2025 Theme:
The Great Disruption
This year’s conference theme—The Great Disruption—reflects the seismic shifts we've all experienced in recent years, from cultural upheaval to technological acceleration to evolving client expectations. But disruption isn’t just chaos. It is a catalyst. For those willing to engage deeply and adapt boldly, disruption creates space for reinvention, innovation, and lasting impact. This conference will explore how Financial Transitionists® can not only navigate disruption, but harness it, turning uncertainty into opportunity and change into transformatiion.
Your 2025 Agenda Committee
Rose Zealand,
CFP®, CeFT®
Financial Planner
Golden Thread Collaborative, End of Life Doula
Agenda
4:00 – 5:00
Private Meeting
Location: Bistro 1
8:30
Registration Opens
Location: Regency Foyer
8:30 – 9:30
Mastery Members Breakfast
Location: Regency Foyer
9:30 – 11:30
Mastery Morning
Location: Regency Ballroom
11:30 – 1:00
Welcome Lunch
Location: Pavillion
1:00 – 1:25
Beyond the Disruption: Transitions as a Path to Transformation
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Susan Bradley
In this opening address, Financial Transitionist Institute founder Susan Bradley sets the tone for The Great Disruption. The past several years have delivered a relentless wave of emotional, cultural, and psychological shifts that continue to shape how clients think, feel, and make decisions. From the erosion of trust to rising polarization and the accelerating pace of change, she will explore the forces disrupting not just our clients’ lives, but our roles as advisors. Susan prepares us to engage with the work ahead, together, focused on the opportunity for transformation that springs from change.
1:30 – 2:00
In the Midst of Disruption: Moments That Mattered
Location: Regency Ballroom
Before we unpack all that’s been disrupted, let’s pause and reflect on what’s held steady: your impact. We begin the conference by celebrating the moments that reminded you that your work matters. We invite attendees to share one meaningful client moment from the past year. What tough client situation have you navigated? Even in disruption, there is anchoring. Our stories remind us: progress still happens, healing still happens, and advisors are part of it.
2:00 – 2:15
Break
Location: Regency Foyer
2:15 – 4:00
The Advisor's Role in a Fractured World
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Ivana Polonijo
When clients are overwhelmed by politics, media, and uncertainty, advisors can become emotional stabilizers. This interactive workshop addresses how to stay grounded, avoid reactivity, and hold space for polarized or anxious clients. You’ll learn skills that preserve trust, safety, and focus.
4:00 – 4:15
Break
Location: Regency Foyer
4:15 – 5:15
Triage for Transition: Supporting Clients in Acute Crisis
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Rose Zealand
Some life events don’t unfold gradually, they hit like a wave. A sudden death, divorce filing, diagnosis, job loss—these are acute transitions, and they often leave clients disoriented, emotionally raw, and cognitively compromised. In these moments, advisors are not just financial professionals, they’re a lifeline. This session explores how to recognize when a client is in acute crisis, how trauma may present in conversation, and how to offer containment and clarity without crossing personal or professional boundaries. You’ll learn how to apply triage thinking to the planning process: prioritizing decisions, reducing emotional load, and offering structure that calms rather than overwhelms. You'll also explore how to hold space for trauma without absorbing it, protecting your own energy while still providing real, meaningful support.
5:15 – 5:35
Day 1 Wrap Up
Location: Regency Ballroom
5:35 – 6:10
25th Anniversary Celebration: Scavenger Hunt
Location: Regency Foyer
Kick off our 25th Silver Anniversary Celebration with a sweet 30-minute scavenger hunt! Silver Hershey’s Kisses will be hidden throughout our conference area at the hotel. Find as many as you can before time runs out. The top two finders will win fun prizes and early bragging rights. Let the hunt begin!
6:15 – 7:15
25th Anniversary Celebration: Silver Reception
Location: Courtyard
Join us for the Silver Anniversary Cocktail Hour to celebrate our 25th! Enjoy drinks and a special toast as we mark this milestone together. We’ll also gather for a group photo to commemorate the occasion. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the memory! Silver attire encouraged to help us shine.
7:15
Dinner On Your Own
8:00 – 8:55
Breakfast
Location: Pavillion & Regency Foyer
9:00 – 10:00
Who Are You Talking To, Really? Transference, Counter-Transference, and the Unseen Dynamics of Advice
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Meghaan Lurtz
In times of great disruption, it’s not just clients who are affected—advisors are too. Experienced advisors often feel drained or frustrated by clients in transition—but those reactions hold valuable information. This session explores countertransference, the unconscious emotional dynamics that affect advisor judgment. Learn how to recognize when you’re personally “activated” and what to do about it in practice.
10:00 – 10:15
Break
Location: Regency Foyer
10:15 – 10:45
Transitions Trivia Throwdown
Location: Regency Ballroom
Think you know your FTI stuff? Time to prove it. In this fast-paced, Jeopardy-style game, the room will be split into two teams as we put your knowledge to the test. From real-world scenarios to theory and tool application, you’ll flex your transition-planning muscles and maybe learn a few new things along the way. Everyone plays, everyone learns—and only one team walks away with bragging rights.
