Tag: Financial Advisor
How Startups Can Forecast Cash Runway When Milestones Change with Sandi Klemann (Ep. 17)

How Startups Can Forecast Cash Runway When Milestones Change with Sandi Klemann (Ep. 17)

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What happens when your startup’s milestones keep changing, and every change affects your cash runway and funding needs?

Sometimes the answer starts with building something better for your own clients.

In this episode, James Knapp speaks with Sandi Klemann, Founder and CEO of Fractional Finance Solutions, about leaving corporate finance, building a fractional CFO practice, and turning an Excel forecasting model into software. Sandi explains how startup milestones affect cash runway, funding needs, and scenario planning, along with the thinking behind Forcestra.

They also explore transparency in financial leadership, learning from failure, trusting your instincts, and anticipating business risks before they become urgent.

Sandi discusses:

  • How an unexpected career comment helped reinforce her decision to build a business on her own terms
  • Why early-stage companies need clear forecasts for cash runway, funding needs, and changing milestones
  • How a complex Excel forecasting model eventually became an interactive financial software platform
  • Why transparency, accountability, and solution-focused thinking can strengthen financial leadership
  • How trusting your instincts and learning from failures can help you keep moving when others doubt an idea
  • And more!

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Connect with Sandi Klemann:

About Our Guest:

Sandi Klemann is the Founder and CEO of Fractional Finance Solutions, a specialized finance firm providing CFO leadership and financial infrastructure to early-stage medical device and life sciences companies. Sandi and her team partner with founders, CEOs, and boards to help companies navigate the financial complexities of development, fundraising, and growth.

Sandi specializes in capital strategy, milestone-driven forecasting, fundraising and transaction modeling, and translating complex development plans into financial strategies that support executive and board-level decision-making. Under her leadership, Fractional Finance Solutions also builds the finance and accounting infrastructure companies need to scale, manage risk, and withstand investor and transaction diligence.

After years of developing sophisticated financial models and systems for emerging life sciences companies, Sandi founded Forcestra, a financial technology company developing a purpose-built forecasting platform for the unique financial and operational needs of early-stage life sciences businesses.

Earlier in her career, Sandi held finance leadership roles at U.S. Bank and St. Jude Medical. Today, she brings the combined perspective of a CFO, entrepreneur, and operator, with deep experience helping emerging companies connect capital, strategy, and execution.

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Why Client Trust Still Wins in the Age of AI with Dudley Ryan (Ep. 16)

Why Client Trust Still Wins in the Age of AI with Dudley Ryan (Ep. 16)

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Technology can make communication easier, but it can’t replace the trust that grows through meaningful relationships and thoughtful guidance.

What keeps clients engaged over the long term? How do experienced advisors avoid analysis paralysis while helping families make difficult planning decisions?

In this episode, James Knapp sits down with attorney Dudley Ryan to discuss why personal relationships remain at the center of great financial and estate planning. They explore how trust is earned by solving real client problems, why curiosity leads to stronger planning, how AI can support but never replace professional judgment, and why understanding people often matters just as much as understanding tax law or legal strategy.

Key takeaways:

  • Building lasting client relationships requires consistent personal interaction, not only digital communication
  • Trust grows when advisors identify opportunities and help clients solve meaningful planning challenges
  • AI can organize information, but good advice still depends on complete facts and professional judgment
  • Estate planning succeeds when legal strategy considers family dynamics alongside technical planning
  • Great advisors continue learning while staying curious about every client’s unique goals
  • And more!

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Connect with Dudley Ryan:

About Our Guest:

Dudley Ryan is an attorney and retired CPA whose career spans decades of helping individuals, families, and business owners work through complex planning decisions. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, his practice sits at the intersection of accounting and law, where he advises clients on estate administration, estate planning, charitable giving, business transitions, and other situations that require both legal and financial perspective. Throughout his career, Dudley has been known for helping professionals and families coordinate complex matters, asking thoughtful questions, and keeping the focus on practical solutions that reflect each client’s unique goals.

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Building a More Connected Retirement Plan with Tenner Stoe, CFP®, CPWA® (Ep. 15)

Building a More Connected Retirement Plan with Tenner Stoe, CFP®, CPWA® (Ep. 15)

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You’ve spent years saving, but knowing what you can afford to do in retirement may still feel unclear.

A connected plan can help you see how your choices affect one another.

In this episode, James Knapp speaks with Tenner Stoe, CFP®, CPWA®, and Wealth Architect at Boyum Wealth Architects, about his career across banks, broker-dealers, and registered investment advisory firms. Tenner explains how retirement planning brings together income, investments, taxes, insurance, and estate decisions. They also examine portfolio risk, Roth conversions, required minimum distributions, and why clients need advice that reaches beyond individual accounts or products.

