Know My Plan

Helping clients maintain, build, & transfer their wealth to their loved ones or charities. Financial planning doesn't have to be overly complicated. You don't have to do it alone. I enjoy working with clients who want to build a financial plan together thru a deep understanding of your goals both while working, in retirement, and beyond.

All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.

VP, Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor

Licensed Financial Sales Consultant 2

I’m a Financial Planner that helps Sales Executives reduce financial anxiety with a 1-Page Plan.

Phone:  704-243-9376 | Email:  nic@knowmyplan.com | Website:  www.knowmyplan.com

I design financial plans for busy executives and their families.

Feel confident about your money with a complete overview of your financial situation

Reduce overwhelm by understanding exactly where you’re at in your journey

Reduce financial anxiety with a high-level plan for the future

You also want to reduce stress, save time, pursue your goals!

As a high earner, you deserve a customized plan to meet you and your family.  No more rules of thumb.  Your goals determine your financial plan, and your financial plan will determine your goals.

The financial plan is your life adventure map.  The plan will need to be monitored and adjusted over time.  That is why we love financial planning.  The process requires relationships built over years!

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.  For links to FINRA/SIPC, refer to the Contact Information section above. Advisory Services offered through Independent Advisor Alliance a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. 


Know My Plan is an other business name of Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC.  All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.  Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC is a separate entity from LPL Financial.

The financial professionals associated with this site may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.

Third party posts found on this profile do not reflect the views of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financial as to accuracy or completeness.

Nic Nielsen, CFP®

Natalie Hales, Advisor Marketing

When others discover your value, in the right way, it brings the right clients to your door. 

My approach, The Niche Funnel™, empowers advisors to strategically position themselves, ensuring they are recognized as the experts within their field. The result is a magnetic brand that attracts ideal clients, shortens sales cycles, and amplifies growth.

I guide advisors through an accelerated journey from strategy to activation, achieving brand differentiation in just 8 weeks. 

This helps advisors & fast-moving firms hit their next milestone quickly, whether branding for the first time, launching novel services, expanding into new markets, or transitioning after M&A. 

From new advisors just starting out to established advisors looking to take their marketing to the next level, I work with independent advisors and wealth management firms.

As a niche & positioning expert, I uncover your market niche, craft your brand's key messages, and create a compliance-friendly marketing strategy. 

With my signature framework, I'll show you how to grow your business in 6 month. Opposite to the old-school advisor and insurance mentality. This is positioning, then prospecting.

We'll clearly communicate your value and resonate with your ideal clients so you can remove doubt, grow your list of ideal clients, and have meaningful relationships that change lives. 

I have 14 years of experience in financial services marketing on both sides of the border. Trained in what not to do by industry-leading compliance experts, I've overcome the specific challenges those in the financial services industry face. 

I've worked with top North American advisors and billion-dollar brands like IKEA, Holt Renfrew, Best Buy and Nordstrom. 

I'm a Brand Strategist & Personal Brand Builder for financial advisors.

Ready to take the next step? Book a call with me

Brand Strategist & Personal Brand Builder | Founder of The Niche Funnel™ method

MDRT Academy

A digital membership association helping financial professionals accelerate their careers. Members can gain exclusive access to MDRT members, gold-standard content, performance-driving features and more.

Speaker - Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Academy

Canada Life

Main stage: Prospecting with Powerful Stories 
Breakout 1: Winning Client Loyalty with Compelling Success Stories
Breakout 2: Digital Storytelling Strategies for Financial Advisors

Speaker - Canada Life Elevate Symposium 2024 

MDRT

Niche Power: Elevating Your Marketing Strategy was "one of the highest attended sessions" at Vancouver's 2024 Annual Meeting.

Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) is a global, independent association of the world's leading life insurance and financial services professionals.

Speaker - MDRT Top of Table Annual Conference

The Client Marketing Strategies Team has tripled in size and teaching associates how to brand and market client programs for our top strategic clients is a part of my role. I also lead branding and strategic initiatives for our Marketing, Communications and Feild Strategies Team: 

Key Responsibilities:

- Strategic Narrative Development: Enhancing our Disability core advantage.
- Email Strategy & Segmentation: Optimizing sponsor and advisor communications.
- Case Study & KPI Development: Showcasing success for National Accounts.

