What not to say to a pro bono client

A line in Chief Correspondent Tobias Salinger’s story this week about pro bono financial planning caught me off guard. One of his sources told a story about a planner who wanted to show positivity toward a client and said, “You should be so proud of yourself. You could be homeless right now.”

In fairness, it’s not often that advisors tend to talk to people who aren’t somewhere on the affluent to ultrahigh net worth spectrum, and intentions can diverge from execution.

That said, it’s pretty important to give your time for those who really do need your expertise and financial guidance. Even if the vast majority of CFPs gave all the time recommended for pro bono work, there would still be a huge need.

Read more about that below, and let me know if you have a great pro bono story. I’d love to hear it.

READ: Pro bono planning can bring big wins for clients and advisor careers

Thanks for reading.