Most people think better financial decisions come from better math.

Ross Powell sees it differently.

In this episode of Fiduciary Alchemy Podcast, Craig Andrews sits down with Ross Powell, Wealth Manager, to talk about the emotional side of money decisions, why technically smart people still make painful financial mistakes, and how shame keeps people from fixing the problems that are already costing them.

Ross shares an early-career story about getting into $45,000 of vehicle debt even though he had the accounting education to know better. That story becomes the doorway into a bigger conversation: money mistakes are rarely just math mistakes. They are usually identity, pressure, fear, and psychology showing up in financial form.

Craig and Ross also dig into estate planning paralysis. Families often stall because they believe every decision has to be perfect forever. Ross explains how shrinking the timeline can help people make responsible decisions now instead of leaving their family exposed while they wait for certainty.

They also cover why tax planning can be one of the most direct ways to increase net worth. Market gains are never guaranteed, but reducing unnecessary tax drag can create real, permanent gains that stay working for the client.

This conversation is about getting past shame, making the next responsible move, and treating wealth as something to steward instead of something to perform with.

Learn more about Ross Powell: http://rosspowellcpa.com

Connect with Ross on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/rosspowellcpa

Think you’d be a great guest on Fiduciary Alchemy Podcast? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews and Fiduciary Alchemy? Visit https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/

The papers were signed.

The estate documents existed. The legal work was done. On the surface, the client had handled the responsible part.

Then he asked William Bissett a better question: what happens when I am gone and my wife and daughters do not know where anything is, who to call, or what to do first?

In this episode of Fiduciary Alchemy, Craig Andrews talks with William Bissett, President and Senior Client Advisor at Portus Wealth Advisors, about the planning work that begins after the obvious boxes are checked. William works with business owners, especially blue-collar and trades business owners doing roughly $10M-$50M in revenue, and he sees a pattern many people miss. A business can look simple from the outside while carrying real financial, family, and succession complexity underneath.

William shares how he started in insurance and annuities, rejected product-pushing, learned planning from the back office, wrote 160-200 financial plans, worked under Michael Kitces, and eventually founded his own firm in 2019. That path shaped how he thinks about advice. Planning is not a product. It is a process that has to make sense when life stops cooperating.

The conversation turns practical when William tells the story of building a detailed organizer for a client whose family would have been lost even with proper estate documents in place. The lesson is blunt. Documents matter, but they do not help much if the surviving family cannot act on them.

Craig and William also talk about why clients often want simple, fast solutions to complex planning problems, why William starts with what is on fire before returning to the broader plan, and why educated clients ask better questions. They also dig into AI in wealth management, from note takers and agents to the risk that vendors and custodians wall off data to protect their turf.

Near the end, William pushes back on a future where bots do everything and people sit idle. Work still gives people purpose. Human connection still matters. And in a world chasing automation, crafted human experiences may become more valuable, not less.

Connect with William Bissett on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/williambissett/.

Want to learn more about William Bissett’s work at Portus Wealth Advisors? Visit https://www.portusadvisors.com.

You can also reach William Bissett directly at william@portusadvisors.com.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/.

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews' work? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/.

Financial advisory growth can expose every weak spot in the business.

In this episode of Fiduciary Alchemy, Craig talks with Sean Kuttin, Business Development Manager with Kuttin Wealth Management, about what it takes to build a firm that can serve 27,000+ clients, support 250+ team members, and steward more than $18B in assets without losing the human work at the center of advice.

Sean shares how Kuttin Wealth became a safe haven for retiring advisors, why leadership has to multiply through other leaders, and why the future of financial advice will not be won by stock picking alone. The conversation moves from family legacy to tax strategy, faith-based portfolios, advisor training, AI, emotional intelligence, and the 53-step process Kuttin uses to prepare advisors before they ever sit in front of clients.

The through-line is simple: better planning starts with better questions.

Including one Sean learned to ask often: what do you want for yourself?

Learn more about Kuttin Wealth Management: https://www.kuttinwealthmanagement.com/

Connect with Sean Kuttin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-kuttin-ba931b1bb/

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/.

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews' work? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/.

Everyone loves the headline number on a business exit.

The sale price. The valuation. The story that makes the room go quiet.

But Brett Swarts wants owners looking at the number that comes after tax. Because a big exit can become a quiet surrender if the tax plan shows up after the deal is already moving.

In this episode of Fiduciary Alchemy, Craig Andrews talks with Brett Swarts, founder of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, about the planning that high-net-worth entrepreneurs need before selling a business, real estate, stock, or other appreciated assets. Brett breaks down why owners need to know the rules of the game before the exit, not after the wire hits.

They discuss why a CPA who reports history may not be the same person who builds strategy, why QSBS can be worth exploring years before a sale, and how deferred sales trust planning can create flexibility for owners who want the next chapter to be active, passive, or something in between.

Brett also makes the estate-tax problem hard to ignore. For families with significant wealth inside a taxable estate, the issue is not abstract. It can determine whether the next generation keeps the asset, sells under pressure, or watches legacy get converted into a tax bill.

Craig and Brett close on a practical point: nobody will care more about your taxes than you. The right team matters. Timing matters. And the conversation should start before the exit is close enough to feel real.

