Richard Canfield and Ash discuss financial education and the Nelson Nash Institute, emphasizing how real-world experience and active listening shape better client advice. They stress the importance of staying connected to Nelson Nash's original motives through think tanks and institute programming.
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When you are attached to and or participate in something that the Nelson Nash Institute is putting on, I think it helps ground you as to the individual that started this and the motives behind what Nelson Nash was trying to achieve in the first place.
What skill sets and things from your past in, whether it's the army and things you've done, do you find that you're able to apply and connect with here in this new role that you're in helping people discover this? Is there anything that you find you're able to translate over from your learned experience?
I think when it comes to teammates, it's, you know, the ability to actively listen, understand what they're, the conversations that we're having and be able to give thoughtful responses about either questions or ideas that they have. But then when I'm speaking with, you know, potential clients or prospects, I think a lot of it comes from just real world experience of seeing things that are outside of the Western hemisphere or what we're used to in our comfortable lives. When you. When I start to think about some of the past experiences I've had and the type of countries I've been to and served in and the turmoil and things that have been going on there, our first world problems don't seem that bad. And I think if you can put it into that kind of context, you can look and talk to the people that we're having conversations with and just say, look, you know, there is a better way of doing things. We have that information and that's what I want to share with you. And unfortunately, our problems in our country, as an example, or North America are going to be very different than a lot of other countries around the world. And I think one of the big things for hours comes down to that financial education. Because people can say all day that money doesn't matter, but it makes things happen.
It sure does. Yeah.
So if you, you know, if you really want, if you really think about it and if it doesn't have a concern to you, well, it's going to have. It's. It's going to be important and it's going to mean something to someone else, especially someone else that's less fortunate than you, that may not be in the type of position that you're in to, to make said comment reminds me of.
Something that Jason, you know, kind of connects it with. Like, it's kind of like air. Try, try living without it for a while and see how that goes for you, you know, when it relates to money.
That's so true. And so, Ash, you know, with. When you take all that into account. So if we were to, you know, fast forward, if we just fast forward, you know, a few years into the future, and there are clients, right? There are clients that are telling friends or acquaintances about working with you. What do you hope they say?
Hope that they speak to my authenticity. Like, I don't. I don't put on an act, you know, what you see is what you get. I'm here to. I'm here to expand on facts and let people know that unfortunately, the majority of the financial system as we know it is not here to benefit us. And, you know, if you don't understand what the problem is, as Nelson says, then the solution just isn't going to matter. So once we can get to that clarity and I. Yeah, so addressing more of your question directly is I hope that my direct approach and being jovial at times, I throw humor in there to try and lighten up the mood for hard conversations that need to happen, because not everyone can have those hard conversations in a direct manner. But there's still a way to get that done. And I think once people start to realize that you're actually there to help them, not take advantage of them. But it's not an act. Once they start to see that and the passion behind either your journey or what you're trying to accomplish by reaching that 10% and actually helping them through the struggles that they're going through right now, having been someone that's struggled, pulled from the very day one, then I think they'll appreciate that and hopefully they'll be able to pass that on.
Oh, I love that. And that's just a sharp example of your genuineness and how you show up for people. And if you. If you think now you bring that sort of into the fact that, you know, the three of us are teammates and we have obviously, you know, a much, much bigger team. And what I'm. I'm just genuinely curious.
You know, what.
What do you think people looking on the outside in don't see about how we work together at Ascendant, I think.
They'Re definitely not exposed to the openness and the sharing components and just the genuine. The genuine fact that when someone says that they're concerned about what's going on or they're showing emotion, that they're genuinely, genuinely concerned or they're genuinely wanted to help somebody and help the teammates and do better. So it's that genuine openness and it's not an act. And I really do appreciate that, that people will take the time to have conversations with you and help you along the process like any teammate would. And coming from my background of, I understand what the definition of team means. And you're not like, you're not going to achieve this on your own. You can be a lone wolf all day long, but eventually you're going to break down.
Yeah, there's, there's something to be said about isolation, Rich.
Well, and you're, you know, used to team in, in a, in a physical, close proximity sense, which you don't have to the degree anymore. We, we do tend to work in, in more remote environments spread out across the nation. So the fact that we're able to, I guess, reproduce or produce as much of a close facsimile to, you know, that proximity through the amount of meetings weekly, regular opportunities to connect and do training, I think is a huge advantage. But there's more than that. There's also stepping up and attending a lot of events. And you know, Ash, you've traveled to attend different types of training events, lots of them. You've actually been to two of our, the think tanks in the time that you've been doing this. And I think that, you know, early on in your journey, you committed to attending a think tank right away. So I'm curious, you know, even for the advisors, because we have a number of advisors listening to our show. What would be some things that you would share with them around the importance, the experience of being more connected to the Nelson Ash Institute, going through some of that programming, you know, attending think tanks. What are some things that come up for you around that, that you think people should be aware of?
I think over time we can get comfortable in our silos, you know, and just in just the areas that we're operating in. And what it does have a tendency to do is it has a tendency to, you know, potentially affect our growth and our exposure to the bigger picture. So when you are attached to and or participate in something that the Nelson Nash Institute is putting on, you know, it, I think it helps ground you as to, you know, the individual that started this and the motives behind what Nelson Nash was trying to achieve in the first place.
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