Mary Martin, Ph.D., mindfulness educator and author of “Mindfulness for Financial Advisors,” on being human in a technological world and how being mindful of your emotional and mental wellbeing is just as essential as your physical wellbeing.

Mary discusses: 

  • How she developed her passion for teaching advisors about mindfulness
  • How her realization of not truly living in her body changed her routine
  • The biggest hurdles to getting advisors on board with her teachings
  • How advisors can better handle the anxiety, stress and emotions of clients
  • What will contribute to successful advisors in the future

Resources: 

Connect With Mary Martin:

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About Our Guest:

Mary Martin is a mindfulness educator, author of Mindfulness for Financial Advisors: Practicing a New Way of Being, creator of the original course, and Futures Thinker. She’s a designer of learning experiences that cultivate awareness, adaptability, and optimism. She attended Brown University, Mindful Schools, and is trauma-certified. She’s also the recipient of 2022 Imagination Leadership Award from the Institute for the Future.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.

Products are issued by Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz). Variable products are distributed by its affiliate, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC, member FINRA, 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55416-1297. 800.542.5427 www.allianzlife.com. This notice does not apply in the state of New York.

Allianz Investment Management LLC (AllianzIM) is an investment manager specializing in the development and execution of innovative risk management strategies, with $18.8 billion in AUM. Based in Minneapolis, AllianzIM’s investment management is powered by the same proprietary in-house hedging platform that is used among affiliates to help manage more than $145 billion in assets for institutional and retail investors around the globe.1

Risk management is provided by AllianzIM a wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America that provides hedging services to the broader Allianz Group.
Allianz and AllianzIM are not affiliated with WealthManagement or the featured guest.

1 As of 6/30/2022

The Healthy Advisor: Living With Major Recurring Depression With Davis Janowski

The Healthy Advisor: Living With Major Recurring Depression With Davis Janowski

Trigger warning: This episode discusses content some listeners may find upsetting.

Journalist Davis Janowski grew up in the Panhandle of Florida, where he grew accustomed to sunny weather and developed a deep passion for the great outdoors. But when he moved to Syracuse, N.Y., at age 25 for grad school, the cold weather and lack of sunlight and exercise began to impact his mental health. The stress of a full workload at school, as well as a part-time job further exacerbated the problem.

The pressure became so much for him to handle that one day he decided he was going to take his life. Luckily, a friend called him right at that moment; Davis told him what he’d done, and emergency crews came to help.

That was the first step in Davis’s journey of being diagnosed with major recurring depression and getting help and the right treatments for this mental illness.

In this episode, Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, is joined by Davis Janowski, senior technology editor of WealthManagement.com, who opens up for the first time publicly about his years-long battle with depression, and how his love for kayaking and being out on the open water has helped bring him out of it.

Davis discusses: 

  • When he learned he had depression and how he reacted
  • His attempt at suicide
  • How he came back from a dark place
  • When his depression came back years later
  • What he learned about treating his Depression and anxiety during his hospital stay at Tisch
  • How therapy has helped with his Depression
  • How kayaking, paddle boarding and being outdoors has helped improve his quality of life, as well as his Depression symptoms

Resources:

Connect With Davis Janowski:

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About Our Guest: 

Davis Janowski is a career journalist who has done stints with FinTech startups and as an analyst. Along the way his work has appeared in the New York Times and many other publications. While much of his focus has been in the FinTech sector for the last 13 years, Davis also has extensive experience in evaluating technology and tech products. His career in tech journalism began at PC Magazine, where Davis tested and reviewed consumer and business products and managed a team of editors, technicians and analysts. He also spent six years covering FinTech for InvestmentNews, where he was a technology reporter and columnist and also spoke frequently at industry conferences. 

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.

 



The Healthy Advisor: When a Child Struggles With Opioid Addiction With Lori Eisel

The Healthy Advisor: When a Child Struggles With Opioid Addiction With Lori Eisel

When Lori Eisel first found out her son had an addiction problem, she tried to do everything in her power to get control over the situation and help him. But even years later, he is still on the road to recovery.

In this episode, Diana Britton, managing editor at WealthManagement.com, speaks with Lori Eisel, president of fee-only financial planning firm Arcadia Financial Partners, who shares the struggles and achievements faced by both her son and herself in dealing with this addiction. Lori recounts the lessons she’s learned about addiction, and how she found the help and support she needed to get through it.

She’s become an advocate for awareness around Opioid addiction and supports families facing similar circumstances. She’s also supporting Ohio’s Recovery Within Reach campaign, a new program to help financial advisors in the state to spot the signs of a family facing the emotional and financial costs of opioid addiction, and how to help them through those struggles. 