Marketing Specialist

The Client Marketing Strategies Team brands programs for the retirement & savings plans of top strategic clients from $30M to $1.2B in AUM marked for special care or attention. My portfolio includes brands like Weston, IKEA, HOLT, Nordstrom, 7-Eleven, & Best Buy. We craft unique marketing strategies, create novel tools and design compelling communications to achieve the client's goals:

Notable Achievements:

- 65% increase in average contribution amounts.
- 5% above national average satisfaction in member education.
- 75% uptake in change management initiatives, doubling plan assets.
- 50% reduction in incorrect member investments.
- 59% growth in enrollment strategies.

Associate Marketing Specialist

Advisor Business Development prepares and supports financial advisors in the development of their businesses, practice management and marketing strategies. After seeing a gap in the market, we launched and grew a new consultancy team. 

Teaming & Transitions aims to support advisors looking to slow down, take on a different role, and/or look for the right buyer for their business. Our consultancy mandate includes tracking field relationships and advancing the capability of fit assessment. We take a strategic digital approach to provide personalized transition action plans, automate the sorting of an advisor’s book of business by profitability and develop database structure and reporting to focus advisor relationships.

Business Transitions Specialist

The Legacy Companies

Legacy helps financial advisors turn perfect strangers into perfectly engaged clients. 

Advisors from the U.S., Canada, the U.K and Australia have seized the values-based approach to increasing their sales and evolving their firms. An easier, more elegant and more productive approach to business. Legacy successfully revolutionized the financial advisory industry by transforming the way advisors interact with a potential client or a current one.

Client Experience Manager

We are business advisors to financial advisors and get to work with some of the top financial advisors in the country. 

Focusing on strategy, marketing, finance & profitability & team. We help our clients (who are already very successful at what they do) make their business look the way they always hoped it could.

Marketing Project Coordinator (Venn Advisory)

Richard Ivey School of Business

Service support for all incoming MBA Admissions & Recruiting applications and communications activity.

MBA Customer Service Coordinator

The only brand strategist in advisor marketing that helps financial advisors discover their niche, craft their positioning, and tell their stories to get more inbound leads of dream clients.

The truth? You're only a trusted advisor to the clients who already know you. 

You'll need to become a trusted authority to take your business to the next level. 

Becoming an unforgettable, trusted authority in your niche leads to some pretty amazing outcomes:

✔ Interesting, important work with your ideal clients
✔ Shorter sales cycles, higher fees, and brand growth 
✔ A thought leadership platform to share your point of view
✔ More referrals and meaningful relationships that change lives

But here’s the challenge: people don’t know you exist. 

It was only when both my parents became disabled, and I faced inheriting a rare disease that I discovered the true impact advisors can have. 

Good news is I'm fine and it inspired me to help advisors discover their true value and reach the right people.   

If you are a financial advisor or you lead a firm and you are…

❌ Serving whoever will fog a mirror
❌ Sick of begging for referrals
❌ Tired of chasing prospects

I have the solution that’ll put an end to your problems, once and for all. It’s called “The Niche Funnel™”. 

You might be thinking, "But Natalie, doesn't this limit my potential clients?" Not at all! Niching is about who you market to, not who you work with. 

✅ The smaller and more well-defined your niche is, the stronger your positioning will be.
 
✅ By focusing on a specific group of people, you can tailor your messaging to their needs, making you the go-to advisor for those individuals.  

✅ This sets you apart from the rest and attracts clients who truly value your expertise, not just any run-of-the-mill financial planner. 

✅ Interestingly, 70% of top financial advisors who rake in $1 million or more annually have a specialized niche.

As a specialist in this area, with over 13 years of experience in advisor marketing for companies like Canada Life, one of Canada's largest and most reputable insurance and advice companies, I have successfully helped hundreds of financial advisors attract their ideal clients and increase their revenue.

This work is deeply personal to me. I help extraordinary financial advisors with underwhelming brands focus their business & messages to make their niche feel seen, heard, and understood. 

I’ve combined my expertise and experiences into a powerful approach: Turning Advisors, into AUTHORITIES. It’s long overdue that financial advisors finally create extraordinary brands to match their extraordinary expertise. 

Let’s stop chasing leads.
Let's start attracting dream clients.
DM me the word 'BRAND' and we'll start with a coffee.

Natalie Hales

Sometimes I have to remind myself: even as a 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵, I don’t always feel “on brand.”

I’ve posted over 400 times on LinkedIn. 
Some have hit 20,000+ views. 
Some barely crack 500.

