Positioning yourself as a behavioral coach
While there is plenty of economic upside to the specialization required of modern life, one downside is that hyper-specialization can lead to siloed thinking. For a psychologist like me, the hammer that I have (an understanding of the power of behavior) can lead me to…
Overcoming fear
As I’ve listened to and counseled some of the best financial professionals in the country over the last few weeks, one theme emerges: fear. Health-related fears. Financial fears. Fears about the future of our country. Fears about the uncertainty shrouding the world. There’s no shame…
5 answers for the scared voices in your head
While speaking with a friend this morning, we both reflected on how different the world seemed just a few weeks ago when we last met. COVID-19 has caused worry around both our health and the health of the economy, and while the specifics of this…
Noise vs. information
In my days as a clinical psychologist, my first ever rotation was at an inpatient eating disorder clinic. The treatment consisted of many things you might expect—nutritional counseling, psychotherapy, and group therapy—but it also included one element you might not expect: media training. You see,…
Win the day
As a child, my father (himself a financial advisor) had a single obsession—paying off our house. For him, debt was a burden he hated so thoroughly he referred to it as “a four-letter word, just like the rest of them.” To track his progress toward…
Into the unknown
Seeking respite from what has been a trying few weeks in the markets, I recently sat down with my kids to watch (OK, to re-re-re-watch) Frozen 2. Despite turning on the movie to unplug, I unintentionally found it filled with good ideas for investors who…
When it rains
Most of the focus on COVID-19 has understandably been on its physical impact, but the psychological impact of a pandemic is also worth considering. Social interaction is a huge source of psychological wellbeing, and its loss, paired with concerns about the market, as well as…
The BIG list of behavioral nudges
The Brinker Capital Behavioral Innovation Lab was founded in response to a very specific problem we saw in the market: The enthusiasm advisors had for behavioral finance was not being matched by the number of practical solutions. So, as the head of the Lab, my…
5 dimensions of advisor leadership (and 5 books that can help)
It’s that time of the year when we turn our minds toward self-improvement and social scientists like myself write long-form articles about how you’ll inevitably fail in those efforts. Except, this isn’t one of those articles. When looking at the top resolutions people make in…
20 financial resolutions for 2020 (and 19 things we are leaving in ’19)
Financial progress comes second only to goals around diet and exercise when it comes New Year’s resolutions, and yet, many folks don’t know where to start when it comes to mapping out a financial future. While most of our resolutions understandably tend to be proactive,…