Lori discusses: 

  • How she tried to help her son with his addiction
  • What she has learned about addiction and how she has shifted her mindset
  • Why she didn’t hide her son’s addiction from others in her community
  • The toll her son’s addiction has taken on her and the family
  • The Ohio initiative to help financial advisors with clients facing addiction

Connect With Lori Eisel:

More Addiction Resources:

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About Our Guest:

Lori Eisel is the president of fee-only financial planning firm Arcadia Financial Partners in ​Pickerington, Ohio. For more than 25 years, Lori has dedicated her career to helping people make good financial decisions. She holds a master’s degree in Family Financial Management from The Ohio State University, where she also served many years as adjunct faculty and continues to be a frequent presenter and guest speaker. She is a Certified Financial Planner, an Enrolled Agent, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst​. Lori received the Women’s Choice Award in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. ​She was also chosen to receive the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Leadership Award in 2019.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.



The Healthy Advisor: Reflecting on a Life Well-Lived, Yet Not Without Tragedy

The Healthy Advisor: Reflecting on a Life Well-Lived, Yet Not Without Tragedy

Advisor Joseph R. Biondo Sr. just recently celebrated 60 years in the financial services industry, but his path to success was not a linear one. In his 83 years, he has experienced his fair share of struggles—both personally and professionally.

In fact, his life began with tragedy. Just three weeks before he was born, his father passed away, leaving his mother a widow with two young boys at age 30 in Canarsie, Brooklyn. His family ended up on welfare, struggling to make ends meet, so he would help out any way he could, working odd jobs with his uncle. 

Eventually he and his family got out of Brooklyn, and through his own persistence he landed a job as a broker. 

But tragedy would strike him again, when his wife Inga died in an automobile accident in 1979, leaving him with four kids to raise on his own. 

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Joseph Biondo Sr., founder of Biondo Investment Advisors, who shares his wisdom and life lessons that came out of his experiences. 

Joe discusses: 

  • What life was like growing up in Canarsie, Brooklyn
  • The biggest lessons he learned from his mother
  • Why and how he entered the financial services industry
  • How the industry has changed 
  • How he overcame the tragedies and struggles throughout his life
  • How contributing back to the community has helped him lead a more fulfilling life
  • How his experiences helped him take care of clients better from an emotional and personal perspective 
  • His advice for young brokers just starting out

Connect With Joseph Biondo:

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About Our Guest:

Joe Biondo believes there is no greater joy than to help people make money, to change their lives and to alter the future for their families. His own life experiences reinforce the idea that anyone, regardless of upbringing or resources, can make something of themselves and prosper in our great country. As a child growing up in hardship, his family left Brooklyn, NY, when he was a teenager and moved to a very small town in Northeast Pennsylvania.  Helping his mother to make ends meet, Joe would commute back to Brooklyn on a daily basis to sand floors for his Uncle. Fascinated by Wall Street, he bought his first stock at the age of sixteen and, eventually, walked back into that same brokerage office six years later and offered to work for free if they would teach him the business. Thankfully, they did and thus began his journey in the financial world.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.



The Healthy Advisor: Rebuilding Healthy Habits After Traumatic Loss With Jonathan DeYoe

The Healthy Advisor: Rebuilding Healthy Habits After Traumatic Loss With Jonathan DeYoe

A little over a year ago, advisor Jonathan DeYoe was in a healthy place; he was meditating on a regular basis, working out, eating and sleeping right.

But in the summer of 2021, he tragically lost his only brother and business partner when he drowned in the Pacific Ocean. He says his life came to a “screeching halt” that day. While coping with grief, he struggled to stay healthy. Since then, he has been on a journey to rebuild healthy habits after experiencing this huge loss.

In this episode, Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, speaks with Jonathan DeYoe, senior vice president of EP Wealth Advisors in Berkeley, Calif., author of “Mindful Money” and host of the Mindful Wealth Podcast, about the struggles of maintaining healthy habits during tragic times. 

Jonathan discusses: 

  • How his habits changed while working on Wall Street
  • The wake-up call that motivated him to improve his lifestyle
  • What happened in the weeks and months after his brother’s passing
  • Reasons to seek help and support, instead of trying to manage grief on your own
  • The process of rebuilding healthy habits following a major breakdown
  • How his brother’s passing impacted the work he’s doing now

Connect With Jonathan DeYoe:

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About Our Guest:

Jonathan DeYoe has been involved with the financial services industry for more than 25 years. Prior to joining EP Wealth Advisors in 2021, his career journey led from being a seminarian and Buddhist academic to a financial advisor. After spending 5 years with large Wall Street companies (“just enough to know better”), Jonathan launched his own firm, growing it from 6 clients to 280 over the course of 20 years.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.



