PlannerSearch 2.0—An Innovative Way to Connect Financial Planners and Consumers
Read Time: 5 minutesA better, more transparent tool to connect people with the right financial planner is now here.
At the Financial Planning Association’s (FPA) recent Gather NextGen event, our team presented a new tool created in collaboration with FPA and Snappy Kraken: PlannerSearch 2.0.
Our CEO Jamie Smyth and Nikita Nilges, UX Design Strategist for the PlannerSearch project, took the stage and presented the foundational concepts behind the new PlannerSearch and the unique features that set it apart.
Instead of a static directory, PlannerSearch was rebuilt from the ground up to connect consumers with financial planners based on more than financial and demographic information alone. An intuitive, 12-question quiz for consumers explores how a person approaches their finances, helping the platform identify planners whose experience and approach align with the consumer’s needs and preferences.
PlannerSearch 2.0—What makes it unique?
The original PlannerSearch, like most traditional financial planning directories, asked consumers for information like their income, assets, and geographic location in a cold intake form. Once that information had been obtained, the directory simply showed consumers a long list of financial planners in their area who matched the entered data.
The traditional process is quantifiable, but it provides little information about fit, values, approach, or communication style.
When a consumer is searching for a financial planner, they are looking for someone they can trust with decisions that impact their life and well-being. And trust isn’t built on numbers or a list of checked boxes alone—it’s also built on shared values and human connection. Traditional directories provide little help in evaluating and facilitating that kind of fit.
Reimagining the Intake Survey Through Research
One of the more interesting turns in the redesign came when the team looked to academic research to answer a practical product question: What should PlannerSearch know about a consumer before trying to connect them with a financial planner?
Research into areas such as client motivation and financial well-being helped shape the answer. It reveals that why someone is motivated can matter as much as how motivated they are.
Understanding what matters to a person and what motivates their financial decisions helps planners tailor their advice, communicate actionable steps in a way the client will respect and value, and align on priorities. This forges the bond of trust that creates long-term client relationships.
Every other platform out there starts by asking the consumer, ‘What is your AUM?’ But PlannerSearch is different. It's really focusing on uncovering: 'How is this consumer approaching their financial decisions?' It's identifying the emotional drivers and behavioral traits that define their personal relationship with their finances. And this is important because research [shows] that client trust isn't built around those technical skills that you possess… but it's really built on shared understanding.
—Nikita (Launch Presentation at 05:54)
Once the survey responses are collected, PlannerSearch uses them to shape what the consumer sees next and give planners additional insights.
The Mindset Matrix and Adaptive Results
PlannerSearch 2.0 introduces a research-backed framework called the Mindset Matrix. It plots prospective clients on two axes:
- financial well-being, and
- readiness to engage.
We created a short video introducing the Mindset Matrix framework and showing how planner profiles adapt based on the mindset of the potential client. This video will be available on the PlannerSearch profile builder, serving as a resource for planners to review when building their adaptable profile.
With the consumer placed into a mindset and their survey results obtained, PlannerSearch 2.0 then displays the financial planners that best match their results, along with advice tailored by the top-match planners to someone in their mindset.
Financial planners have always adapted their approach to the individual, but now, PlannerSearch communicates this instantly—before the consumer even reaches out.
Refining the Search
In addition to displaying a consumer’s top matches, PlannerSearch provides 10 filters to narrow down the search results further if desired.
On the planner side, the profile builder limits financial planners to three specialties, making it clear which types of work they do most often and want to focus on. It also limits planners to three demographics representing the types of people they help most frequently and have the most experience with. Requiring planners to prioritize these categories makes their profiles more meaningful and helps consumers identify planners with experience relevant to their demographic, life circumstances, or financial situation.
Leads and Marketing Integrations
Once a potential client fills out a contact form for a financial planner, the planner receives the consumer’s mindset and relevant survey data. This allows them to start conversations with the potential client in a way that caters to their mindset.
The lead is also automatically captured in Snappy Kraken, a marketing platform used by financial advisors, and moves into the planner's existing follow-up workflow instead of requiring manual entry. This allows planners to more easily nurture their relationships.
As always, our team started by listening.
During their presentation, Jamie and Nikita highlighted that the new PlannerSearch features weren’t based on assumptions made by executives, designers, or developers. They were based on conversations with financial planners, many of whom were in attendance.
Every feature that you're going to see, it comes from conversations with members like you, and it aligns perfectly with the ideals that Dennis shared earlier with us. So what we're going to show is not our vision for PlannerSearch, it's yours.
—Jamie (Launch Presentation at 03:49)
Over 50 professionals provided feedback in some form for this new tool, and several joined a focus group that met regularly to review solutions. We want to thank them for their dedication to helping make the new PlannerSearch a practical tool for financial planners.
We received valuable input from financial planners and wealth management experts with a range of backgrounds and specialties. Colin Overweg, Matthew Jordan, Jack Heintzelman, Leslie Beck, D. Crystal Alford-Cooper, Daniel B. Moisand, Lillian Turner, David Tassone, Karen E. Van Voorhis, Otto Rivera, Juan G. HernandezAriano, Maria Castillo Dominguez, James Lee, and Donovan Sanchez participated in our focus group sessions and interviews. Their contributions provided a range of perspectives on the challenges different types of planners face.
Our design strategists listened carefully to their professional struggles, concerns, and desires about connecting with clients. The sessions confirmed suspected issues while also revealing new ones. They then researched the most effective solutions, using academic research as a guide.
Special thanks go to Sonya Lutter, Ph.D., CFP®, LMFT, and Megan McCoy, Ph.D., LMFT, AFC, CFT, for their academic research and personal feedback that informed several aspects of PlannerSearch. Their research—and the broader body of academic work our team drew from—played a much larger role in the development of PlannerSearch than we initially expected. We tell that story in Differentiating Software with Academic Research: The Story Behind FPA PlannerSearch.
What’s on the horizon for PlannerSearch?
PlannerSearch 2.0 lays the foundation for future features designed to help FPA member financial planners better understand the people searching for them. These will include insights into which demographics are viewing their profiles and the types of searches in which they appear, giving planners more information to improve how they present themselves to potential clients. As financial planners provide feedback, features will be added to match the ongoing needs.
The goal remains the same as it was when the redesign began: give consumers more meaningful information when choosing a financial planner while also giving planners more opportunities to connect with the people they are best equipped to serve. PlannerSearch 2.0 makes that connection more transparent, personal, and useful for both sides—resulting in higher-quality, long-term matches.
Watch the Launch
Watch the full launch presentation at FPA Gather:
The TSG Team
Articles written by "The TSG Team" are a collaborative effort by the TSG Marketing team. They bring together our company's beliefs and philosophies as a whole, including the opinions and collective experience of many of our on-staff experts.
