News from the Home Team

Is Your Business Healthy—or Just Busy? Reclaiming Your Financial Wellness in 2026

As we kick off 2026, the industry is focusing a lot on financial wellness, as January is officially Financial Wellness Month. We spend our days helping clients find their balance, lower their stress, and build sustainable futures. But here’s a question: Are you applying those same principles to your own practice?

For many of us, the start of a new year reveals a tough truth: we don't really own a business; we own a demanding job. If your schedule is a patchwork of "admin fires" and your growth has plateaued because you’re at max capacity, your practice may not be "well.”

True professional wellness starts when you pivot from being just a "producer" to acting as the CEO of your firm. We know you wear a dozen hats and have to work both on the business and in the business. The key to not burning out is putting systems in place that allow you to do both without losing your mind.

The Anatomy of a Healthy, Sustainable Practice

Just like physical health, business wellness needs a diagnostic check-up. While there’s a lot we could look at, we’ve found these four areas are telling "vital signs" of a healthy firm:

1. Marketing Strategy & Intentional Growth

A "well" business doesn't just take anyone with a pulse; it attracts and retains the right clients. Are you using consistent messaging that actually speaks to your niche? Or are you still saying yes to every prospect who walks in the door? Even if you aren't in growth mode, you should be reviewing your client base. It’s okay to part ways with clients who aren't a good match—whether they’re a drain on your profitability or just a drain on your energy.

2. Client Service Models & Segmentation

A major cause of advisor burnout is "service creep.” By implementing a tiered service model, you ensure high-complexity households get the frequent touches they need, while others receive a more simplified but high-quality experience.

Go through your book and rank your households. Then, build a simple strategy, e.g.:

• Tier A: 2 in-person meetings, quarterly calls, client newsletter
• Tier B: 1 in-person meeting, 1 Zoom check-in call, client newsletter
• Tier C: 1 annual review via Zoom, client newsletter

Once these are on your calendar, the scurrying around and playing catch-up drops dramatically. Knowing exactly what you’re doing and when saves massive amounts of time and thus mental bandwidth.

3. Technology Infrastructure

Does your current tech stack empower you or frustrate you…or barely exist? Learning new tech isn't fun, but it’s the difference between scaling and stalling. As an example, not having a proper CRM and an AI note-taking tool (like Zocks or Jump AI) is a huge disadvantage in 2026. These aren't cutting edge, nice-to-have tools anymore, they’re table stakes for managing relationships. If you do have these tools, are they truly integrated with each other and with your email, calendar, and compliant texting tool?

Give us a call; we’ll help you explore these tools and integrate them with your business so that you can function more efficiently.

4. Operational Efficiency (The Metrics)

What does your business look like on paper? Are your expenses growing faster than your revenue? A healthy practice has to be profitable enough to reinvest in itself. Take an hour this month to review every line item: tech subscriptions, licensing fees, affiliation costs, fee billing reports, and production and compensation reports in CLIC to review revenue per client. Make sure you’re actually using what you’re paying for and make sure you know what each client costs you, as well as what your compensation is per client. 

There are innumerable reports and resources to review these items.  Reach out to us and we can walk you through these too.

Why Systems are the Foundation of Wellness

In our world, sustainability means the business can thrive even if you aren't at your desk. This is only possible through documented, repeatable processes. When your operations follow a set pattern, you reduce errors and decision fatigue.

Plus, there’s a massive side benefit: firms built on systems receive higher valuations when it’s time to sell. A buyer wants to see that your clients’ service experience won't disappear when you do…because then the client disappears and both you and the buyer lose revenue. Technology should be the engine here—from CRM automation for follow-ups to secure portals for document collection. It’s meant to make your life easier, not more complicated.

Starting the Year with Momentum

When you close the gap between the practice you have and the practice you actually want, you get the clarity needed for long-term success. Cambridge provides the tools, resources, and integrations, and Cantella provides the hands-on consulting to help you find and fix the friction points.

Let’s make 2026 the year your practice becomes as healthy as the portfolios you manage.

