Updated on: August 3, 2023

In recent years, advisors have learned that there’s a strong connection between the head, the heart, and the hand when providing financial guidance. eMoney’s Heart of Advice Study identified ways the most successful advisors are using these concepts to deliver a great client experience. Getting to the core of what matters to your clients requires the right knowledge, technology, and personal connection.

Episode 3 of eMoney Advisor’s “That Makes Cents” podcast comes to listeners from the 2019 eMoney Summit in Austin, where the key theme was “The Heart of Advice.” This podcast helps you connect the head, the heart, and the hand, so your work with clients is most meaningful.

Jess Liberi, head of product at eMoney, and James Werner, CFP®, co-founder of Silicon Hills Wealth Management, discuss how advisors and the tech platform work at the intersection of these concepts to make client engagement more seamless.

As the leader who directly oversees development of eMoney technology, Liberi explains advisors should, “continuously look at the relationships they have with their clients—the value that they’re driving—beyond just pure investment management or asset management.”

She discusses eMoney’s finding that “clients that are really working with advisors [are] looking at them as much more than just providing financial planning.” They often engage in deep conversations with their advisors, much the way they might with therapists and life coaches.

Clients want to know about their advisors, “How can I look at them as someone who I trust, someone who I can confide in through all of life’s ups and downs?” she says. “That’s where the heart comes in, right? It extends well beyond just the head.”

Liberi also revealed that eMoney’s developers often work directly with its advisors to improve the platform based on what they and their clients need.

That’s where Werner, whose firm uses eMoney Advisor, expresses his appreciation for the platform. “The client should never even think about tech stack,” he says. “It should be invisible to them.”

In other words, it should only add value to their experience. He also commends eMoney for its exceptional advisor support at the Summit.

“I’ve never seen a company that donated as many resources to helping their attendees get educated about the product,” shares Werner, who goes to many conferences. “That just speaks volumes to me,” he continues.

Werner explains how using eMoney makes the intersection between head, heart, and hand straightforward. “Our clients might have common destinations, but very uncommon challenges and unique ways to get there,” he explains. “So, when I think of the heart of advice, I also think of the hub of advice, and for us, eMoney is the hub. It’s where everything starts.”

He uses conversations and data in eMoney to get into the head of the of clients and to get to the heart of their financial desires, which go beyond planning. Werner identifies eMoney as a tool that provides real value to his advisory firm, facilitating the client service process, and much of everything else he does operationally.

He also talks about methods he uses with his clients to reach their distinctively complex goals. He says of that process, “A goal session is not something that gets accomplished in a 30-minute window, right?” Instead, it requires building a long-term relationship with them using multiple touch points and discussions.

Listen to Episode 3 of “That Makes Cents” to hear the other tips Werner and Liberi provide to help advisors successfully link the head, the heart, and the hand of financial planning to best serve their clients.

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