And still, there are weeks I have no inspiration, no time, and no interest in forcing it.

I help advisors show up with clarity and conviction. 

Yet half the time I’m staring at the “Start a post” box wondering if I have anything worth saying.

That’s the part no one tells you: 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

Because… 
👉 I’d rather work on my clients’ brands than my own some days. 
👉 I took time off this Summer and came back to a mountain of work. 
👉 My “evolution" is moving slower than planned. 
👉 LinkedIn feels different lately (less human, more noise).

So this isn’t a “how to fix your content” post. 

It’s a quick note to say: you’re not the only one trying to find your rhythm here.

If you want something actionable though, here’s what I’m telling myself:

1️⃣ 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. 
90% of my clients still find me through LinkedIn, even when engagement dips. 

2️⃣ 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥. 
Consistency wins, even when it’s messy. 

3️⃣ 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 “𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘭.” 
Start documenting what’s real.

I’ll keep showing up imperfectly, inconsistently, and honestly. Because that’s what builds trust anyway. Yeah? 

Finding a rhythm is tough, I'll share more about what I've learned for advisors on my next live. 

Join me 𝗡𝗼𝘃. 𝟲 and let's chat about it. 
🔗 Link in the comments. 

P.S. We've just done a MAJOR culling of my connections not in FS. If you've accidentally been removed LMK. Cheers!

Brand Strategist helping financial advisors discover their niche, craft their positioning, and tell their stories to attract their dream clients. Turning Advisors into 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

When I first started working full time, I made a rule with my boyfriend (now husband):

𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟵 𝗽.𝗺.

Not because we didn’t care about our finances. 
Because talking about money 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶t.

He’d fall asleep in two minutes. 
I’d be staring at the ceiling, doing mental math I didn’t understand.

At that stage, even “budgeting” felt like a test I hadn’t studied for.

And here’s the thing: 
Most people feel the same way when they walk into a financial advisor’s office.

They’re not avoiding money. 
They’re avoiding the 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 that comes with it.

That’s why clarity matters. 
That’s why story matters. 
That’s why 𝘺𝘰𝘶 matter.

Because clients aren’t hiring you to talk investments. 
They’re hiring you to help them 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

And if your message doesn’t sound like 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳?
It’s just more noise.

P.S. I can't be the only one making up rules for the sake of peace, right? Share yours and make me feel better 😆

To niche, or not to niche...The debate that never dies.

You already know which side I’m on. 
(Hi, it’s me. Camp Niche, permanent resident.)

So I was thrilled to join Hillary Gale Meehan on her podcast to talk about 𝘸𝘩𝘺 niching works and 𝘸𝘩𝘺 so many advisors still manage to get it wrong.

The data says it all: 

→ Firms with a clear ICP see a 𝟮𝟴% 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 
→ And a 𝟰𝟱% 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀

That’s not “turning away business.” 
That’s attracting way more of it.

A great niche isn’t a demographic like “women” or “retirees.” It’s the intersection of three things: 

☝ Who you want to serve 
✌ What problems you help them solve 
👌 How you uniquely solve those problems

And when you nail all three?
You stop chasing and start attracting :)

We also tackled the big fear I hear every week:
“What about my existing clients who don’t fit the new niche?”

Short answer: talk to them. 
Reassure them that nothing’s changing in your relationship, only in your marketing focus. 

Simple, human communication goes a long way.

Big thanks to 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 for such a thoughtful conversation and for creating space for this topic that so many advisors 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to figure out, but are scared to touch.

🎧 You can listen here (or anywhere you get your podcasts): https://lnkd.in/gYeUQHGM

Advisors with a niche, your turn:
 What’s been the 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 part of going all in on your niche?

Here's why most advisors stay invisible... 
They never show how they think. 🤔

Thought leadership isn't about being the loudest voice. 
It’s not about posting the most.  

It's about documenting your ideas 
and turning them into frameworks. 

It’s about showing your: 
• Documented methodology 
• Proven frameworks 
• Client transformation stories

And when you break down HOW you think 💭...

Your social posts gain depth. 
Your clients get proof. 
Your authority gets built.

🎯 On 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟲 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺 𝗘𝗧, 
I'm going live to show you exactly how to:  

→ Codify your authority into thought leadership 
→ Turn your ideas into frameworks that resonate 
→ Build depth into every piece of content you create

You'll get my framework for turning your expertise 
into content that builds real trust.