The Healthy Advisor: The Loss of a Loved One and a Passion for Suicide Prevention With Larry Sprung

The Healthy Advisor: The Loss of a Loved One and a Passion for Suicide Prevention With Larry Sprung

On average, there are 130 suicides per day, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and individuals who work in financial services are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide than the national average, according to the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance. 

Right before advisor Larry Sprung was set to break away and launch his own firm, his brother-in-law Keith Milano, who had suffered from bipolar disorder, died by suicide. Now Larry’s dedicated much of his time and energy to bringing awareness to mental health and suicide prevention, including serving on the board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and raising in excess of $1.7 million for that organization.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com’s Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Larry Sprung, founder and wealth advisor at Mitlin Financial in Hauppauge, N.Y. Larry shares the story of his brother-in-law’s suicide and recounts what lead up to the loss, how it has changed his personal and professional values, and the importance of increasing knowledge and understanding around mental health every day.

Larry discusses: 

  • The events leading up to his brother-in-law’s suicide and how he coped with it
  • How Larry and his wife have brought awareness to mental health issues
  • How the industry deals with issues of mental health
  • How advisors can incorporate mental health into their practices
  • The need for destigmatizing mental health disorders
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Larry Sprung:

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 About Our Guest:

Larry Sprung founded Mitlin Financial, Inc., in 2004 with a focus on prioritizing clients first. He and his team consistently help clients make healthy financial decisions and offer a tremendous client experience that leverages today’s top tools and technology.

Today, he leads the planning and asset management services at Mitlin, in addition to focusing on business development. Larry is also committed to offering educational workshops where he shares his knowledge and insights on a diverse set of financial topics. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and regularly films the firm’s “Mitlin Minute” videos that provide important information on relevant financial topics. Larry also hosts the Mitlin Money Mindset podcast.



The Healthy Advisor Podcast: The Silver Lining With Danika Waddell

The Healthy Advisor Podcast: The Silver Lining With Danika Waddell

In 2020, Danika Waddell’s prior firm was audited by the State of Washington, and the state found that her U4 was never filed properly, after four years of working with clients. The whole ordeal was traumatic for her. 

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Danika Waddell, president and founder of Xena Financial Planning in Seattle. Danika shares how the filing error caused her to lose over half her income, created stress over her future as a financial advisor, and disrupted communication with close clients during the start of the pandemic. Despite it all, she persevered and found a silver lining—the ordeal ultimately led her to leave that RIA and start her own independent firm. She’s never looked back.

Danika discusses: 

  •   What those couple months were like for her during the investigation
  •   What compelled her to start her own firm
  •   What the experience taught her about the regulatory framework of this industry
  •   How this changed her approach to compliance
  •   The benefits of therapy
  •   Lessons she learned about being a business owner

Connect With Danika Waddell:

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About Our Guest:

In 2020, Danika Waddell founded Xena Financial Planning. While she enjoyed the role at her prior firm, Danika felt called to be bold and create something from the ground up. Starting her own practice allows her to be more nimble and innovative, while specializing in a particular niche. Women are so often left out of the conversation when it comes to their finances and investing. Danika has many years of experience with equity compensation: going back to her husband’s years of working at Amazon.com in the early 2000s, when she first learned about RSUs and had to figure out what the heck to do with them. Since becoming a CFP, she has worked with clients at many of the big tech companies and knows her way around ISOs, NQSOs and ESPP.



The Healthy Advisor: Closure at the Grave With Vance Barse

The Healthy Advisor: Closure at the Grave With Vance Barse

The loss of a loved one can lead to a tidal wave of emotions before reaching acceptance and continuing on in life without them.

Before starting his own practice, advisor Vance Barse experienced profound grief after losing five family members, including his biological father who he had never met. However, this darker time in his life was followed by a period of life-changing introspection, which forced him to rethink his personal and professional life.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com’s Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Vance Barse, wealth strategist and founder of Your Dedicated Fiduciary, who shares his journey through grief toward acceptance. Vance reveals the emotional struggle he faced and what led to the completion of the journey his father never took.

Vance discusses: 

  • The “18-month window” that changed his life forever
  • The moment when the emotional baggage related to his father was lifted off his shoulders
  • How to overcome the struggles of acceptance and closure
  • The biggest realizations he had on his motorcycle journey across the country
  • How mindfulness and meditation helped him overcome the challenges
  • How his experiences shaped the work he’s doing now

Connect With Vance Barse:

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About Our Guest:

Vance Barse, is a wealth strategist and founder of Your Dedicated Fiduciary. He began his career in the financial services industry at Altegris Investments, where he served as an investment consultant to leading private wealth and retail financial advisers throughout the U.S. He saw firsthand that many advisers are constrained in their approach to planning, often leaving clients underserved. After nearly a decade in this role, Vance became a financial planner and founded Your Dedicated Fiduciary with a simple mission: to be authentic, transparent, and have a positive impact on the lives of his clients.