2015 Fall Conference Speaker
Susan Zimmerman
Susan Zimmerman, ChFC, CLU is also a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT). She co-founded Mindful Asset Planning, a fee-only RIA firm, with Steven Zimmerman in 1988. She began researching the emotional component of financial decision-making 20 years ago to discover if certain communication methods could help clients gain self awareness non-defensively to improve financial decisions. Susan found that specific therapeutic approaches to financial conversations could be effectively integrated into all phases of the financial planning process. It strengthens trust between client and adviser, leading to higher planning implementations and ongoing progress.
In her role as communication consultant, Susan is known for her pragmatic training programs that help financial practitioners use candid language therapeutically as needed. She’s frequently interviewed in television and print media, including Investment News, MONEY, The Wall Street Journal, Ticker, Smart Money, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Susan has served on the boards of the Financial Therapy Association, FPA-Minnesota, and the National Speakers Association-MN. She currently serves on the board of the Adler Graduate School of Psychology.
Susan’s new book in 2014, Mindful Money for Wealth and Well-Being: Help Clients Strike a Balance in Financial Planning was listed as #1 must read book for advisers by Investment News. It provides methodologies from the psychology world tailored for financial planning discussions. Susan speaks to financial practitioners on how to use therapeutic language practices, especially with touchy subjects during financial planning meetings. She calls this “the hard part of soft skills” because traditional training has focused primarily on technical analysis. Her language tips from the psychology world help advisers gain increased comfort and effectiveness when needed for client progress.
In her role as communication consultant, Susan is known for her pragmatic training programs that help financial practitioners use candid language therapeutically as needed. She’s frequently interviewed in television and print media, including Investment News, MONEY, The Wall Street Journal, Ticker, Smart Money, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Susan has served on the boards of the Financial Therapy Association, FPA-Minnesota, and the National Speakers Association-MN. She currently serves on the board of the Adler Graduate School of Psychology.
Susan’s new book in 2014, Mindful Money for Wealth and Well-Being: Help Clients Strike a Balance in Financial Planning was listed as #1 must read book for advisers by Investment News. It provides methodologies from the psychology world tailored for financial planning discussions. Susan speaks to financial practitioners on how to use therapeutic language practices, especially with touchy subjects during financial planning meetings. She calls this “the hard part of soft skills” because traditional training has focused primarily on technical analysis. Her language tips from the psychology world help advisers gain increased comfort and effectiveness when needed for client progress.