Diana B – Page 3 – The Healthy Advisor Podcast

Transparency with Diana B.: A Top Advisor’s Immigration Story

By healthy advisor | February 18, 2020

As a young girl growing up in Egypt, Laila Pence was very well off; her family lived in a seven-bedroom mansion in Suez. But all of that was taken away in almost an instant, when the Israeli army bombed her village during the Six-Day War. Struggling to survive, her family decided to emigrate to the U.S., but only Laila and her mother were able to go at first. The transition would not be easy; Laila grappled with drastically different weather, not knowing the language and making friends in a foreign land.

In this episode of Transparency, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton, is joined by Laila Pence, president of Pence Wealth Management in Newport Beach, Calif., who shares her life journey, how she overcame adversity and how her struggles shaped who she is today. Her family lost everything in terms of wealth, and as an immigrant, a woman and English-as-a-second-language speaker, she felt she had three strikes against her. But she is, perhaps, the poster child of the American Dream. Now, she manages an advisory firm with over $1.5 billion in client assets. She achieved it by working hard, focusing on her passion, and not listening to the biases out there.

In this episode, you will learn:

The story of Laila’s childhood and experience as an immigrant in New York.
How Laila was able to overcome adversity and rise above.
Who supported Laila in her journey to becoming a financial advisor.
Laila’s struggles being a woman and having a child in this industry and how she overcame those.
Her advice for other folks struggling to adapt to a new country.
And more.

Tune in now to hear how Laila used her perseverance and grit to become a top financial advisor in the U.S.

Resources: WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Contact Diana | Pence Wealth Management

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Transparency With Diana B.: Focus on Outcomes, Not Income

By healthy advisor | February 5, 2020

Growing up in Monmouth County the child of two schoolteachers, Conor Delaney struggled being one of the poorest kids in school, dumpster diving for toys and going through several foreclosures on his family’s homes. But the months following his high school graduation were, perhaps, the worst. His father died suddenly; his aunt, heartbroken by her brother’s death, killed herself; and his mother’s health was deteriorating. On top of that, he was living out of his car as he entered his freshman year in college.

He could’ve easily given himself over to an alcohol addiction, which ran deep in his family. Instead, he took a positive approach to life, and channeled his struggles into building a book of business and creating a company aimed at helping those who need financial advice the most—middle class Americans.

In this episode of Transparency, Diana Britton, WealthManagement.com’s managing editor, is joined by Conor Delaney, founder of The Good Life Companies, an independent advisory firm with about 200 advisors. Conor draws on his own personal experiences, but also discusses the tendencies and issues that he’s observed among the advisors he oversees.

“What are we chasing, and is it the right thing and if it’s not, how can we channel that into doing something better?” he asks.

In this episode, you will learn:

The story of Conor’s childhood and the hardships he would overcome
How he chose to use his addictive tendencies in a positive way
How his experiences shaped him as a financial advisor and community leader
The negative tendencies of successful financial advisors
The importance of taking care of yourself first, before clients
How to shift your mindset to focus on outcomes, not income
And more.

Tune in now to hear how Conor found the strength to change the pattern and choose to create a positive outcome.

Resources: WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Contact Diana | Good Life Companies | Conor Delaney Email

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Transparency With Diana B.: The Psychological Effects of a Cybersecurity Breach

By healthy advisor | January 22, 2020

Many registered investment advisors don’t take cybersecurity seriously and don’t know how to respond properly. Yet, according to a recent survey by the Investment Advisers Association, 39% of RIAs have had a cybersecurity incident. Such incidences can have a detrimental effect on an advisor’s mental health.

In this episode of Transparency, Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, is joined by Darrell Kay, principal of Kay Investments, to share an important story for all advisors to hear. Darrell has worked in the investment field since 1986 and never imagined that he would fall victim to a cybersecurity breach. But in 2018, he was dealing with the fallout from a cyber incident that lost a client $100,000. As you will soon find out, this event impacted his life in ways he couldn’t have anticipated.

In this episode, you will learn:

Darrell’s mistakes leading up to the cyber breach
How to better recognize the signs of a cybersecurity breach and/or communication with a hacker

The psychological and physical toll this incident had on Darrell
Ways to reduce stress, control your emotions and visualize a positive outcome when faced with a similar situation
Measures you should take to change your procedures and your attitude

The importance of getting cyber insurance and other ways to protect yourself and your practice from cyber breaches
And more

Tune in now to hear Darrell’s cautionary tale and learn how to deal with a cyber incident psychologically and emotionally and come out the other side of it.

