The financial advisory profession is undergoing a fundamental shift. Traditional models that rely solely on investment performance and technical planning are being squeezed by fee compression, technology disruption, and rising client expectations. In this environment, advisors are asking themselves a vital question: “How do I stay relevant and deliver meaningful value, particularly at scale?” For an increasing number of advisors, the answer begins with one strategic move: enrolling in a Behavioral Finance Course.
In a recent webinar titled “Delivering What Matters Most: How to Move Beyond the Plan with Collaborative Advice,” Doug Lennick, CEO of think2perform, and Kyle DeBell, SVP of Behavioral Financial Advice, shared why behavioral finance isn’t just a niche—it’s the future. And why learning how to integrate it into your practice isn’t optional anymore. It’s essential
From Plans to People: Why the Traditional Model is Breaking
For decades, the financial plan has been the central deliverable in the advisor-client relationship. But as Doug Lennick pointed out in the webinar, a plan—while helpful—isn’t the ultimate value clients are seeking.
“The value isn’t the plan,” Doug says. “It’s the advice. And more specifically, it’s the implementation of the advice.”
Too often, great advice goes unused. Clients leave meetings with good intentions, only to fall back into the same patterns of procrastination, avoidance, or fear-based decision-making. That’s where behavioral finance enters the picture—not just as an academic lens, but as a practical toolkit.
What is a Behavioral Finance Course?
A behavioral finance course teaches advisors how to understand and influence the emotional and psychological factors that drive client decision-making. At think2perform, the Behavioral Financial Advice (BFA) program trains advisors to combine values, goals, and behavior into a structured, client-centered approach.
Rather than treating behavior as a footnote, BFA puts it at the center of the advisory process.
“What we teach in the BFA program,” Kyle explains, “is how to start conversations not just with ‘What do you want to achieve?’—but with ‘What matters most to you?’”
Why Clients Want More Than Performance
Fee compression has made it harder for advisors to differentiate on investment management alone. Technology platforms like Betterment, Vanguard, and AI-based planning tools have commoditized portfolio construction and basic financial plans.
“Clients don’t want more data,” Doug says. “They want to feel understood.”
In the BFA model, the advisor doesn’t just help the client know what to do. They help the client do it. That distinction is where the real value lies and it’s why clients who experience behavioral advice report deeper trust, higher satisfaction, and greater follow-through.
The Core Framework of our Behavioral Finance Course
The BFA framework taught in the behavioral finance course at think2perform is structured around four key concepts:
- Values – What matters most to the client?
- Goals – What do they want to achieve?
- Behaviors – What will they (and the advisor) actually do?
- Collaborative Advice – A shared behavioral agreement between advisor and client
Doug describes it like this:
“Collaborative advice is when the client and advisor agree on the behaviors each will engage in to help the client achieve their goals consistent with their values.”
Why Advisors Need to Master This Now
One of the biggest takeaways from the webinar was the growing gap between what clients are paying and what they expect.
- 83% of advisors serving clients with $5M+ in AUM are charging less than 1%
- For HNW clients, fees average around 66 basis points
- Meanwhile, service expectations have skyrocketed—tax planning, estate coordination, even emotional coaching and financial literacy
The truth is clear: if you’re going to compete, you need to offer something AI can’t replicate.
“The chatbot doesn’t have life. You do,” Doug said. “It doesn’t have a conscience, emotions, or free will. That’s your advantage.”
What Advisors Learn in the Behavioral Finance course
The think2perform BFA course spends some time discussing behavioral finance theory, biases, heuristics and framing effects, but it’s built for real-world application. As Kyle shared in the webinar, it helps advisors move from “knowing” to “doing.”
Here’s what’s covered:
- Core Values Discovery: We help you figure out what truly drives your clients through our Values Card Exercise.
- A Model to Better Choices: This is like a compass for your life and money. It’s a simple way to check: Are my decisions lining up with my values and long-term goals?
- A Four Step Decision-Making Framework:
- Recognize what’s happening
- Reflect on what’s important
- Reframe how you think about the situation
- Respond with a clear, confident choice
- Client Conversation Skills: How to shift from a technical expert to a guide and build deep behavioral partnerships
- Behavioral Finance: How spot behavioral gaps and use tools to navigate those situations.
Each module equips advisors with language, exercises, and mindsets they can use immediately with clients, whether in discovery meetings, planning sessions, or difficult market conversations.
The Result? Clients Who Take Action
One of the most powerful stories from the webinar came from Kyle himself. He shared how, after years of saving, he and his wife were considering building a cabin, something that had long been a goal.
Instead of starting with spreadsheets, his advisor asked a simple question:
“How does building this cabin align with your top five values?”
That one question reframed everything. And it’s a perfect example of Behavioral Financial Advice in action; using values to drive clarity, confidence, and commitment.
Who Should Take a Behavioral Finance Course?
If you’re a financial advisor, planner, or even a team leader wondering whether this course is for you, ask yourself:
- Do I want to deepen client relationships beyond transactions?
- Am I struggling to differentiate myself in a fee compressed market?
- Do my clients sometimes “know what to do,” but still don’t follow through?
- Do I want to build a scalable, values-driven practice?
If you answered yes to any of those, a behavioral finance course could be the most important investment you make this year.
Flexible Learning Options to Fit Your Practice
The BFA designation is available through three course formats:
- Self-Directed – Online, on-demand, six-month access; average completion time is 4–6 weeks
- Supported – Includes exam prep and 1:1 coaching to help with implementation
- Structured – Adds live cohort sessions and a ticket to the think2perform Evolve conference
Final Thoughts from Doug: “This is a Now Game”
Doug closed the webinar with a simple but powerful insight:
“Now is all we have. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. And behavioral financial advice is a now game.”
In a world where plans change and markets fluctuate, what clients want most is to feel confident in the decisions they’re making today and to know they’re aligned with who they want to be.
That’s what a behavioral finance course equips you to deliver.
And that’s what makes this more than just a designation.
It’s a way of working. A way of serving. A way of transforming lives, starting now.
Ready to learn more?
Explore the Behavioral Financial Advice designation and join the growing community of advisors committed to delivering what matters most.