10:45 – 11:45
Disconnected: Isolation, Aging, and the New Reality of Longevity
Location: Regency Ballroom
Multiple major health organizations and peer-reviewed studies have found that social isolation increases the risk of premature death by approximately 26%, with loneliness carrying a similar risk. These effects are comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and are even more dangerous than obesity or physical inactivity. Isolation and loneliness have also been linked to increased risk of heart disease (up to 29%), stroke (32%), depression, anxiety, dementia, and a weakened immune system. Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the World Health Organization have declared loneliness and social isolation to be significant public health threats.
This crisis has only deepened in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Extended periods of physical distancing, disrupted routines, and the long-term decline of community engagement have created a measurable increase in chronic isolation, especially among older adults. While restrictions have lifted, many individuals—particularly widows, solo agers, and those with limited family support—have not fully reconnected. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the "epidemic of loneliness and isolation," calling it a serious, ongoing threat to public health in the pandemic’s aftermath.
Following a review of the latest research, attendees will break into small groups to share stories of clients who are aging alone, recently widowed, or showing signs of disconnection. Together, we’ll explore new ways to engage these clients: what to ask, what to notice, and how to respond with care and awareness.11:45 – 12:40
Lunch
Location: Pavillion & Regency Foyer
Dedicated tables will be available to those interested in dedicated lunch conversation. Lunch Table Topics include:
Table 1: Collaborating with Aging Life Care Managers: Kathleen Roth shares a case study of a family her firm is working with. Each generation has their hands full with their own life events. Kathleen shares resources she finds helpful in her own community that you may find are also available in your community. For example, Kathleen will share the work of geriatric social workers and how they fit into her practice.
Table 2: Spousal Suicide and Family Impact: Esther Szabo shares a case study where we can learn how this type of unexpected death adds complexity and different demands.
12:45 – 1:45
From Curiosity to Capability: How Advisors Are Actually Using AI
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Christopher Dale
AI is no longer a future trend. It is a present-day tool quietly reshaping how financial advisors research, write, plan, and communicate. In this interactive session, you’ll hear how real advisors are integrating AI into their daily workflows: from drafting client communications and summarizing complex planning concepts, to streamlining documentation and enhancing client engagement. We’ll showcase practical use cases (and a few cautionary tales), share favorite tools and prompts, and explore where AI fits—and doesn’t—within a human-first planning practice. No hype, no jargon, just useful, real-world insight.
1:45 – 2:00
Break
Location: Regency Foyer
2:00 – 3:00
Planning with Compassion: Financial Guidance for Widowed Clients in the First Year
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Chris Bentley
Widowhood is one of the most financially and emotionally destabilizing transitions a client can face, and yet most advisors are unprepared for the intensity and complexity of the first 12 months. In this session, Chris Bentley, CFP®, founder of Wings for Widows, shares practical and compassionate strategies for helping newly widowed clients make sound decisions during a time of deep grief and disruption. Attendees will explore real-life cases, learn how to pace financial decision-making, avoid common missteps, and support clients without overwhelming them. This session equips advisors with a framework to provide ethical, human-first financial planning to clients experiencing loss.
3:00 – 3:15
Break
Location: Regency Foyer
3:15 – 4:15
When It Rains, It Pours: Navigating Multi-Transition Client Scenarios
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Lovaii Navlakhi, John Fulton
Sometimes, more than one person in a family, couple, or partnership experiences a major life transition at the same time — multiplying both the complexity and the stakes. It might be a business partner facing a serious illness while the other navigates a divorce, or a spouse dealing with job loss while the other grieves a parent. In this session, we draw from real client cases submitted by our advisor community to explore the challenges these overlapping transitions create. Using these examples as a backdrop, our speakers will share practical strategies for managing competing needs, balancing emotional and financial priorities, and keeping the planning process grounded when multiple lives are shifting at once. Attendees will leave with tools to help clients move forward when transitions overlap.
4:15 – 5:00
Day 2 Wrap Up
Location: Regency Ballroom
4:30
Dinner On Your Own
8:00 – 8:55
Breakfast
Location: Pavillion & Regency Foyer
9:00 – 10:00
Honey, I’m Home...Forever
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Dan Haylett
Many retirees step into retirement financially secure but emotionally unprepared. The end of a career often brings a sudden loss of structure, identity, status, and community—challenges that traditional financial planning doesn’t fully address. This advanced session dives into the emotional and psychological complexities retirees face when they’ve planned for what they’re leaving behind, but not for what comes next. The session draws from Dan's new book, The Retirement You Didn’t See Coming. Attendees will also have the chance to win a copy of Dan’s book during the session!