Tenner discusses:

  • How his early banking experience shaped the way he listens to clients and addresses financial concerns directly
  • Why pre-retirees need clear goals before testing income needs, investment risk, and retirement readiness
  • How tax projections and CPA coordination can reveal planning choices that account management may overlook
  • Why disciplined savers may need help giving themselves permission to spend and enjoy retirement
  • How an advisor’s business model can affect the tax, estate, insurance, and retirement guidance clients receive
  • And more!

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Connect with Tenner Stoe:

About Our Guest:

At Boyum Wealth Architects, Tenner partners with successful individuals and families to craft thoughtful, tailored financial strategies that bring intentionality and clarity to their wealth. With many years of experience in wealth management, he focuses on integrating investment oversight, tax planning, and estate coordination so that a client’s entire financial life supports what matters most to them.

Tenner views real wealth as more than numbers, it’s about understanding your resources, seeing how they work for you, and making confident decisions to move forward. His professional designations, Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) and Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), underscore his commitment to rigorous planning, fiduciary responsibility, and helping clients navigate complexity with confidence.

Whether refining portfolios, optimizing for taxes, or thinking ahead to multi-generational legacy, Tenner guides clients in building a roadmap aligned with their values and goals. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, especially being outdoors with his kids, visiting the family cabin, and staying active, and brings that same curiosity, purpose-driven mindset, and balanced perspective into how he serves his clients.

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How AI-Native CRM Can Help Financial Advisors Serve Clients Better with Thomas Clawson (Ep. 14)

How AI-Native CRM Can Help Financial Advisors Serve Clients Better with Thomas Clawson (Ep. 14)

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Financial advisors want to give every client thoughtful, personal attention, but outdated systems often consume the time needed to provide it.

What could change when your CRM starts helping you recognize needs, complete routine work, and stay connected?

In this episode, James Knapp speaks with Thomas Clawson, Co-Founder of Slant CRM, about building an AI-native client relationship management platform for financial advisors. Thomas explains how advisor feedback shaped Slant, why useful AI needs access to the system of record, and how automation can reduce repetitive back-office work. They also examine data protection, document generation, annual review tracking, money movement, and the human relationships that remain at the center of financial advice.

Thomas discusses:

  • Why AI becomes more useful when client data, documents, tasks, and team workflows are connected in one place
  • How advisor feedback helped Slant address annual reviews, compliance tasks, money movement, and onboarding
  • Where automation may complete much of a multi-step process while keeping the advisor involved in key decisions
  • How job changes, family events, and client records can create timely opportunities for thoughtful advisor outreach
  • Why technology should give advisors more time to provide attentive service and build lasting client relationships
  • And more!

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Connect with Thomas Clawson:

About Our Guest:

Thomas Clawson is the Co-Founder of Slant CRM, an AI-native client relationship management platform built specifically for financial advisors. Before launching Slant, he worked at high-growth technology companies including Podium and Whatnot, where he gained experience building products that scale around customer needs. Guided by a philosophy of listening closely to users, Thomas focuses on creating technology that reduces administrative work, strengthens client relationships, and helps advisors spend more time delivering meaningful advice. His work centers on combining artificial intelligence with practical workflows that improve the everyday experience of financial advisory firms.

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Building Better Client Relationships Through Insurance and Customer Service with Ian Davy (Ep. 13)

Building Better Client Relationships Through Insurance and Customer Service with Ian Davy (Ep. 13)

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Insurance isn’t just about comparing prices. It’s about understanding what could happen when life doesn’t go as planned.

How do you choose coverage that actually protects you? What kind of service matters when you’re dealing with a major claim instead of a routine question?

In this episode, James Knapp welcomes Ian Davy, Agent at State Farm, to discuss how meaningful customer relationships are built through communication, education, and ongoing reviews instead of one-time transactions. Ian shares how he entered the insurance industry, why his team focuses on catastrophic risk rather than small inconveniences, and how proactive conversations help clients prepare for life’s unexpected events. 

Together, they also explore responsiveness, long-term client care, and why answering the phone still makes a lasting difference.

Key takeaways:

  • How cold calling helped build communication skills and opened the door to an insurance career
  • Why reviewing catastrophic risks matters more than focusing only on premium costs
  • How regular client reviews help keep insurance aligned with changing life circumstances
  • Why responsiveness and consistent communication strengthen long-term client relationships
  • How customer service extends beyond answering questions to helping clients make informed decisions
  • And more!

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Connect with Ian Davy:

About Our Guest:

Ian Davy is a State Farm Agent based in the Twin Cities, serving individuals and families across Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Since opening his agency in 2013, he has built his business around proactive communication, thorough risk management, and long-term client relationships. Ian is passionate about helping people understand the difference between everyday inconveniences and catastrophic risks, believing that insurance should be an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time transaction. He also enjoys mentoring his team, developing future leaders, and creating a customer experience centered on responsiveness, education, and trust.

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Tax Planning Beyond the Numbers with Greg Carlson (Ep. 12)

Tax Planning Beyond the Numbers with Greg Carlson (Ep. 12)

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Taxes often get the spotlight in financial decisions, but they’re rarely the only factor that matters.