Want to learn more about Brett Swarts' work? Visit Capital Gains Tax Solutions at https://capitalgainstaxsolutions.com/.

Connect with Brett Swarts on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-swarts/.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/.

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews' work? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/.

Most people spend their working years building the mountain. Then retirement arrives, and nobody has taught them how to come down without handing the IRS a bigger share than expected.

In this episode of Fiduciary Alchemy, Craig Andrews talks with Erik Brenner, Private Wealth Advisor at Hilltop Wealth & Tax Solutions, about the tax problem hiding inside retirement planning. Erik explains why the old assumption that taxes automatically go down in retirement can fail, especially when income sources, withdrawals, and required minimum distributions start colliding.

They dig into why IRA and 401(k) balances can act like a joint account with the IRS until a real plan is built. Erik also breaks down how up to 85% of Social Security can become taxable, why provisional income matters, and why retirees can get caught off guard when RMDs rise later in life.

Erik draws a sharp line between tax preparation, tax planning, and tax mitigation. Filing a return tells you what already happened. Planning looks ahead. Mitigation asks what can be done now so the future does not arrive with a tax bill nobody saw coming.

Craig and Erik also talk about Roth conversions, and why they can be powerful when used correctly but dangerous when treated like a magic trick. The bigger point is simple. A fiduciary advisor who claims to do comprehensive planning should understand the client's tax return, because the return often tells the truth that the portfolio alone cannot.

They close with a practical look at AI in advisory work. AI can help with document review, notes, and planning support. It cannot replace judgment, context, or the trust built inside the advisor-client relationship.

Want to learn more about Erik Brenner's work? Visit Hilltop Wealth & Tax Solutions at https://hilltopwealthtax.com/.

Connect with Erik Brenner on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikbrenner/.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews' work? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/

Peter Culver, co-founder of Wealthrive, joins Fiduciary Alchemy to explain why proactive tax strategy can create more real-world value for entrepreneurs than small gains in investment performance. Drawing on decades of experience across asset management, tax planning, and work with high-net-worth families, Peter breaks down how thoughtful tax moves can unlock measurable savings while helping business owners make better financial decisions.

In this conversation, Peter shares why he and his team leaned harder into tax strategy, what entrepreneurs should expect from their advisors, and why too many CPAs fail to bring forward even basic planning opportunities. He also walks through examples like the Augusta Rule and home office strategy to show how seemingly simple tax ideas can have meaningful impact when applied correctly.

Want to learn more about Peter Culver’s work? Visit Wealthrive at https://www.wealthrive.com/.

Connect with Peter Culver on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pculver/.

You can also reach Peter directly at peter@wealthrive.com.

Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews’ work? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/

In this episode of Fiduciary Alchemy, Mark Miller, President & CEO of Hilton Wealth, shares how investors can benefit from strategies typically associated with family offices and ultra-high-net-worth households. Drawing on decades of experience in tax and wealth management, Mark explains how a more protective, disciplined approach can help investors reduce volatility, avoid unnecessary losses, and build wealth with greater confidence.

Mark breaks down what sets affluent investors apart, not just in what they invest in, but in how they think about risk, liquidity, and long-term financial security. He also explains why protecting the downside is often more important than chasing upside, and how thoughtful portfolio structure can help investors sleep better at night.

Listeners will also hear Mark’s perspective on bringing sophisticated wealth strategies to a broader audience, including the role of tax planning, risk mitigation, and smarter decision-making in building durable financial outcomes.

Want to learn more about Mark Miller’s work? Visit Hilton Wealth at https://www.hiltonwealth.com/.

Connect with Mark Miller on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmiller-hiltonfo/.

You can also reach Mark directly at mmiller@hiltonwealth.com.

Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews’ work? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/

What happens to a family, a business, and a lifetime of work when the person holding it all together suddenly disappears?

That is not a theoretical question for Craig Andrews. It is the question that gave birth to Fiduciary Alchemy.

In Episode 1, Craig sits down with Nils Vinje to explain why this podcast exists, who it serves, and why the subject matters more than most people want to admit. After a life-threatening hospitalization in 2021, Craig saw how quickly uncertainty can crash into a family, even when smart people believe they have planned well. Access breaks. Assumptions fail. Critical gaps show up at exactly the wrong moment.

Fiduciary Alchemy is for families, for investors, and the professionals who help them protect, grow and transfer wealth wisely. This is not a show about financial jargon or polished theory. It is a show about the people, strategies, and decisions that matter when real life applies pressure.

Craig and Nils preview the kinds of conversations ahead: family office access, tax strategy, estate planning, exit planning, and the challenge RIAs face when trying to build trust at scale. Along the way, Craig makes the deeper promise of the show clear. Every episode should leave the listener with at least one important insight they had not seen before.

That is what makes this podcast worth your time.

Because the best financial conversations do more than help you make money. They help you avoid preventable mistakes, ask better questions, and protect the people and legacy you care about most.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/podcast/apply/.

Want to learn more about Craig Andrews' work at Fiduciary Alchemy? Check out https://fiduciaryalchemy.com/.