10:00 – 10:15
Break
Location: Regency Foyer
10:15 – 11:45
Building a Thought Leader - Discover Your Hidden Expertise and Define Your Professional Voice
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Deanna Singh
Ready to move from behind-the-scenes expert to recognized industry voice? This engaging session helps you identify and articulate the unique knowledge you've developed throughout your career. Through an interactive exercise, you'll put clear words around your expertise and discover what makes your perspective valuable in your field. Led by award-winning author and social entrepreneur Deanna Singh, you'll leave with sharp clarity on your expertise positioning and practical steps to begin sharing your insights with confidence.
11:45 – 12:30
Lunch
Location: Pavillion & Regency Foyer
12:30 – 1:10
Using FTI Tools with Intention: Maximizing Client Impact
Speaker(s): John Fulton
Our members have access to an array of powerful client-facing tools, but the real value comes from using them with intention, not as a step-by-step flowchart. In this session, we’ll explore how to move beyond basic functionality and tap into the full potential of these tools by aligning them with your clients’ unique needs. Learn how to customize your approach, prioritize outcomes, and deliver a more meaningful, impactful client experience. Discover how to shift from simply "checking boxes" to creating strategic, purposeful interactions that drive results.
1:15 – 2:15
Watch the Shift: Motivational Interviewing, Live and Unfiltered
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Laura Barry, Derek Hagen, Kelly Keydel
Hear from motivational interviewing (MI) expert Derek Hagen as he dismantles the myth that change is sparked by logic alone. Joining him are Laura Barry and Kelly Keydel, who will provide live demonstrations of client scenarios to show you how effectively MI actually works. With a focus on listening first, this session explores how to resist the urge to “fix,” employ OARS (Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries), and steer conversations toward self-generated change talk. You’ll leave with a visceral feel for MI’s four processes—Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, Planning—and understand how to embed them into coaching, leadership, and consulting. No fluff. Just real techniques that elicit real transformation.
2:15 – 2:30
Break
Location: Pavillion & Regency Foyer
2:30 – 3:30
Tradition, Transition, and Disruption: Planning Across Cultures and Borders
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Susan Bradley, Sneha Jaggar
In an increasingly global world, financial advisors are navigating transitions that cross not only generational lines but also cultural and national boundaries. In this fireside chat, Financial Transitionist Institute Founder Susan Bradley will speak with an advisor based in India about how cultural expectations, family norms, and emotional dynamics shape the transition planning process. Together, they’ll explore how advisors can serve as cultural translators as much as financial ones, and how to honor both tradition and change. Learn how deeply ingrained norms about duty, family roles, legacy, and more, can either block or guide financial discussions and decisions. This conversation will leave advisors better equipped to navigate the emotional complexity of the disruptive forces of generational and cultural shifts, in the US, or beyond.
3:30-4:30
Member Town Hall (FTI Members Only)
Location: Regency Ballroom
Speaker(s): Susan Bradley
4:30
Event Close
Speakers
Laura Barry
CFP®, CeFT®
Managing Director, Wealth Management & Planning, Wealthspire Advisors. Member, Board of Directors, The Conservancy for Healing and Heritage
Christopher D. Bentley MBA, CFP®, CLU®, BFA®, CRPC®
President, WidowWise
Executive Director, Wings for Widows
Susan Bradley
CFP®, CeFT®
Founder, Sudden Money Institute and Financial Transitionist Institute
Christopher Dale
CFP®, CeFT®
President, Life after Grief Financial Planning
John Fulton
Private Wealth Advisor Senior Portfolio Manager UBS Private Wealth Management
Derek F. Hagen
Financial Behavior Specialist
Money Quotient.
Writer and Illustrator
Meaningful Money, LLC
Dan Haylett
Director, TFP Financial Planning. Podcast Host, Humans v. Retirement. Author, The Retirement You Didn't See Coming
Sneha Jaggar
CeFT®
International Money Matters Pvt Ltd
Senior Vice President Client Relationships
Kelly Keydel
CFP®, CeFT®, MBA, CDFA
Managing Director, Advisor at Wealthspire
Meghaan Lurtz
Partner, Learning & Development, Shaping Wealth. Financial Psychology Advisor, Knomee. Founding Strategic Advisor, Couplr. Professor of Practice, Kansas State University. Lecturer, Columbia University New York.
Lovaii Navlakhi
Managing Director & CEO
International Money Matters Pvt Ltd
Ivana Polonijo
PhD, AIF®
Applied Psychological Anthropologist,
Chief Soul-utions Officer & Founder,
Courageous Being Center
Kathleen Roth
CFP®, CeFT®
Financial Transitions Planning - Mastery Advisor
Waterstone Financial Services
Deanna Singh
Managing Partner
Uplifting Impact
K. Esther Szabo
CFP®, CeFT®
Owner, Gates Pass Advisors, LLC
Rose Zealand
CFP®, CeFT®
Financial Planner, Golden Thread Collaborative, End of Life Doula
Questions? Info@FinancialTransitionist.com