In financial services, most problems don’t start with bad advice.
They start with bad beginnings.
Confused expectations.
Blurred roles.
Too much given away too early — or too little structure when it mattered most.
Total Wealth Planning exists precisely to correct that. Not by adding complexity, but by restoring clarity, boundaries, and client ownership from the very first conversation.
This article sets out what best-practice onboarding looks like for a Total Wealth Planner — and why it protects everyone involved.
The Purpose of Onboarding Is Not Conversion
It’s Orientation.
Traditional financial models treat onboarding as a sales funnel:
- Build rapport
- Create urgency
- Close the relationship
Total Wealth Planning rejects that entirely.
Best-practice onboarding has a different purpose:
- To establish fit
- To set expectations
- To confirm whether this way of working is right — before anyone commits
That’s not just ethical. It’s efficient.
Step 1: A Short, Boundaried Clarity Call
Best practice starts with a free, time-limited clarity call.
Not a consultation.
Not advice.
Not problem-solving.
The clarity call exists to:
- Understand where the client is stuck
- Explain what Total Wealth Planning is — and what it is not
- Confirm mutual fit
Crucially, it also explains who this isn’t for:
- People looking for products
- People wanting quick fixes
- People seeking someone else to “handle it all”
This protects time, energy, and trust on both sides.
If it’s not a fit, that’s a successful outcome.
Step 2: A Clearly Defined Paid Planning Experience
Where traditional models blur into unpaid diagnostics, best practice does the opposite.
The first paid step is the work itself.
In the Total Wealth Planner model, this is a fixed-fee planning experience where the client:
- Uses a structured planning method
- Works through their money, work, and life decisions in one joined-up framework
- Produces a written Total Wealth Plan they understand and own
This step is not:
- A teaser
- A prelude to advice
- A gateway to dependency
It stands on its own.
Whether the client goes further or not, they leave with clarity — and that matters.
Step 3: A Professional Strategy Review — Not “Advice”
Best practice includes a professional review conversation.
This is not about telling clients what to do.
It’s about:
- Interpreting what they’ve created
- Clarifying priorities and trade-offs
- Stress-testing decisions against real life
The role of the Total Wealth Planner here is disciplined and restrained:
- Guide, not prescribe
- Reflect, not push
- Help clients think clearly — not outsource judgement
This preserves the client’s agency and avoids the quiet slide into advice dependency that undermines so many planning relationships.
Step 4: Clear Outcomes, Clear Ownership
At the end of onboarding, best practice ensures the client has:
- A written, coherent Total Wealth Plan
- A clear understanding of their situation
- A realistic sense of next steps
Just as importantly, they understand this:
The plan belongs to them — not the planner.
That single principle changes everything.
Step 5: Ongoing Support — Only If Chosen
Best practice onboarding does not assume continuation.
Instead, it creates a clean decision point.
Clients may choose:
- To self-direct
- To seek light-touch guidance
- To work more closely during periods of change
But there are:
- No bundles
- No lock-ins
- No pressure
Support exists to serve the plan — not replace it.
Why This Approach Works
Because it restores three things modern financial services lost:
1. Dignity
Clients are treated as capable adults, not prospects.
2. Trust
Boundaries build confidence faster than persuasion ever could.
3. Sustainability
Planners who work this way avoid burnout, resentment, and ethical drift.
This is not softer than traditional models.
It’s stronger.
A Final Thought
When onboarding is done well:
- Clients feel calmer, not sold to
- Planners feel grounded, not depleted
- Relationships start with clarity instead of confusion
That’s not accidental.
It’s the result of one ethical method, one proven process, and one client-centred plan — applied from the very first step.
That is what Total Wealth Planning looks like when it’s done properly.
Summary: Target-Model Client Onboarding: Total Wealth Planner
1. Clarity Call (15 minutes)
A short, boundaried conversation to:
- Explore where the client is stuck
- Explain the Total Wealth Planning approach
- Confirm mutual fit
No advice. No selling. No obligation.
2. Total Wealth Plan Experience (Fixed Fee)
The client creates their own Total Wealth Plan using the structured GAME Plan framework, covering:
- Money and financial structure
- Work, income, and direction
- Timing, trade-offs, and life transitions
This is the work — not a preview.
3. Strategy Review Session
A professional one-to-one session to:
- Interpret the completed plan
- Clarify priorities and risks
- Agree realistic next steps
Guidance without prescription. Clarity without dependency.
4. Client-Owned Plan
The client leaves with:
- A written, coherent Total Wealth Plan
- Clear decisions and options
- Full ownership of their plan and pace
The plan belongs to the client.
5. Optional Ongoing Support
If desired, the client may choose:
- Light-touch check-ins
- Periodic reviews during life changes
- Deeper support when complexity increases
No lock-ins. No pressure. Support serves the plan — not the other way around.
Clear entry. Disciplined planning. Client ownership. Optional support.
Who the Academy is for
The Academy of Life Planning exists for professionals who can see that:
- Technical knowledge is no longer enough
- Product-led models are losing trust
- Clients want clarity, not complexity
- The future of planning is ethical, independent, and human
We train planners who are ready to move:
- from selling solutions → to creating understanding
- from gatekeeping knowledge → to empowering clients
- from fragmented advice → to Total Wealth Planning
This isn’t about becoming “more digital”.
It’s about becoming more human — supported by better tools.
Our approach
We don’t teach planners to compete with AI.
We teach them to:
- use AI to remove friction from planning
- help clients create their own Total Wealth Plans
- bring judgement, presence, and meaning where it matters most
One method.
One clear client journey.
One ethical, product-free model.
If this resonates
You may already feel that:
- the old advice model is creaking
- clients are asking different questions
- and the real value of your work sits beyond products and projections
If so, you’re exactly who the Academy is for.
Find out more at www.academyoflifeplanning.com.
Academy of Life Planning 