The Cannon Curve

In this episode, Phil and guest Paul Herdtner, Founder and CEO of Avra Group Consulting, discuss the challenges of the evolving digital landscape, particularly concerning a brand's image. Given Paul's previous experience at Hallmark, this conversation is extra insightful.  The episode highlights the significance of strategic communication and compliance in the financial industry, especially during culture wars. Looking ahead to 2024, a pivotal election year, the two explore the potential impacts on wealth management. Listen in!       

90% of U.S. small business owners don't have a firm grasp on the current valuation of their business or what KPIs they should focus on.  A business is often the biggest part of a person's financial portfolio, and with new companies starting each day in the U.S. — and upwards of 550K starting a month — the opportunities for advisors to help are growing. In the latest episode of the Cannon Curve, Scott Gabehart, Chief Valuation Officer, BizEquity, breaks down the ways advisors can help guide business owner clients into their financial future. *Stay tuned at the end of this audio for additional information! Resources: Scott Gabehart, VP & Chief Valuation Officer of Biz Equity - https://www.bizequity.com/team LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiefvaluationofficerbizequity/ Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Scott-Gabehart/author/B001K8KYG6?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

Necessity is the mother of invention.   Early in her career, Dani Fava, Group Head, Product Innovation at Envestnet, took this concept and applied it, setting in motion a new trajectory on her path.   In the latest Curve episode, Dani walks Phil through and level-sets our understanding of artificial intelligence. At its core, A.I. technology is a way for humans to get computers to think like us. For advisors, using A.I. can help streamline their day-to-day tasks so they can spend more time creating more meaningful work — talking to clients and helping them understand and reach their financial goals.   Resources: Dani Dava, Group Head, Product Innovation -  https://www.envestnet.com/person/dani-fava LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-fava/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

Not a day goes by that you don't hear about a cyber threat, a data breach, and the growing importance of cybersecurity. You never think it will happen to you until it does, and it did to Phil just days ago. His LinkedIn was hacked. *We are still working to recover his old account Listen to this episode to learn about cybersecurity and what that means today and for the future, and best practices to protect yourself from cyber threats. For this conversation, Phil is joined by Hana Habib, Special Faculty Instructor and Associate Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Masters in Privacy Engineering program.   Resources: Hana Habib, Specialty Faculty Instructor, Software and Societal Systems Department Associate Director, Masters in Privacy Engineering program, Software and Societal Systems Department https://www.cylab.cmu.edu/directory/bios/habib-hana.html https://www.hanahabib.com/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

What is the next breakaway movement? While Phil was at Envestnet Elevate, he had the opportunity to connect with Jay Hummel, Partner and Co-founder of Wealth Advisor Growth Network. Listen in to hear Jay's thoughts on the next breakaway movement and how he and his team are building their firm to anticipate breakaways.   Resources: Jay Hummel, Partner and Co-founder of Wealth Advisor Growth Network https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-hummel/ Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

This month, Phil welcomes back Houston Gaines, Georgia State House Representative 120 and Vice Chairman of the Majority Caucus. What was the first lesson you learned about finances? Why is financial literacy a valuable addition to education systems? In this episode, Houston discusses legislation regarding financial literacy education. Listen in to learn more!   Resources: Houston Gaines, State House Representative 120, Vice Chairman of the Majority Caucus https://www.houstongaines.com/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

This month, Phil is joined by guest Michelle Smith, CEO of Source Financial Advisors. She is the epitome of a woman's advocate; she is a voice for so many divorced women and works tirelessly to empower, educate and help women navigate the financial world. Listen in to hear her narrative and insight.   Resources: Michelle Smith, CEO of Source Financial Advisors https://sourcefa.com/michelle-smith/ Wife2CFO https://wife2cfo.com/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

Listen to leaders of trust companies discuss how they navigate decisions for growth and sustainability. As we begin 2023, they will discuss maximizing technology, market swings, interest rate changes, succession planning, and more.   *The discussion from January's Association of Trust Organizations (ATO) Speaker Series was repurposed for this episode. Phil was the moderator; see the three panelists below.    Resources: Stuart Allen, CEO of Allen Trust Company https://www.allentrust.com/team-stuart-allen Daniel Carter, President of The Trust Company of Tennessee https://thetrust.com/our-team/daniel-k-carter/ Kyle McDonald, CEO of Argent Financial Group, Inc. https://argentfinancial.com/people/kyle-mcdonald/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

