Why advisors must rethink client engagement beyond performance metrics

Clients are being bombarded by financial advice designed to grab attention, not deliver substance. That’s the core issue Peter V. Disch, Founder and Managing Member of Great Point Wealth Advisors, wanted to address when asked how advisors should rethink client education in the age of online influencers.

“All this stuff we see on TV and all the stuff that we read in the publications is really all designed to sell advertising,” Disch said. “It’s vying for eyeballs across a lot of different platforms, and therefore the most dramatic stuff is going to find its way to you first.” 

Disch’s message to clients is simple: ignore the noise. “As investors we have to just keep our attention on the big picture. And the big picture is really: what is it that we’re trying to do with our money?” he said. 

This means starting with a basic but critical distinction: identifying short-term needs versus long-term goals. “If we can get that short-term problem solved properly, then the long-term stuff kind of takes care of itself,” he said. Money needed in the next five years must be protected from volatility. “It’s got to be liquid, it’s got to be available, and it can’t be subject to the whims of the market.” 

On the other hand, capital not needed for six years or more can be exposed to market fluctuations—so long as the portfolio is properly diversified. “We can allow for that to be volatile with the market, knowing that if you have a properly diversified portfolio, it’s going to capture the returns that are very readily available in the equity market—albeit with a much bumpier ride that we fully expect to take,” Disch said. 

Short-term logic vs. long-term emotion 

The other shift advisors must make is how they approach emotionally driven decision-making. For Disch, technical analysis is just one part of a conversation. The other part—how a decision makes the client feel—can often be more important. 

He referenced a common retirement scenario: “Hey Pete, I own a home in Hingham and it’s worth a couple million dollars. I owe 200,000 on it with a 3% mortgage. Should I pay it off?”

From a numbers standpoint, the answer is clear. “You’re getting 4 to 5% on your money market investment in yield. Your mortgage is costing you 3%... Financially, it’s a no-brainer. You should definitely keep your mortgage,” he said. 

But that’s not the full story. 

“Maybe for $3,000 a year, I can go to bed every night in my home knowing that I own it, there’s no banks involved, and I’ve met that goal for me,” the client might respond. That, said Disch, changes the equation. 

“I understand this isn’t financially the right thing to do, but it makes me feel good. And I am all for that,” he said. “Advisors have to have flexibility not only around what is the most sensible dollars-and-cents strategy, but also: how does that make the client feel?” 

When financial goals come into tension with long-held beliefs or personal milestones, it’s not always about optimization. “You don’t have to squeeze the last penny out of every single decision you make, particularly if it just makes you feel better,” he said. 

Advisors need to listen more—and calculate less 

Good planning, in Disch’s view, is never just about the numbers. It’s about guiding clients through trade-offs they can live with—and helping them make decisions that support their sense of control, security, and independence. 

“You’ve got to go through the numbers, and you have to have that decision tree,” he said. “But if you’ve got solid numbers over here that you can see, and you already know how you kind of feel, then maybe that goal wasn’t so important anyway. Or maybe you’re like, ‘Doesn’t matter. I always, for 30 or 40 years of this mortgage, wanted to pay it off. I don’t care.’” 

That’s why advisors need to start from the client’s value set—not just their risk profile.