We were lucky to catch up with Bonnie Mangold recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bonnie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear your thoughts about making remote work effective.

My financial planning practice is entirely virtual, and my team and I regularly work from home on a part-time basis. This has many benefits, most notably, it has given me the privilege of working with clients in more than 40 states. There is no expectation that my clients will meet me in an office setting. Instead, we conduct everything over videoconferencing, such as Zoom. This has been a tremendous advantage in terms of growing my practice. I grow my practice exclusively via referral, so not having a geographical limitation for these referrals has been a fantastic advantage. Clients have also shared that meeting via videoconference has made financial planning much more accessible, given the many demands of a day-to-day life. On a personal note, working remotely allows me to be present for my daughters (ages 2 1/2 and 6 months)–weaving in breastfeeding, toddler meltdown mitigation and short snuggles between client meetings.

Working remotely is not without its challenges, though. I diligently work to be creative and intentional around curating more meaningful and memorable experiences in-person with clients. I’ve done this through hosting intimate dinner parties across the country and leading in-person educational speaking engagements.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In my financial planning practice, I provide comprehensive financial planning services in which I creatively leverage a variety of financial products and services to proactively address each client’s individualized insurance, investing, savings, tax-efficient strategies, education planning, and retirement planning needs. By utilizing a goal-based approach to financial planning, I ensure that my clients’ intentions have been understood and their needs are being addressed head-on.

I also regularly educate groups across the country on fundamental financial planning topics, including investing, retirement planning, managing student debt, and more. Over the past 6 years, I have presented to businesses, law firms, medical schools, universities, non-profits, community organizations, and conferences nationwide. As a recognized financial planning expert, I have also partnered with the Association of Financial Educators to provide free, educational workshops to companies, organizations and entities of all sizes throughout the US. I donate my time in an effort to empower individuals within corporate and community groups to take control of their financial futures.

My professional vision is to be an example of fearlessness in the face of adversity, compassion toward myself and others, relaxed intensity while I am crushing both my personal and professional goals, and all the while, having a blast while doing it.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My practice is referral only, and I grow exclusively via word of mouth. I rely on my best clients to introduce me to my next best clients. If my clients are having a great experience working with my team and me and feel like we are building a trusting, long-term relationship, I will ask them to introduce me to someone they respect and care for deeply in the hopes I can help that person, too. It has been the best way to grow my practice!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Prior to becoming a financial advisor, I was a financial services litigator at a global law firm. I regularly represented financial industry clients in state and federal courts around the country, as well as in regulatory and enforcement actions and inquiries. I practiced law for 5 years before making a career change into financial planning. I made this shift for a number of reasons, most notably, I wanted my work to directly to empower the next generation of women to feel confident and savvy when it comes to getting their money working for them. Now, building upon my experience in law, I specialize in providing personalized, strategic advice to help my clients identify and avoid potential obstacles that may exist on the path to achieving their financial goals. A substantial portion of my practice is dedicated to empowering women to create financial security for themselves and their families. Specifically, I specialize in providing strategic, narrowly tailored advice to women in medicine, tech, law and those who are embarking upon a new career or new business venture.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.northwesternmutual.com/financial/advisor/bonnie-mangold/who-we-are
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-mangold-14a02084/
• Other: https://advisorfinder.com/app/advisor-profile/gy3wMw6z/Bonnie-Mangold/