November is National Gratitude Month, so for this month's Cannon Curve guest, Phil welcomed Avery Fontaine, Head of Philanthropy and Impact at PNC Bank Hawthorn. Hear how Avery got into philanthropy and impact planning. She shares a unique perspective on how to think about the strategic side of planning, gives insight into the role behavioral economics has in the planning process, why the 'Why' is so important in these conversations, and so much more. Listen in! 'Tis the season of Giving!   Resources: Avery Fontaine, Head of Philanthropy and Impact at PNC Bank Hawthorn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-fontaine/ Greg Dees, a Pioneer of Social Entrepreneurship - https://today.duke.edu/2013/12/gregdees Jed Emerson, Originator of the concepts of Blended Value and Total Portfolio Management - https://www.blendedvalue.org/about-jed-emerson#:~:text=Originator%20of%20the%20concepts%20of,performance%20with%20social%2Fenvironmental%20impact Start With Why, Simon Sinek - https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

In this month's episode of the Cannon Curve, Phil is joined by Jennie Menzie. She serves as the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Corporate Counsel of Cumberland Trust Company in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Auburn University, received her J.D. from Vanderbilt School of Law, is a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning from the Institute of Charitable Estate Planning, and serves on the Board of Directors of The Association of Trust Organizations.  Phil and Jennie discuss a path forward to simplifying and improving estate planning utilization. Estate planning is more than a piece of paper; listen to hear Jennie's perspectives and processes about estate planning.      Resources: Jennie Menzie, President, Chief Operating Officer, and Corporate Counsel of Cumberland Trust Company https://cumberlandtrust.com/member/02-menzie-jennifer/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected]

For the September Cannon Curve, Phil is joined by a longtime personal and professional friend, John Phoenix, Founding Partner of Wealth Advisory Growth Network, President of AiK2 Insurance Services, He is a former Senior Sales Strategist with Envestnet and has owned and operated multiple RIA groups. Listen in to learn more about WAGN, advisor choice, the decision, benefits, and challenges of 'going independent', and the role technology and outsourcing can have in success.   Resources: John Phoenix - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-phoenix-0b98394/ Founding Partner, Wealth Advisory Growth Network - https://wagn.biz/about-us/ President, AiK2 Insurance Services - https://aik2.com/#contact-us   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

The wealth management industry has been forced to adapt to new realities in recent months and years, but we aren't the only ones; college sports have experienced disruption too. Changes have forced college coaches to adapt their recruiting and retention strategies. This month, Phil had Scott Stricklin, Head Baseball Coach at the University of Georgia, as our guest. Scott shares some of his insights and philosophies on identifying recruits and leading, developing and retaining his players.   This episode is FULL of great takeaways. Take note from this college coach; he may just teach you a thing or two about what you could be doing differently to better recruit, retain, and develop your team.   Resources: Scott Stricklin, Head Baseball Coach for the University of Georgia -  https://georgiadogs.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/scott-stricklin/3027   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

The Cannon Curve guest for July is Paul Lesser. Paul is the Principal of PHL Advisory Services and is a new addition to the Cannon Adjunct Faculty. He has a wealth of knowledge in the areas of Human Resources and Recruiting after almost three decades of experience.    We are in a war for talent. Listen to this episode to hear Paul unpack key challenges in recruiting and retaining and provide insight on possible solutions.   Resources: Paul Lesser, Principal of PHL Talent Advisory Services -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lesser-3942114/ "Talking Talent" webinar *releases on August 25th   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

This month's guest on The Cannon Curve is Phil's Senior Flight Instructor, Co-Founder of Dragonfly Aviation, Jon Lambeth. Get ready for takeoff! Listen to this episode to hear Jon share how he turned his passion into a business and career.   Resources: Jon Lambeth, Dragonfly Aviation - https://www.dragonflyav.com/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month, Phil is joined by a friend, fellow private pilot, and real estate development, Freeman Barber. He is resilient. When he encounters a problem, he figures out how to fix it and pursues it with vigor. Listen in to hear how he always finds a way through.   Resources: Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]

In this month's episode of The Cannon Curve, Phil is joined by Cannon student Mac Gardner, CFP®, CWS®, CRPC®, CRPS®. He is the Founder and Chief Education Officer of FinLit Tech, the author of two books, 'Motivate Your Money!" and "The Four Money Bears," and a Public Speaker Mac's passion for financial literacy is evident in this episode. He has served the financial services industry for over 20 years and has so much to share. Listen in to hear his story and his why, knowledge and insight (and even a few "Mac Nuggets)." Resources: Mac Gardner, CFP®, CWS®, CRPC®, CRPS®: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macgardner/ FinTech Lit: https://finlittech.com/ "Motivate Your Money!": http://motivatewealth.com/ "The Four Money Bears: https://www.thefourmoneybears.com/   Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: [email protected] Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: [email protected]