Serve the Whole Client. Differentiate Your Practice.

The most effective approach is to frame PHASE™ as a natural extension of the planning you already do together. You might say something like: "We've spent a lot of time making sure you're financially ready for retirement. I'd like to help you think through the other side of the equation—the life you're retiring to, not just the work you're retiring from. I have a tool that can help us have that conversation."

Many advisors find that clients are relieved someone is finally asking about this. They've been thinking about these questions privately but didn't know how to bring them up in a financial planning context.

Start with clients who are 3-5 years from retirement. They're close enough that retirement feels real, but far enough out that they have time to act on what they learn. These clients are also actively thinking about the transition, which makes them receptive.

Clients who have recently retired and are struggling with the adjustment are another strong fit. PHASE™ helps them name what they're experiencing and gives you a framework for supportive conversations.

Avoid starting with clients who are decades away from retirement or those who view your relationship as purely transactional. Build your comfort with the tool before introducing it to skeptical clients.

About 15 minutes. The PHASE™ Index has 50 questions across five dimensions. Most clients complete it in a single sitting, though they can save progress and return if needed.

We recommend clients take it when they have quiet time to reflect rather than rushing through it between meetings. The quality of their answers improves when they're not distracted.

Hesitation usually comes from one of two places: they don't see the relevance, or they're uncomfortable with self-reflection.

For the first, connect it to something they've already expressed. If they've mentioned worrying about what they'll do all day, or joked nervously about their spouse not wanting them home, you have an opening. "Remember when you mentioned that? This helps us dig into that together."

For the second, reassure them there are no wrong answers and no judgment. PHASE™ isn't a test—it's a conversation starter. Some clients warm up once they understand you're not going to lecture them about their results; you're going to explore them together.

If they're still not interested, don't push. Not every client wants this kind of relationship with their advisor, and that's okay.

Schedule a dedicated conversation for this rather than tacking it onto a portfolio review. The results deserve focused attention, and mixing them with financial discussions dilutes the impact.

Start by asking the client what surprised them. Their self-perception often differs from what the assessment reveals, and that gap is where the richest conversations happen. Let them lead initially, then guide them toward dimensions where you see opportunity or concern.

Avoid the temptation to "fix" everything at once. Pick one or two areas to explore deeply rather than racing through all five dimensions. You can revisit the others in future conversations.

A low score isn't a failure—it's information. Frame it as an area with room for growth, not a deficiency. Many clients feel relieved to have language for something they sensed but couldn't articulate.

Your job isn't to solve the problem for them. It's to help them recognize the gap and consider what they might do about it. Ask questions like "What would it look like if this area felt stronger?" or "What's one small thing you could try in the next month?"

For dimensions like Social Life or Purpose, where low scores can indicate real vulnerability, be gentle. These touch on identity and belonging. Clients may need time to sit with the results before they're ready to act.

The PHASE™ report gives you natural conversation starters for each dimension. But the best conversations come from open-ended questions rather than reviewing the report line by line.

Try questions like:

• "When you imagine a really good Tuesday in retirement, what does it look like?"
• "Who are the people you'd want to spend more time with if work wasn't in the way?"
• "What parts of your work will you miss most? What won't you miss at all?"

These questions help clients think forward rather than just reflecting on their scores. The assessment opens the door; your curiosity walks through it.

Only with the client's explicit permission. PHASE™ results are personal, and some clients may not want to share everything with their spouse—particularly if there are differences in how each partner views retirement.

That said, many advisors find tremendous value in having both partners take the assessment separately and then discussing the results together. It surfaces assumptions and misalignments that might otherwise cause friction later. If you go this route, facilitate the conversation carefully. Your role is to help them understand each other, not to referee disagreements.

There's no single right moment, but a few natural inflection points work well. Annual reviews are an easy entry point—you're already taking stock of where things stand, so adding a non-financial dimension feels natural. Another good moment is when a client first mentions a target retirement date. That's when the transition becomes concrete and the emotional questions start surfacing.

Some advisors introduce PHASE™ during onboarding for clients who are within five years of retirement. It immediately signals that your practice thinks about more than money.

The key is to introduce it when the client has mental space for it. Don't spring it on them during a market downturn or a stressful life event. Wait for a moment when they can engage thoughtfully.

Think of PHASE™ as a complement to your financial plan, not a replacement for any part of it. The financial plan answers "Can I afford to retire?" PHASE™ answers "Am I ready for the life I'll be living?"

Many advisors position PHASE™ as the qualitative counterpart to quantitative planning. You might present the financial plan and the PHASE™ results in the same meeting, showing clients that you're thinking about the full picture. Others keep them separate— financial reviews on one track, PHASE™ conversations on another.

