The Behind the Advice podcast, now in its fourth season, is a way to get to know advisors as real people and see how their own experiences with money make them want to help others with their finances.Anton Vierietin/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Brenda Bouw knows advisors’ biggest secrets.
Since launching the Behind the Advice series in late 2023, Ms. Bouw has spoken to some of Canada’s top advisors about their biggest money mistakes, their family finances growing up and the industry changes or client concerns that keep them up at night.
Two years ago, the articles expanded into a podcast that’s become mandatory listening in Canada’s financial advice community. With the fourth season now rolling out, we asked Ms. Bouw about the series and what to listen for in the latest episodes.
For those who don’t know the series, what’s Behind the Advice?
I like to think of it as the human-interest side of the advisor profession. Advisors are often seen as math people who crunch numbers and tell us how much we should save and spend – and less as humans with their own financial baggage.
Behind the Advice is a way to get to know these professionals as real people and to see how their own experiences with money motivate them to help others with their finances. There have been some really inspiring stories!
What are you most excited about with the latest podcast season?
The series is evolving with some new questions and topics. I’ve done print interviews with these guests before, but the podcast conversations are very different. The conversation is unscripted, and sometimes I’m surprised by the direction it takes (with no regrets!). I also like a new, fun question we’ve added about what famous person or fictional character advisors think would be good at what they do. There have been some great answers.
You’ve been covering finance for many years. What have you learned from doing these advisor interviews?
These interviews have shown me how important it is, as an investor, to find an advisor you can relate to. There are many advisors out there with different styles, and it’s important to find one who resonates with you.
It’s not always the best returns (although that’s of course nice), but also someone who gets what you want to do with your money, not what they think you should do. (I say this with some experience of being told by an ex-advisor, many years ago, how much I should set aside for a retirement activity I had no interest in.)
And from what I can tell from my interviews, advisors are getting pickier about who they work with in terms of specialized niches and personality fit. That’s healthy for investors and the industry overall.
Why should advisors listen to the podcast?
I’m obviously biased, but I think it’s a good mix of human-interest stories, money talk and career advice that’s not just for advisors. It’s for anyone interested in a good conversation and insight into how childhood experiences affect how we view and treat money.
Listen to the series here or wherever you find your podcasts.
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