Training professionals to have better conversations for the things that matter

Founder/CEO IncomeConductor 

Sheryl O'Connor

"There is no one better to help advisors develop these skills than Kathi Balasek."

"This underscores the need for advisors to not only build a strong relationship with both partners but also know how to support the surviving spouse through their period of grief."

After almost 30 years in financial services working with advisors focused on retirement income planning, I have seen that the most successful advisors are those that build strong client relationships.   Sometimes, those relationships are stronger with one spouse or partner than with the other, typically with the male partner.  It is not surprising that surveys show that 70-80% of widows change advisors within one year of their partner’s death.  This underscores the need for advisors to not only build a strong relationship with both partners but also know how to support the surviving spouse through their period of grief. 

There is no one better to help advisors develop these skills than Kathi Balasek.  Her personal experience of losing her husband and working with her advisor through this difficult period gives her a unique perspective, and her expertise as a professional educator and speaker gives her the ability to communicate these complex issues with a level of clarity and compassion that is rarely found in this industry.  Kathi’s sincerity and strong desire to help both advisors and their clients has an immediate impact on her audience, not just affecting how advisors interact with their grieving clients, but also how they react to grief personally in their own lives.  For an industry that has focused too much on charts and numbers, Kathi reminds us that at the end of the day it is an advisor’s empathy, compassion and meaningful communication that has the greatest impact.