Episodes

What does it really take to leave an established firm and build a financial planning practice on your own terms? In this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, Jackie Walsh, CFP®, founder of 30 Point Financial and Treasurer of FPA New England, sits down with Bridget Grimes, CFP®, President of WealthChoice and co-founder of Equita Financial Network. Bridget shares her journey from working as an employee at a fee-only RIA to launching WealthChoice nearly a decade ago. She explains why she wanted ...

Federal student loan planning has become increasingly complex, and for financial advisors, keeping up with changing repayment plans, forgiveness programs, eligibility rules, and deadlines can feel like a specialty all its own. In this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, Jackie Walsh, CPA, CFP®, sits down with Emma Crawford, CFP®, CSLP®, founder of October Loan Strategies, a firm dedicated exclusively to helping borrowers navigate federal student loan repayment and forgiveness. Emma has consu...

K. Dane Snowden, CEO of CFP Board Show Notes On this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, Kevin Williams is joined by K Dane Snowden, Chief Executive Officer of the CFP Board to discuss the organization's priorities and the future of the financial planning profession. Dane shares his vision for CFP Board, emphasizing the importance of raising public awareness of CFP professionals and increasing their value proposition. He highlights key priorities such as strengthening the value for current c...

Host Chris Boyd is joined by Russ Ball and Luke Bagley for a conversation about one of the biggest financial risks facing retirees: the rising cost of long-term care. Long-term care can have a significant impact on retirement savings, but deciding how to prepare for those expenses is not always straightforward. Chris, Russ, and Luke break down the options families should understand and the financial considerations that can help shape a long-term care strategy. They discuss: · The growing cost...

Paul Gaudio Host Michael Connaughton is joined by Paul Gaudio. Paul is a CFP® and Wealth Planner at Crestwood Advisors with 9 years of experience helping individuals and families make smart choices with their money. Paul is passionate about guiding clients through life's financial complexities with clarity and care. He also serves as the President of NexGen for FPA New England, where he supports the growth and development of emerging professionals in the financial planning community, and works ...

Host Michael Connaughton is joined by Robert Michaud, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of New Frontier. Robert Michaud is co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of New Frontier Advisors, LLC. He brings over 25 years of financial innovations and investment management experience to serve the needs of financial advisors and institutional clients for optimal financial outcomes with four U.S. patents in portfolio optimization and rebalancing technology. We discuss: Origins & Optimization: ...

How will financial advisors grow their businesses in a digital-first world? In this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, Chris Boyd is joined by Ian Karnell, co-founder of Vast Advisor, to break down how AI is transforming advisor marketing and client acquisition. This conversation goes beyond productivity tools and dives into how advisors can build scalable growth systems that align with how today’s clients actually search for advice. If you’ve ever wondered whether referrals alone are enoug...

In this episode of Something More with Chris Boyd, Chris Boyd and Russ Ball are joined by Social Security expert Marcia Mantell to unpack the latest Trustees Report and its implications. With projections pointing to a potential shortfall by 2032, they explore what’s driving the change—and what it could mean for your future benefits. Marcia shares insights from decades of experience helping retirees navigate Social Security decisions and explains why some of the most common reactions—like claimi...

Our guest on today’s episode is Jeff Juracka, Senior Account Executive at YCharts. Jeff has been building and leading his team at YCharts for the past six years. He’s a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and is a former rugby player, who also studied - YCharts was founded in 2009 to democratize investment research. They are an all-in-one platform for investment research and client communication, with tools that are easy to use, and data that is reliable and timely. They discuss: -The cur...

Nobody plans for the call—but sooner or later, it comes. In this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, Chris Boyd sits down with award-winning financial journalist and author Beth Pinsker to talk about the moment everything shifts—when you go from “concerned family member” to full-on financial caregiver. Drawing from her book My Mother’s Money, Beth shares the early warning signs families often overlook, why having the “right” documents doesn’t always mean you’re actually prepared, and how qui...

Longevity Planning with Eliot Weissberg Hosts Brad and Cory speak with Eliot Weissberg of The Investors Center Our guest on this episode is Eliot Weissberg. Eliot is President of The Investors Center, a financial planning and longevity planning practice. Their goal is to guide people to discover and leverage their capacity to age confidently, in part by utilizing “TimeLining” which Eliot created and trademarked in 2009. Eliot is a CFP and a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist). He is a me...

In this episode, Kathleen speaks with Stevyn Guinnip, founder and CEO of Grow Wellthy. Stevyn is a certified wellness coach and exercise physiologist who helps financial advisors approach their health with the same intentionality they bring to financial planning. Stevyn's path to this work is anything but ordinary: she grew up as the daughter of a financial advisor and watched many of his clients retire, only to lose their health before they could enjoy their retirement. After surviving a near-d...

