Sheryl O’Connor on Empowering Clients through Secure Financial Planning

Hosts Johnny Sandquist and Brodrick Lothringer talk tech and finance with Sheryl O’Connor, the CEO and Founder of IncomeConductor, in this episode of On the Circuit, which was recorded on the heels of the SHIFT conference on human-first financial guidance.

Sheryl O’Connor has lived many lives: She began her journey as a professional musician, before pivoting to teaching, and then insurance before taking on fintech entrepreneurship. 

When she first took a bootcamp course on coding decades ago, she immediately knew she’d found a new passion. 

“I really loved it. There’s a lot of symbiosis between music and code. There’s an art to it. There’s a science to both. There’s a structure, and they’re both languages.”

Soon after, O’Connor was introduced to the idea of retirement income planning and her eventual business partner, Phil Lubinski. The duo knew that successful financial planning wasn’t just about accumulation leading up to retirement, but also about the tools and tech that could optimize those accounts both prior to and within retirement. That approach could also impact client mindsets, helping people keep their cool even when the market was facing turbulency.

“Phil and I got together and started to build a technology income conductor based on his strategy that incorporated all of these aspects of retirement within the planning tool,” she explains.

Thus was born IncomeConductor, a cloud-based company that “allows advisors, firms and individuals to create customized, time-segmented income plans that can be easily tracked and managed throughout retirement.”

Click “play” on the episode above to learn more about O’Connor’s journey with tech, entrepreneurship and IncomeConductor. And if you’re interested in hearing more about the intersection of financial planning and human-first guidance, you can check out our other episodes here. 

Key Takeaways

1. There is an essential need for providing a sense of security and trust for clients in their financial planning journey.
2. A collaborative approach with data can enhance financial planning outcomes.
3. Learn the significance of understanding client biases, attitudes and personal goals in financial advisory.

Key Timestamps and Topics

• 00:07:52 – The guest discusses how she transitioned from being a professional musician to a software developer, program manager, and eventually, an entrepreneur in the fintech industry. 
• 00:15:33 – O’Connor dispels the misconception that the financial services industry is a focused industry, stating that it is very siloed. 
• 00:17:56 – Human first financial planning means recognizing the client’s persona as important as the scientific side of planning. 
• 00:20:27 – O’Connor discusses why clients should be involved in the planning process. 
• 00:23:48 – AI is becoming more integrated into our lives, making better predictions by learning from data. 
• 00:27:02 – Sheryl O’Connor’s career goal is to provide security to people in an insecure world by helping advisors give confidence to their clients and ensure security throughout retirement.

Relevant Links

• Download our free ebook, The Advisor’s Guide to Starting a Podcast
• Connect with a member of our podcasting team
• Learn more about starting your own podcast

About Three Crowns

Three Crowns is a full-service marketing partner, providing the financial industry with high-quality custom blogs, website design, branding, podcast production and more. We help financial advisors and fintech companies find their message and amplify their voice. From strategy to click-worthy content, to SEO optimization and social media promotion, our team is ready to help you feel confident in your communication. Click here to connect with a member of the Three Crowns team today.