05/05/2026 · Jacob Schroeder at Kiplinger.com
In this article from Kiplinger.com, author Jacob Schroeder explores “what actually builds retirement confidence. The answers had less to do with the amount saved than […] expected.”
Amy notes that
… low confidence is often misdiagnosed as a planning problem. “Even the most well-crafted financial plan can’t fully resolve uncertainty or fear. When confidence is low, the issue usually isn’t a lack of strategy, but a lack of clarity around what truly matters and what the plan is meant to support.”
04/16/2026 · Griffin Kelly
In this Advisor Upside feature, Amy Mullen addresses the growing use of artificial intelligence among retail investors and the implications for financial advisors. As more individuals turn to AI for investment research, validation, and idea generation, Amy highlights the risks of overreliance—particularly when users lack the expertise to recognize errors or limitations in AI-generated guidance.
Amy emphasizes that the future of advice isn’t about competing with AI on information, but about redefining the advisor’s role. She explains that advisors add the most value by helping clients reflect, navigate transitions, and align financial decisions with their values. Advisors will gain perspective on how to remain indispensable by focusing on the human side of planning—guiding meaning, not just optimizing outcomes.
03/07/2026 · Laura Rotter
In this episode of Making Change with Your Money, Amy Mullen joins host Laura Rotter for a conversation on why financial knowledge alone rarely leads to lasting behavior change. Drawing on her personal background and the founding story of Money Quotient, Amy explores how early money experiences shape financial behaviors—and why self-awareness is essential for making intentional decisions.
Amy also shares research on the role emotions play in financial behavior, explaining why fear may prompt learning but doesn’t sustain action. Instead, lasting change comes from positive emotions like clarity, purpose, and excitement about the future. The conversation highlights practical tools, including the Wheel of Life, to help individuals align their financial decisions with what truly matters. Advisors will gain insight into how to guide clients beyond information toward meaningful, values-based change.
11/24/2025 · Paul G McManus
Derek was recognized as one of the “Top 50 Most Innovative Voices in Advisor Growth (2025),” a curated list highlighting the leaders whose ideas are shaping how advisory firms grow, adapt, and serve clients. The list includes influential experts across marketing, enterprise strategy, behavioral finance, technology, and practice management.
11/04/2025 · Tony Steuer
In this episode of The Get Ready Money Podcast, Derek Hagen discusses the powerful role psychology plays in improving financial decisions. As Director of Education and Communication at Money Quotient, Derek shares how aligning money with purpose, values, and goals leads to more fulfilling financial lives. He explores the connection between life planning and financial planning, emphasizing that true financial success comes from meaning—not just numbers.
07/02/2025 · Mary Bell Carlson
In this episode of Financial Behavior Thought Leaders, Amy Mullen, CFP®, President of Money Quotient, joins Dr. Mary Bell Carlson to discuss how financial advisors can evolve with changing client expectations. Amy shares insights from her journey in values-based financial planning, exploring how understanding clients’ motivations leads to lasting, transformational relationships. She highlights new research on communication gaps between advisors and clients and offers practical strategies for bridging them through empathy, curiosity, and continuous dialogue.
04/08/2025 · Derek Hagen
In this guest article for eMoney Advisor’s Heart of Advice, Derek Hagen unpacks how overconfidence bias—fueled by social media and digital “expertise”—can derail clients’ financial decisions. He explains how financial professionals can use Motivational Interviewing and behavioral coaching techniques to help clients think critically, recognize blind spots, and make more intentional money choices. Through tools like the OARS framework and “decision rules,” Derek shows how advisors can empower clients to slow down impulsive actions and reconnect their decisions to values, goals, and evidence-based strategies.
02/21/2025 · Ed Coambs
In this episode of Healthy Love & Money, Derek Hagen returns to discuss the hidden emotional costs of wealth and why money alone can’t buy happiness. Derek and host Ed Coambs explore how financial success often shapes our identity, the grief that can accompany loss or change in wealth, and the deep-seated beliefs that drive our financial behaviors. Derek also shares insights into how storytelling, childhood experiences, and emotional awareness can help people find balance between external success and inner fulfillment.
02/14/2025 · Ed Coambs
In this episode of Healthy Love & Money, Derek Hagen joins host Ed Coambs to explore how our childhood experiences and unconscious beliefs shape our relationship with money. Drawing on his work in financial psychology, Derek explains why money is about meaning, not math—and how curiosity, reflection, and communication can lead to healthier financial and relational decisions. He also shares his personal journey from growing up with a scarcity mindset to becoming a financial therapist helping others align money with purpose and connection.
01/30/2025 · Ashley Quamme
In this episode of Planning and Beyond, Derek Hagen joins host Ashley Quamme to explore how financial advisors can use motivational interviewing to transform client relationships. Derek explains how to resist the “righting reflex,” foster client autonomy, and create deeper, more collaborative conversations. The discussion covers the four key components of motivational interviewing—Spirit, Stages, Skills, and Speech—and offers practical techniques for applying MI across discovery meetings, annual reviews, and major life transitions.