Don’t forget we’ve created some ready-made client-facing resources you can brand to help create efficiencies:  You can simplify your back office with our internal onboarding suite—including a Financial Planning Fact Finder, Onboarding Forms, and a comprehensive Client Onboarding Guide.  We also have template letters for annual reviews and client meeting follow-up, as well as a client newsletter, and a client-facing brochure that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of Cantella, Cambridge, Fidelity, and Pershing. Finally, to make your life easier and help your clients avoid unnecessary paper statement fees, we offer a client guide to accessing accounts online that explains each portal's unique benefits and simplifies the setup process. Lastly, our template financial advisor website is also now available for those of you who would like a high-quality, low-cost website that you can customize with your team’s information and branding.

Tech Tips 

Start 2026 Strong: Key Account Management Tips for Advisors

As we kick off the new year, it’s the perfect time to review client accounts and implement best practices to avoid unnecessary costs and improve efficiency. Below are key reminders and actionable steps to help you manage householding, monitor accounts, and ensure sufficient cash positions.

1. Householding for Reduced Program Fees

To take advantage of discounted program fees on the WealthPort platform, you must create and maintain client households in CLIC. This process does not impact reporting or statements—it strictly affects program fees. Important: To qualify for householding, you must set up a tiered or breakpoint fee schedule within WealthPort. Program fees and advisor fees will be householded based on the tier or breakpoint schedule you establish for the account. Accounts that are not properly assigned to a household will not receive the reduced fee.

Action Steps:

• In CLIC, navigate to Households and confirm all WealthPort accounts are grouped correctly
• When new accounts are opened or added to a household, update them promptly in CLIC
• Ensure the appropriate tiered or breakpoint fee schedule is configured in WealthPort for householding to apply
• Remember: WealthPort accounts outside a household in CLIC will incur the full program fee

2. Account Monitoring: Use System Alerts Instead of Manual Reporting

The clearing firm platforms include built-in alerting and notification tools designed to proactively monitor account activity and identify potential issues before they occur. Utilizing these automated alerts can save time and ensure you are able to act quickly when issues arise.

Action Steps:

• NetXInvestor: Navigate to Tools > Notification Center > Alerts Setup to customize alerts
• Wealthscape: Navigate to Menu > Alert Manager to customize alerts

3. Common Issues to Monitor

Two of the most frequent and preventable operational issues are insufficient cash balances to support scheduled distributions and debit balances. Currently, Cambridge does not proactively generate alerts for either condition. Failure to address debit balances in a timely manner will result in interest and unpaid fees being debited to the financial professional.

Action Steps:

• Set up alerts on both NetXInvestor and Wealthscape
• Utilize the Items for Attention tool on the NetXInvestor home page and the Intelligence tool in Wealthscape for additional insights

Why This Matters

By maintaining accurate householding with the correct fee schedule and leveraging automated alerts, you can reduce program fees, prevent debit balance losses, and ensure smooth client account management—all while saving time.

Ascensus Advanced Sales Call Center

The Ascensus Advanced Sales Call Center (ASCC) is an invaluable resource, free to all advisors to discuss specific client situations as well as retirement and savings plan business development strategies, with Ascensus’ team of consultants.  ASCC experts can help you with a variety of issues pertaining to Traditional and Roth IRA, SEP and SIMPLE IRA plans, Coverdell education savings accounts (ESAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), and employer-sponsored retirement plans, including:

• Retirement and savings plan industry trends
• New rules and regulations
• Strategic solutions to specific retirement and savings plan circumstances
• Retirement income planning and IRA rollover methods
• Asset acquisition and retention strategies
• Plan administrator objections
• Retirement and savings plan selection and assessment

Inquiries Ascensus do not support:

• Non-qualified accounts
• State laws (they cover Federal law interpretation)
• Defined benefits

Advisors are invited to use this resource as needed by calling 800-417-3126 and providing Cambridge’s organizational code, 111010. The ASCC is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CT.

A webinar with more details on utilizing the resources offered through the ASCC is available on cir2.com (search “Ascensus” on top of the CIR2 homepage). For more information, please contact the Retirement Center (retirementcenter@cir2.com).

Opportunity of the Month

Each January, Financial Wellness Month provides financial professionals with a structured opportunity to initiate comprehensive client reviews following the year-end and holiday period. This timing supports proactive engagement, goal reassessment, and the reinforcement of sound financial behaviors that reinforce long-term outcomes.

