RTS #017 – Learning from those who “do”

“We can’t find CPAs who will play nice with Financial Advisors.”

That sentiment from some of the top financial advisors in the industry was a huge part of the inspiration for Retirement Tax Services coming into existence. We’ve worked hard for the last two and a half years to create valuable content and resources for financial advisors to do more through tax planning, and we are proud of what we have accomplished. 

BUT

There is something incredibly powerful about learning from your peers. Which is why, in spite of the thousands of Advisors who listen to the Retirement Tax Services podcast or follow me on LinkedIn, we put the time and resources into organizing a live tax planning event exclusively for Financial Advisors. Today, we are wrapping up the first annual RTS Tax Planning Summit that brought over 200 advisors together to learn how to take action on tax planning.

As proud as we are of the speakers we put on stage, we got to witness the power that comes from Advisors rubbing shoulders and learning from each other. And it’s not that someone shared a brand new tax planning strategy that no one else had ever heard of; the learning was much more practical:

• Ways to analyze data and identify opportunities for specific clients
• Tasks that could be delegated to a team member AND how to set that team member up for success
• Scripts that resonate with specific clients
• Analogies that drive home a point that used to feel complicated
• The confidence that it is possible to incorporate tax planning effectively along with all of the other areas of Financial Planning that clients expect from their advisor.

If you didn’t have the chance to attend, mark your calendars for next when we will be in Phoenix, AZ, from September 25 to 27, 2024.

What can you do about it?

Be intentional about learning from others. Reach out to peers, form a mastermind, introduce yourself and events. Whatever format works best for you, make sure you go out of your way to ask other Advisors you respect what they are doing to serve their clients. One of the ways we’ve seen this be successful is to pick the same question (or maybe two) and ask as many Advisors at a conference or in an online forum that question as possible. Pick something that you are struggling with or looking to add to your practice and hear from other people what really works.

Happy Tax Planning!