31. How to Help Clients Create Meaning and Purpose in Their Financial Lives with Dr. Daniel Crosby Artwork

Planning & Beyond®

Planning & Beyond® transforms how financial advisors approach client relationships by bridging psychological insights with practical planning strategies. Hosted by Ashley Quamme, a licensed therapist and financial behavior specialist, each episode delivers actionable techniques you can implement in your next client meeting.

Unlike traditional financial planning podcasts that focus primarily on technical aspects, Planning & Beyond® explores the behavioral and psychological elements that shape client relationships. Through in-depth conversations with leading experts in behavioral finance, financial psychology, and financial therapy, you'll gain evidence-based strategies to navigate emotional client situations, build lasting trust, and create more meaningful relationships.

Whether you're preparing for discovery meetings, helping clients through major life transitions, or looking to deepen client connections, you'll walk away from each episode with practical tools and confident approaches to enhance your practice. Join a community of advisors who understand that exceptional financial planning goes beyond the numbers.

Topics include:

Mastering discovery and prospect meetings
Navigating difficult money conversations
Understanding client psychology
Building trust and deepening relationships
Managing emotional client situations
Enhancing communication skills
Developing behavioral finance strategies
Supporting clients through life transitions

New episodes release bi-weekly. Subscribe now to transform how you connect with clients.

All Episodes

Planning & Beyond®

31. How to Help Clients Create Meaning and Purpose in Their Financial Lives with Dr. Daniel Crosby

August 14, 2025 • Ashley Quamme

Text us to share what you found helpful!

Financial success doesn't automatically create life satisfaction—and as a financial advisor, you're uniquely positioned to help clients bridge this gap. Dr. Daniel Crosby, psychologist and behavioral finance expert, reveals how to move beyond traditional planning to help clients create genuine meaning and purpose in their financial lives.

This episode explores the fascinating disconnect between prosperity and fulfillment, and why having "enough money" often isn't enough. Daniel introduces his breakthrough research on the three essential ingredients of a meaningful life: believing, belonging, and becoming. He shows how these principles can transform not just retirement planning, but every client conversation you have.

We dive into practical strategies for incorporating meaning-based discussions into your practice, why behavioral coaching adds seven times more value than technical skills, and how advisors can help clients prepare for the psychological aspects of major life transitions. Daniel also shares why doing your own inner work isn't just nice-to-have—it's essential for creating the kind of deep, trusting relationships that set you apart.

Whether you're looking to deepen client relationships, differentiate your practice, or help clients navigate life transitions with greater purpose, this conversation provides both the psychological framework and practical tools to transform how you approach financial planning.

Key Takeaways:

Integrate the Three Pillars of Meaning into Financial Planning: Help clients develop strategies for believing (living their values through money choices), belonging (maintaining relationships and community), and becoming (pursuing growth and purpose)—especially crucial during major life transitions like retirement.
Invest in Your Own Self-Awareness: Advisors who have examined their own relationship with money and meaning show up with greater empathy, flexibility, and authenticity. This inner work helps you avoid imposing your values on clients and creates the foundation for deeper relationships.
Shift from "Freedom From" to "Freedom To" Conversations: Help clients move beyond just accumulating wealth to discovering what they want their money to enable. Ask not just "Do you have enough?" but "What do you want your wealth to make possible in your life?"

Resources and Guest Information: