Month: May 2026
Planning Beyond the Sale: Flexible Strategies with David Soczek, CLU, ChFC (Ep. 9)

Planning Beyond the Sale: Flexible Strategies with David Soczek, CLU, ChFC (Ep. 9)

By |

What happens when plans meet reality and reality changes everything?

How do you prepare for outcomes you cannot predict while still making confident decisions today?

In this episode, James Knapp interviews David Soczek, CLU, ChFC, Owner and Vice President of National Benefits Group, about building flexible strategies for business owners. They explore how planning for multiple outcomes, not just ideal scenarios, shapes better decisions. David explains the importance of collaboration with advisors, attorneys, and CPAs, along with balancing simplicity and complexity. The conversation also highlights how insurance, estate planning, and business succession intersect in real client situations.

Key takeaways:

  • Why planning must account for unexpected life events like death, divorce, or shifting business outcomes
  • How collaboration between advisors, CPAs, and attorneys leads to more complete client solutions
  • The challenge of balancing simple strategies with complex financial realities and client comfort levels
  • Why fairness in family business transitions often requires separating business control from financial outcomes
  • How flexibility in insurance and estate structures can create better long term outcomes for business owners
  • And more!

Connect with us!

Connect with David Soczek:

About Our Guest:

Dave joined National Benefits Group (NBG) in 2004 and became an owner in 2009. His responsibilities include guiding clients through the design, implementation and administration process of non-qualified plans for both private and public companies.

Dave began his financial services career in 1992 with a local office of a national firm where he specialized in the design and implementation of individual financial plans. In 1995, Dave joined the original NBG, with an emphasis in plan administration of non-qualified plans. In 2000, when NBG was purchased by Marsh & McLennan, Dave remained with their national executive and non-qualified plan group as a client executive. While at Marsh, Dave specialized in the design and implementation of corporate owned life insurance and non-qualified plans.

Dave holds the professional designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and is an active member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU).

Dave resides in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis with his wife, Janet, and has survived raising two children, Samantha and Sydney, both of whom now have graduated college and on to their next adventures in life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More
From CPA Track to Client-First Advice with Stewart Rallis (Ep. 8)

From CPA Track to Client-First Advice with Stewart Rallis (Ep. 8)

By |

Great advisors do more than present information. They listen closely, stay steady when conditions shift, and build relationships that last.

What separates a responsive advisor from one who simply goes through the motions?

In this episode of Zombie Advisor, James Knapp talks with Stewart Rallis, Managing Principal at Stairway Partners, about his path from studying accounting to building a long career in financial advice. They cover early lessons from Doug Lennick, why goals still matter, how advisors can avoid becoming disconnected from clients, and why discipline, curiosity, and genuine human connection remain central to meaningful long-term advice.

Key takeaways:

  • Stewart shares how an accounting path and a small business pushed him toward financial advice and client work
  • A spontaneous job offer from Doug Lennick changed his direction and started his advisory career
  • The episode explains how goal setting and focusing on what you control still shape planning today
  • Stewart describes zombie advisors as people who show up, report out, then fail to truly engage
  • James and Stewart stress discipline, emotional control, and real curiosity about clients’ lives
  • And more!

Connect with us!

Connect with Stewart Rallis:

About Our Guest:

Stewart Rallis is the Managing Principal at Stairway Partners. Stew is responsible for institutional strategy, business development, and client relationship management at Stairway Partners. Previously, Stew held senior advisory and management positions at several large financial institutions, including American Express, Prudential, and Morgan Stanley. Stew has served as manager and portfolio liaison for a variety of institutional investment relationships, and in his role, worked closely with their investment boards and financial committees to develop and implement portfolio strategy. Prior to joining Stairway Partners, Stew was Managing Principal of a private investment firm, where he led the firm’s institutional consulting and advisory business. Stew has over 35 years of investment experience and holds a Bachelor of Science Business degree in Accounting from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More