A monthly newsletter of the best behavioural resources from around the web. Enter your details below to start receiving our regular updates.

The Compound Interest of Switching Off

Summer has a funny way of reminding us what's important. The markets don't stop, clients don't stop, regulation certainly doesn't stop, but for many advisers August is one of the few opportunities in the calendar to step off the treadmill. I believe that’s something to embrace rather than feeling guilty.

We spend so much of the year optimising our businesses that we can easily forget to optimise ourselves. My best breaks have been when I don’t just come back with a tan, but also a fresh perspective, new ideas and a fully recharged battery.

This is the time to finally read the book that's been sitting on the side, listen to those podcast episodes you've not yet pressed play on. Go for long walks without your phone (unthinkable, yes), have conversations with your children that aren't squeezed into twenty-minute windows between meetings, and be fully present. I love the lazy summer holiday mornings with my kids.

The irony is that doing less often allows us to think better. Behavioural science tells us that our brains need periods of recovery to make better decisions. Creativity rarely appears when we're rushing; it more often arrives on a beach, halfway through a run, driving with no destination in mind, or whilst watching your children do something wonderfully ordinary.

For me, the second half of the year is often when the magic happens. New client enquiries pick up, projects restart and momentum returns after the summer lull. Maybe the advisers who perform are the same ones that deliberately switched off in August?

My own summer is a slightly eclectic mix. I'm heading to Albania for the first time with a few friends (wish me luck), then I’m taking the kids to Lincolnshire for a few days before spending the majority of August in Portugal with friends and family. Three very different trips, each serving a different purpose, and I'm looking forward to all of them.

Have a wonderful summer,

Andy

📰 Articles & Blogs

The Invisible Skill Behind Exceptional Financial Planners [4 minutes]. The thing exceptional planners do that nobody puts on a training course.

Stop Trying To Be Interesting [4 minutes]. Andrew Carnegie figured it out in 1936.

What Your Client's Tears Are Trying to Tell You [5 minutes]. What to do in the thirty seconds after a client starts crying.

The Real Value of an Adviser, by the Numbers [x minutes]. Behavioural coaching alone is worth 2.3% a year.

Don’t Blow It At The Finish Line [5 minutes]. Thinking about your future exit.

The Art of Saying No: How to Handle Client Requests for Unsuitable Investments [10 minutes]. What to say when a client arrives with a hot investment idea.

🎧 Podcasts

TRAP 101 - LISA JOHNSTONE - How To Buy a Financial Advice Business [97 minutes]. The TRAP talk to Lisa about her experience.

The One Exercise That Shows You Exactly Who Should Be Doing What [38 minutes]. A role-mapping exercise for working out who in the firm should own what.

📚 Book Recommendations

The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It by Will Storr. This book will change how you see others and how you see yourself.

🖼️ Visuals

Homeownership Rates Around the World

Europe’s Biggest Banks by Assets

The World’s Most Profitable Companies, by Country

🍿 Videos

The Future You, Could Blow Your Mind

At Humans Under Management London 2025, Colin Lawson presented on building a successful financial advisory business from scratch. With 30 years of experience, he leads a team managing £1.5 billion in client assets.