Getting clients to engage in end-of-life planning can be challenging. When faced with conversations about mortality, many instinctively distract, delay, or deny their way to avoidance. Yet, financial planners know that thoughtful end-of-life planning is essential to protect a client’s family, legacy, and assets when they are no longer able to do so themselves. So, how can advisors effectively approach this sensitive topic?
In this webinar, Dr. Russell James draws on Terror Management Theory and extensive experimental research to explore the psychological effects of mortality salience and how awareness of mortality influences behavior and decision-making. He explains why people often cope with thoughts of death either by avoiding the topic entirely or by seeking symbolic immortality through actions that create lasting social impact.
Throughout the presentation, Dr. James demonstrates how advisors can work with, rather than against, these natural human tendencies. By leveraging effective framing, language, and social norms, advisors can better guide clients through emotionally charged, mortality-related decisions and strengthen overall client engagement.
In this webinar, advisors will learn how to:
- Understand personal mortality salience and its impact on client behavior and preferences
- Recognize and address behavioral responses clients may exhibit when faced with death-related financial decisions, including spending inheritances
- Use effective framing techniques to improve client engagement with mortality-related planning topics
- Support clients in making decisions that reflect their values and create lasting social impact
- Leverage social norm defaults and timing of communication to influence inheritance and charitable giving outcomes
Accessing the webinar:
You can find your custom link by accessing the email confirmations that have been sent to you via email from webinar.host@bigmarker.com. You can also find your individual sign-on link within the downloadable calendar invite for the webinar.
Continuing Education (CE): 1.5 Credits
For attendees who want to receive CE credit for designations managed by the CFP Board, IWI, and American College, we will report your attendance directly to these organizations within 72 hours as long as you enter your certification numbers during registration and attend the live session for at least 75 minutes.
For attendees who want to receive CE credit as an Investment Adviser Representative (IAR), we will report your attendance directly to FINRA within 72 hours as long as you enter your certification numbers during registration and attend the live session for at least 75 minutes. Additionally, Kitces Members must have purchased the IAR Add-on to have their CE reported to FINRA as an IAR.
For attendees who want to receive CE credit as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), you must attend the live session for at least 75 minutes and complete all polls presented at the live event. A certificate will be provided to you for self-reporting to NASBA.
All attendees who meet the minimum attendance requirement of 75 minutes will also receive a completion certificate that you can use to report CE to other organizations. We don't report for state-level insurance licensing although some states may accept completion certificates if you self-report.
Recordings:
Non-Members: Those who are NOT Kitces.com Members will have access to the recording for 30 days. Though continuing education is available for the live session, the recording is not CE eligible.
Kitces.com Basic & Premier Members: The video presentation and a recording of the live Q&A will be available on the Webinars page in the Members Section. Note: If you were not able to attend the live session for the full 50 minutes, successful completion of a quiz will be required in order to receive CE for viewing the RECORDED VERSION posted to the Members Section.