How do you balance tax efficiency with family goals, business transitions, lifestyle preferences, and long-term planning without letting one consideration dominate every decision?

In this episode, James Knapp sits down with Greg Carlson, Tax Partner with Boyum Barenscheer, for a conversation about business succession, entity structure, tax planning, and family decision-making. Greg shares how he found his way into accounting, why creativity plays a role in tax strategy, and how thoughtful planning can improve outcomes for both buyers and sellers.

They also explore estate planning considerations, charitable giving opportunities, business transitions, and why personal priorities often matter more than reducing taxes.

Key takeaways:

  • How business entity selection can influence taxes during operations and eventual ownership transitions
  • Why buyer and seller goals should guide transaction planning before tax strategies are considered
  • A real example where minor structural changes created substantial federal income tax savings
  • How charitable giving strategies may create favorable outcomes when coordinated with tax planning
  • Why family, community, healthcare, and lifestyle often outweigh tax considerations in retirement
  • And more!

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Connect with Greg Carlson:

About Our Guest:

As a CPA focused on estate and trust planning for high-net-worth individuals and families, Greg Carlson helps clients preserve wealth, reduce complexity, and plan for the efficient transition of assets across generations. His work extends beyond compliance, providing strategic guidance on the financial, tax, and structural decisions that contribute to a lasting legacy.

At Boyum Barenscheer, Greg collaborates closely with estate attorneys, investment advisors, and family offices to develop coordinated, tax-efficient strategies tailored to each client’s goals and values. His experience includes sophisticated trust planning, business succession strategies, charitable giving planning, and estate tax mitigation.

Clients value Greg’s ability to bring clarity, precision, and discretion to complex planning matters. He recognizes that estate and trust planning is about more than financial outcomes. It is about families, values, and responsible stewardship across generations. His goal is to help clients move forward with confidence, knowing their plans are both financially sound and aligned with the legacy they hope to leave behind.

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Insurance Is Changing, Is Your Business Ready? With Jake Jeatran (Ep. 11)

Insurance Is Changing, Is Your Business Ready? With Jake Jeatran (Ep. 11)

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Insurance is changing fast, and business owners can’t afford to treat it like just another expense line item anymore. 

In this episode, James Knapp sits down with Jake Jeatran of Marsh McLennan Agency to talk about AI, cyber risk, underwriting, and why strong advisory relationships still matter in a tech-driven world.

James and Jake explore how insurance has evolved into a strategic business decision, especially for manufacturers, distributors, and growing companies. Jake shares insights from both the underwriting and brokerage sides of the industry, along with practical perspectives on cyber insurance, captive insurance structures, M&A planning, and the future impact of AI on risk management.

What to expect:

  • How AI is changing underwriting and cyber insurance
  • Why insurance matters during mergers and acquisitions
  • What business owners should know about captive insurance
  • Why relationship-driven advisory work still matters
  • And more!

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Connect with Jake Jeatran:

About Our Guest:

Jake Jeatran is a third-generation insurance professional at Marsh McLennan Agency, specializing in middle-market manufacturing and distribution companies. With experience in both underwriting and brokerage, Jake helps businesses navigate complex risk management decisions, including cyber insurance, captive strategies, total cost of risk analysis, and mergers and acquisitions planning.

Disclaimer:

At 10:25, single parent captives are 831(b) not 531(b).

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What a Good Retirement Plan Service Actually Looks Like with Shawn Van Winkle (Ep. 10)

What a Good Retirement Plan Service Actually Looks Like with Shawn Van Winkle (Ep. 10)

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What happens when no one explains the rules, and everyone assumes someone else is handling it?

In this episode of Zombie Advisor, James Knapp sits down with Shawn Van Winkle, a retirement plan advisor whose path into financial services began with a personal mission to help others avoid the financial struggles he faced growing up. 

Shawn shares how his early experience in large institutions shaped his perspective, what he learned about both good and bad client service, and why education is often the missing piece in retirement planning. 

They talk about what a retirement plan advisor actually does, how small incremental changes can change outcomes over time, and how a lack of communication can quietly cost employees and employers more than they think. 

What to expect:

  • Why most employees feel stuck or unsure when it comes to retirement plans
  • How small, consistent increases, even 1%, can change long-term outcomes
  • The hidden risks employers take on when retirement plans aren’t clearly structured
  • The difference between transactional service and true partnership in financial planning
  • And more!

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Connect with Shawn Van Winkle:

About Our Guest:

Shawn Van Winkle is a retirement plan advisor at Boyum Wealth Architects. He began his career in law enforcement before transitioning into financial services, joining Principal Financial Group in 2017. There, he focused on retirement education and later expanded into executive compensation strategies, working with stock options and equity-based planning. Today, Shawn focuses on helping business owners and their employees better understand and engage with their retirement plans through education, efficiency, and partnership-driven service. 

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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)

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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!

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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.

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

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

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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!

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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.

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