Andrea Schlapia: Founder and CEO of Ironstone Business Coaching Hosts Michael Connaughton and Kathleen Kenealy are joined by Andrea Schlapia Founder and CEO of Ironstone Business Coaching. Andrea Schlapia began her career in banking, then rose through the ranks of global investment firms like Dreyfus, Prudential, and Deutsche Bank. In 2008, she launched Ironstone, which specializes in helping financial advisors. Andrea is the go-to practice management expert for independent financial advisory fi...

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast. I’m Michael Connaughton co-founder of Lead Advisor and I serve on the Partnerships committee of the New England FPA and co-hosting with me today is Amy Mohan fellow chapter member and Certified Financial Planner with Daniel J Galli and Associates. Joining us today is Michael Barrasso. Michael Barrasso is the Co-Founder and CEO of WealthReach, an AI- powered growth platform built for financial advisors and wealth management firms. Th...

Ankit Dhawan-Partnerships at Blue J Hosts Michael Connaughton and Kevin Williams are joined by Ankit Dhawan Ankit is Partnerships Manager at Blue J. Blue J is one of the New England FPA’s newest partners and he shares details around:  How advisors and tax professionals are leveraging Blue J for tax research  Ways to utilize the tool  How Blue J’s AI is used to create time savings for advisors and add value to their clients. And much more. Blue J’s website: https://www.bluej.com/ Ankit’s Linke...

Ankit Dhawan-Partnerships at Blue J Hosts Michael Connaughton and Kevin Williams are joined by Ankit Dhawan Ankit is Partnerships Manager at Blue J. Blue J is one of the New England FPA’s newest partners and he shares details around:  How advisors and tax professionals are leveraging Blue J for tax research  Ways to utilize the tool  How Blue J’s AI is used to create time savings for advisors and add value to their clients. And much more. Blue J’s website: https://www.bluej.com/ Ankit’s Linke...

Hidden Assets, Red Flags, and the Truth in the Numbers – with Sara Nanchanatt, CPA/CFF On this episode, I talk with Sara Nanchanatt, founder of SN Forensics, about her path into forensic accounting—from an uninspiring audit internship to a transformative Peace Corps experience that ultimately led her to a field blending accounting, law, data analytics, and investigative work. We discuss her move from corporate roles to launching her own firm, and how she built a consulting practice while still...

Solving the Financial Planning Gaps for Child-Free Clients with Dr. Zay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® Kathleen and Amy speak with Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, CFP®, founder of Child Free Wealth and Child Free Trust, a fiduciary solution built specifically for the growing population of adults without children. Dr. Zigmont is on a mission to address what he calls the “fiduciary void” for the roughly 25% of U.S. adults who are child-free yet are still served by an industry that typically assumes every client h...

Hosts Brad and Kevin speak with Cozy Wittman of College Inside Track. Our guest on this episode is Cozy Wittman. As Education and Partnership leader at College Inside Track, Cozy speaks nationally about college search, educating families and training financial advisors and other professionals who work with families with high schoolers. Cozy is passionate about dispelling myths around how colleges accept students and how they price their product. She has been featured in The Journal of Financia...

“AI’s Impact on Advisory Practice Business Transactions” On this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, we are joined by Brian Goodhart, Director of Capstone Strategic’s M&A Advisory Services Practice. Artificial Intelligence is increasingly impacting Advisory Practices, and its impact on potential business transactions is not immune to this quickly changing landscape. Brian shares with us his tremendous background and experience with Advisory Practice transactions, how AI has changed the land...

“Looking Ahead to 2026 and What FPA of New England Has Instore” On this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, we are joined by Sam Gough, 2026 Chair, Abe Ringer, 2026 President, and Kathleen Kenealy, 2026 President-elect, to discuss what the Financial Planning Association of New England has been up to and MORE IMPORTANTLY what they have instore and are focusing on for 2026. Get ready to learn and enjoy this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast.

Kathleen and Amy speak with Dr. Preston Cherry, CFP®, AFC®, CFT®, a nationally recognized financial therapist and behavioral finance expert. Dr. Cherry is founder and CEO of Concurrent Financial Planning and Director of the Financial Planning Program at University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and recently received the Heart of Financial Planning Award for his complete body of work. We discuss Dr. Cherry's journey from bank teller to PhD, his philosophy that life and money work together as partners....

Donna McKeown Host Michael Connaughton is joined by Donna McKeown Donna is the Financial Planning Association of New England’s longest partner and is a team lead and loan officer at Movement Mortgage. They discuss: Interest rate environment and factors to consider Tips for first time homebuyers Non-traditional mortgage products And much more. Contact Donna: Website: mortgagesbydonna.com Phone: 781 775 7172 Email: donna.mckeown@movement.com

Host Brad Wright is joined by Mike Gibbs, Managing Director and Lead Portfolio Manager at Gibbs Capital Management Mike is responsible for the Gibbs Portfolios offered by his group as well as the U.S. equity sector research and recommendations. He also serves on the Raymond James Investment Strategy Committee. Gibbs Capital Management is a division of Eagle Asset Management and owned by Raymond James Investment Management. They discuss: -The benefits of dividend investing for both retirees and ...