Resources: WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Contact Diana | Kay Investments

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Transparency With Diana B.: An Advisor’s Battle With Stomach Cancer, Addiction and Himself

By healthy advisor | December 17, 2019

About 12 years ago, Steve Melen had just started a new job as an advisor at Morgan Stanley, was remodeling his house and had a new baby girl when he got the shock of his life; he was diagnosed with stage III stomach cancer. Not long after, he went through a very serious surgery, with doctors removing several of his organs, including his stomach. But the real problems started after he left the hospital.

In this episode of Transparency, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Melen, who shares the intimate details of his battle with cancer. He would later come out of a complicated treatment with an addiction to pain medication and later on, alcohol. Listen to Steve’s story about how he found the strength to change his life for the better.

In this episode, you will learn:

The story of Steve’s diagnosis and battle with cancer

What lead to his addiction to pain meds and how he eventually kicked them
How Steve’s fears, insecurities and broken relationships lead him to self-medicate with alcohol
What his “rock-bottom” moment was
What kind of psychological toll health issues could have on one’s family and caregivers
How Steve got past the addiction and started being open and honest with others about what he went through
About Steve’s new beginning
And more.

Tune in now to hear Steve’s very personal and emotional story about overcoming cancer and addiction.

Resources: WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Contact Diana | Debbie’s Dream Foundation

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Transparency With Diana B.: Advisors and Mental Health

By healthy advisor | December 11, 2019

As a graduate student, Dr. Alden Cass conducted a clinical survey on the mental health of Wall Street’s advisors. Conducted in 1999, the study, titled “Casualties of Wall Street,” examined nearly 50 reps, and found that 23 percent of them exhibited significant signs of clinical depression, while another 36 percent showed mild to moderate symptoms. Interestingly, million-dollar producers were the most dysfunctional when it came to mental health, as they were most prone to burnout.

Financial advisors may even be more prone to stress and burnout today than 20 years ago. These feelings are all too common for today’s advisor, who not only has to manage their own emotions but serve as financial therapists to anxious clients.

In this episode of Transparency with Diana B., your host Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, is joined by Dr. Cass, a licensed clinical psychologist and performance coach who specializes in treating advisors and helping them improve their job performance.

Dr. Cass uncovers the surprising reality of what it’s like to be an advisor, what contributes most to their mental health issues, and actions you can take to help yourself.

In this episode, you will learn:

How advisors’ stress levels compare to non-advisors
Results from Dr. Cass’ study, “Casualties of Wall Street”
Which mental health issues today’s advisors are experiencing
Which negative and positive coping mechanisms advisors use
How to avoid falling into the trap of depersonalization
And more.

Tune in now to learn how to cope with mental health issues in positive ways, where to turn to for support, and how to overcome the stigma associated with seeking therapy.

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Transparency With Diana B.: The Ups and Downs of Living on the Spectrum

By healthy advisor | December 4, 2019

Welcome to the first episode of Transparency with Diana B., a podcast that explores the deepest struggles and hardships that many advisors face. Our mandate is to bring these issues out into the open so that others may find healing.

Today your host Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, is joined by Andrew Komarow, the founder of Planning Across the Spectrum, a financial planning firm that specializes in special-needs individuals and their families. The firm has a specific focus on folks with autism spectrum disorder, a neurological and developmental disorder. Andrew is actually on the spectrum himself, so he knows the disorder first-hand. This conversation about Andrew’s adult diagnosis of autism peels away layers of misconceptions about the disorder and encourages others to cast down their masks.

In this episode, you will learn:

The definition of ASD and typical behaviors and symptoms
Why Andrew believes there is almost too much awareness of ASD and a need for more acceptance and understanding
About one person’s struggle with autism
What helped Andrew to become successful in the financial industry
The truth about common ASD misconceptions
How Andrew overcame the struggles with the disorder
His advice for folks who may be different
And more.

Tune in now to hear a candid conversation with Andrew that unravels the many misconceptions about ASD and offers a practical path to healing.

Resources: WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Planning Across The Spectrum | Andrew Komarow | Contact Diana

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