A newly widowed client wants to sell the house immediately. A divorcing client wants to cash out the 401(k) to feel like she's finally in control. A retiree just inherited a portfolio he's never had to manage — and he wants answers by Friday.
In moments like these, clients don't need a plan. They need triage.
Drawing on five decades of practice, Fred Saide, Ph.D., MA, NSSA introduces the framework at the center of his book: a practical, case-driven method for sorting a crisis client's decisions into three categories — what must be decided now, what can and should wait, and what the advisor has a responsibility to steer them away from entirely, at least until the dust settles.
Using real scenarios drawn from widowhood, divorce, retirement, inheritance, and business sales, Dr. Saide walks through how to tell urgency from panic, when patience protects a client and when it costs them, and how to hold the line on a bad decision without losing their trust. This session leaves advisors with a repeatable framework they can bring into the room the next time a client calls in crisis.