Either approach works. What matters is that PHASE™ doesn't feel like an afterthought or a sales pitch. It should feel like a natural part of how you serve clients.

Absolutely. In some ways, these clients benefit most. They're living the transition and can compare their current reality to what they expected. PHASE™ helps them identify what's working and what isn't.

For clients who are struggling—feeling isolated, purposeless, or unmoored—PHASE™ provides language and structure for a conversation that might otherwise feel too personal to broach. It gives you permission to ask "How are you really doing?" in a way that feels professional rather than intrusive.

For clients who are thriving, PHASE™ validates what they're doing well and often sparks ideas for going deeper in areas they hadn't considered.

PHASE™ isn't competing with your planning software—it's filling a gap your software can't address. Monte Carlo simulations tell you whether the money will last. PHASE™ tells you whether the client is ready for the life they'll be funding.

When explaining this to clients, you might say: "Our planning tools are great at modeling your financial future. But they can't tell us whether you'll enjoy that future. That's what PHASE™ helps us explore."

This framing keeps PHASE™ in its lane while reinforcing that you think holistically about retirement.

Clients leave advisors for two reasons: poor performance or lack of connection. You can't always control the first, but PHASE™ directly addresses the second.

When you help a client navigate something as personal as retirement readiness, you create a relationship that's hard to replicate. A competitor can offer lower fees or a flashier platform, but they can't instantly recreate the trust built through conversations about purpose, identity, and belonging.

Clients who feel genuinely understood don't shop around. They stay, and they refer others who want the same experience.

Yes. Your advisor dashboard shows patterns across all clients who have taken the assessment. You might discover that your client base as a whole scores low in Social Life, or that Purpose is a common concern among clients within two years of retirement.

This aggregate view helps you identify opportunities for group programming, educational events, or targeted outreach. If you see a trend, you can address it proactively rather than waiting for individual clients to raise concerns.

The data also helps you refine your value proposition. If you can say "80% of my clients report feeling more confident about retirement after using PHASE™," that's a compelling message for prospects.

Lead with the problem, not the tool. Most prospects approaching retirement have financial anxiety, but many also have quieter concerns about what comes next. They wonder who they'll be without their career, whether they'll stay connected to people, and how they'll fill their days.

You might say: "Most advisors focus entirely on the financial side of retirement. I do that too, but I've found that my clients also want help thinking through the life they're building. I use a tool called PHASE™ that helps us have those conversations in a structured way."

This positions you as an advisor who sees the whole person, not just their portfolio.

Advisors using PHASE™ report stronger client relationships, higher retention rates, and more referrals from clients who feel genuinely cared for. The assessment also creates natural reasons to stay in touch between reviews, which keeps you top of mind.

The harder-to-measure ROI is differentiation. In a crowded market where financial planning is increasingly commoditized, PHASE™ gives you something competitors don't have. That distinctiveness shows up in how prospects perceive you, even if it's difficult to attach a number to it.

From your advisor dashboard, you can send personalized email invitations directly to clients. The email includes a brief explanation of what PHASE™ is and a link to begin the assessment. You can customize the message to match your voice.

Some advisors prefer to introduce PHASE™ in a meeting first and then send the invitation as a follow-up. Others send the invitation ahead of an upcoming review so they can discuss the results in person. Either approach works—choose what fits your workflow.

Clients receive a reminder if they haven't completed the assessment within a few days, so you don't need to chase them manually.

Clients receive a personalized PHASE™ report that shows their readiness score for each of the five dimensions: Purpose, Health, Activities, Social Life, and Everyday Life. Each dimension includes a summary of what their responses reveal and reflection prompts to help them think deeper.

The report is designed to be encouraging, not judgmental. Lower scores are framed as areas for growth, not deficiencies. The tone is warm and supportive throughout.

Clients can access their results anytime through the client portal, making it easy to revisit before your next conversation.

Yes. Client responses are encrypted and stored securely. Only the client and their linked advisor can view individual results. We never sell or share client data with third parties.

Aggregate insights in your advisor dashboard are anonymized—you can see patterns across your client base, but individual responses are never exposed in aggregate views.

Our full privacy practices are detailed in our Privacy Policy, which clients review before beginning the assessment.

The PHASE™ Booklet is a comprehensive guide that helps clients go deeper after taking the assessment. It includes detailed explanations of each dimension, reflection exercises, and practical action steps.

Many advisors give the booklet to clients after reviewing their results together. It extends the conversation beyond the meeting and gives clients something tangible to work with on their own.

The booklet reinforces that retirement readiness is a journey, not a single score. It's designed to be revisited over time as clients move through the transition.