Financial wellness extends beyond portfolio performance or account balances. It encompasses the full financial lifecycle, including income generation, cash-flow management, risk mitigation, debt management, tax awareness, and long-term planning. Equally critical are the behavioral and psychological components of financial decision-making—factors that influence saving, spending, risk tolerance, and client confidence. Financial professionals play a central role in identifying and addressing these dynamics through education, planning, and ongoing guidance.

Financial Wellness Month can be leveraged as a planning checkpoint to evaluate client awareness and alignment across multiple dimensions. Consider structuring reviews or outreach around the following areas:

• Emergency reserve and liquidity planning
• Credit health and debt management strategies
• Retirement readiness and distribution planning
• Savings and investment goal alignment
• Budgeting and cash-flow sustainability
• Client financial education and decision-making confidence

Whether supporting clients in accumulation, transition, or distribution phases, Financial Wellness Month reinforces your role as a strategic partner in the long-term financial success of your clients. By encouraging regular check-ins and small, meaningful improvements, you can help clients build strong financial habits while continuing to make progress toward their bigger goals.

Did You Know?

Fascinating New Year Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

New Year’s Day marks a fresh start, a time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. But did you know there’s more to the New Year than champagne toasts and countdown clocks? From ancient traditions to quirky modern-day customs, the history of New Year’s celebrations is filled with interesting and unexpected facts.

January 1 Became the Start of the Year in 46 B.C.  

The idea of starting the year on January 1 comes from none other than Julius Caesar. When he introduced the Julian calendar in 46 B.C., he made the year begin in January to honor Janus, the Roman god of doors and beginnings. With two faces, Janus symbolizes looking into the past while looking forward into the future—fitting for the start of a new year.

Dropping the Ball Began in 1907

The iconic ball drop at Times Square started over a century ago, in 1907. That year, a ban on fireworks led to the creative lighted ball idea, initially constructed using wood and iron and weighing 700 pounds. Today’s modern version is nearly 12 feet in diameter, weighs 11,875 pounds, and is covered in thousands of sparkling Waterford crystals.

The Most Common New Year’s Resolution Is Health-Related

You’ve probably heard the phrase “new year, new me.” Unsurprisingly, health-related resolutions—like exercising more, eating healthier, or losing weight—top the list of New Year’s goals. Research suggests that close to 35% of Americans set at least one fitness goal every New Year.

• Spain's New Year Tradition? Eat 12 Grapes at Midnight  
• Some Cultures Wear Specific Colors for Luck  
• Denmark Smashes Plates—Literally  
• Australians Get the First Taste of the New Year
• The New Year’s Baby Dates Back to the Ancient Greeks  

The concept of the New Year’s Baby, often depicted in marketing campaigns and celebrations, is far from modern. It originates from ancient Greece, where they celebrated rebirth with the image of a baby carried in a basket as part of their festivals.

A Fresh Start Awaits  

The New Year is more than just a celebration—it’s a meaningful time filled with history, traditions, and a shared sense of hope across cultures. Whether you eat grapes at midnight, watch the iconic ball drop, or wear a lucky color, the New Year is an opportunity to carry forward the best of the past and look ahead with excitement.

Save the Date

July 14-15 – Cantella’s Annual Conference is back in Boston at the Encore Boston Harbor! We will also be hosting a hands-on financial planning workshop where you will get expert hands-on assistance from logging into CLIC Advisor (powered by eMoney) to entering client information to leaving with a plan for your client.

Recipe of the Month

The Best Chili Recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

• ▢1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• ▢1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢1-2 tablespoons chili powder*, use 1 tablespoon for mild chili, 2 tablespoons for spicier chili
• ▢1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ▢1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢1 ¾ cups low sodium beef broth, or one 14.5 ounce can
• ▢28 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes, or fire roasted diced tomatoes
• ▢15 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• ▢15 ounce can pinto beans, or black beans, rinsed and drained
• ▢For topping: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, chopped red or green onions, cilantro, etc., as desired

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes, until onion starts to soften.
• Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling, until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
• Add the chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, oregano, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
• Add the broth and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot
• Stir in the crushed or diced tomatoes and beans
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook at a low simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cover the chili during the first part of the cook time and then uncover during the last 30 minutes as needed to thicken the chili.
• Serve chili with toppings, as desired

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