New Planner Podcast
Join Caleb Brown, CFP and Co-founder of New Planner Recruiting to learn how to enter the profession and find your right fit. Whether you're a CFP program student or transitioning from another career, this podcast is designed to help new Planners gain a solid understanding of the profession, the career options available, and how to accelerate their success in the long term. Tune in weekly for new episodes! Find more tools and resources for Planners and get the free Financial Planner Career Roadmap at NewPlannerRecruiting.com/Roadmap.
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Ep #283: College Student to Partner in 3 Years with Hanna Molta
<p>What if your first job in financial planning didn't just lead to experience but to a partnership in under three years? In this episode, Hanna Molta, Partner at Seven Hills Financial, shares her unusual and fast-tracked journey into the financial planning profession, starting with zero financial literacy and a chance conversation at a restaurant.</p> <p>Listen in as Hanna walks through how mentorship, initiative, and a willingness to start with administrative work helped her move from student to advisor to partner in a remarkably short time. You'll learn how she built trust early, transitioned from apprenticeship to client-facing...
Ep #282: Banker to Director of Financial Planning with Preston Henry
<p>What does a successful financial planning career actually look like behind the scenes? In this episode, Preston Henry, Director of Financial Planning at Sugarloaf Wealth Management, shares the winding and unconventional path that took him from golf course conversations and banking roles to becoming a leader inside a growing RIA. Along the way, Preston opens up about the risks, career pivots, mentors, and mindset shifts that shaped his journey through multiple areas of the financial services industry.</p> <p>Listen in to learn how he navigated transitions from banking and lending into wealth management, why he chose learning opportunities...
Ep #281: From Academia to Starting Own Firm with Andy Baxley
<p>What happens when a psychology major discovers financial planning and decides to completely rethink how advice can be delivered? In this episode, Andy Baxley shares his journey from teaching English in South Korea to working at large financial institutions, discovering the fee-only RIA world, and ultimately launching his own firm, Two Trails Financial Planning. Andy opens up about the career pivots, self-doubt, and entrepreneurial lessons that shaped his path, along with the mindset shifts that helped him finally make the leap into business ownership.</p> <p>We also dive into how Andy is using AI to create more personalized...
Ep #280: Lifelong Educator and Financial Planner with Gary Clement
<p>What does it really take to build a successful financial planning career, and how much of it comes down to education, persistence, and understanding human behavior? In this episode, Gary Clement shares his unconventional journey from a math major with an interest in investments to an experienced financial planner, educator, and PhD holder. He walks through his early days in the industry, the lessons learned from working in high-pressure sales environments, and the pivotal experiences that shaped his transition into financial planning and education.</p> <p>Listen in to learn why behavioral finance is becoming central to the future...
Building a Book Straight from a CFP Program with Evan Fears
<p>What does it really take to build a successful financial planning career when you're starting from scratch? In this episode, Evan Fears, CFP at Vision Financial Group Georgia, shares how he entered the financial planning industry straight out of college with no guaranteed salary, no inherited client book, and plenty of obstacles standing in his way. From being mistaken for a high school student while meeting with clients to navigating the pressure of building trust as a young advisor, Evan opens up about the realities of growing a business in the early years of his career.</p> <p>Listen...
Ep #278: Advice Only Model to AUM Model with Kaleb Paddock
<p >What happens when you stumble into a career you didn't even know existed and end up building a business entirely on your own terms? In this episode, Kaleb Paddock, founder of Ten Talents Financial Planning, shares his unconventional journey into financial planning and the lessons he learned along the way.</p> <p >From discovering the profession through third-party administration work to earning his CFP and gaining hands-on experience at an RIA firm, Kaleb walks through the pivotal moments that shaped his career. Listen in to learn how he made the leap to entrepreneurship, the challenges of starting from scratch...
Ep #277: RIA to AI Startup with Brian Abatemarco
<p>Could your strengths lie outside the traditional advisor path? My guest today is Brian Abatemarco, who navigated his career from financial planning into sales, and ultimately into the world of AI startups. From managing clients early in his career to discovering a passion for business development, Brian shares how leaning into your natural strengths can completely reshape your trajectory.</p> <p>Listen in to learn how AI is actually being used inside advisory firms today (and why it's not replacing advisors anytime soon), how automation can transform client service and operations, and what it really looks like to take...
Ep #276: Leveraging Hospitality Industry Skills to Develop as a New Planner with Cassidy Vines
<p>What if the key to standing out in your career is starting before you feel ready? In this episode, Cassidy Vines, a financial planning student at Temple University and winner of the 2025 New Planner Recruiting Tuition Scholarship, shares how she took the initiative early to build real-world experience before graduating. You'll learn how she discovered financial planning, why she made the switch from marketing, and how she turned curiosity into a clear career path.</p> <p>Listen in as Cassidy shares how she secured multiple internships (including through cold outreach), how hands-on experience accelerated her learning, and what she's...
Ep #275: Securing 2 Years of Experience Prior to College Graduation with Francesco D'Amore
<p >What do you do when rejection, setbacks, and uncertainty hit early in your career? In this episode, Francesco D'Amore shares how he turned college rejection, uncertainty about his career path, and limited resources into a clear plan to break into the financial planning profession. From teaching himself to pass the SIE exam using only YouTube to transferring schools and landing internships through networking, Francesco explains how curiosity and persistence shaped his journey.</p> <p >Listen in to learn how to stand out as a student or career-changer, why networking conversations matter more than formal applications, and how internships actually t...
Special Episode: Overview of The 2026 Amplified Planning Externship with Hannah Moore
<p>What if you could experience multiple financial planning firms, real client meetings, and industry experts all in one internship? In this episode, Hannah Moore, CEO of Guiding Wealth Management and creator of the Amplified Planning Externship, shares how a unique program started during the pandemic and quickly grew into one of the most recognized learning experiences for aspiring financial planners.</p> <p>Listen in to learn how the Externship works, what participants actually do during the eight-week program, and why the community and real-world exposure make such a big impact on career direction. You'll learn who the Externship is...