Ready to show your thinking, 
and not just share your opinions?

See you then!

P.S. Quick poll: What makes you trust an advisor more -
their credentials or their methodology/philosophy? 🤔

If you’ve guided clients through tough transitions and they followed you anyway, take a minute to 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 

You’ve got the kind of loyalty that no amount of advertising spend can give you 💙

I broke down how to build that kind of belonging and resilience in my latest article here 👇

https://lnkd.in/gSb34CeW

Two years ago, I went looking for ghosts in Scotland.
I ended up finding a lesson about fear that still haunts me every October.

Picture this: 
Damp cobblestones. 
Torchlight flickering against stone walls. 
Actually in a makeshift underground tunnel city. 
A guide whispering about souls that never crossed over.

I don’t do horror movies. I don’t even do R-rated. 
So why I thought this was a good idea, I’ll never know.

Near the end, I missed a step down.
Being literally 'weak in the knees' caused me to crash straight onto both of them. 

Did I think I had just broken my kneecaps? Yep.
Did I pop straight up anyway? You bet I did. 

But in that narrow tunnel, clutching Jay’s arm for dear life, I learned something about fear.

It doesn’t always scream. 
Sometimes it just… 𝘩𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴.

And every October, I think about that feeling again. 

What stayed with me wasn’t the ghosts he described.
It was the 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 between his words,
The fear that lives in the quiet.

The weight of everything that had gone unsaid down there.

That weight follows advisors when they hover over “Post.”

It drifts through comment sections. 
It whispers: 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 
It says: 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵. 

And the tragic part? 

They have 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘴:
Years of insight. 
Decades of patterns. 
Real, human stories...all locked behind fear.

So this Halloween, maybe it’s time to stop ghosting your own voice.

Because fear will always ask you to stay quiet. 
But silence is worse. 

Happy Halloween everyone! And if you're ever in Edinburgh (and have good knees), I highly recommend the Underground Vaults and Graveyard Ghost Tour ;) 👻

Most advisors burn out for one reason: treating marketing like a straight line instead of a flywheel. 🔄

When marketing stops and starts: 

• You burn out 
• Your brand gets forgotten 
• Momentum dies

But when your marketing works like a flywheel
with each part feeding the next
it keeps spinning on its own.

In my niche funnel, the flywheel has 3 key parts: 

→ Social media 
→ Thought leadership 
→ Speaking engagements

Together, they keep your brand: 

✓ Moving 
✓ Visible
✓ In-demand

Ready to build your marketing flywheel? 

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺 𝗘𝗧 to learn how to: 

• Set up your system 
• Stay focused 
• Create unstoppable momentum

Let's turn your marketing into a machine that never stops spinning. 💫

Social media isn't about going viral. 
The objective shouldn’t be to chase likes. 

It's about being remembered. 
It's to consistently share: 
• Your insights 
• Your client's stories 
• Your processes

 So people know exactly why they should choose you.

When done right, your posts don't just live online. 
They fuel your thought leadership. 
They make your speaking engagements more impactful. 

That's why it's the first step in my marketing sprint.

Want to see how to make social media really work for you? 
Join me 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟲 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺 𝗘𝗧 on LinkedIn live.

I'll show you how to turn your social presence into a foundation for lasting authority

"What matters more to you - quick wins or lasting influence? Share your thoughts below.
 
P.S. This works even if you hate social media.

HNW advisors adore the idea of client loyalty. More often, it’s just because leaving feels like paperwork. Here’s how to separate comfort from commitment and build loyalty that survives when switching is easy.

The Truth Hurts: Why Clients Really Stay (and How to Earn Client Loyalty)

Read the article here 👇

View newsletter: Advisors into AUTHORITIES

HNW advisors adore the idea of client loyalty. More often, it’s just because leaving feels like paperwork. Here’s how to separate comfort from commitm

Open article: The Truth Hurts: Why Clients Really Stay (and How to Earn Client Loyalty) by Natalie Hales • 4 min read

The Truth Hurts: Why Clients Really Stay (and How to Earn Client Loyalty)

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The Battle

Nic Nielsen, CFP®

Natalie Hales

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNatalie Hales's LinkedIn Performance

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The Battle

Nic Nielsen, CFP®

Natalie Hales

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Natalie Hales's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNatalie Hales's LinkedIn Performance