Listen now to the Upfront podcast

If you’re in the financial services industry, listen up.

Bold, frank, honest and totally unlike any other financial services podcast, Upfront is here to tackle the industry’s challenges and help build financial advice businesses people truly love (yes, we said love).

Listen here or get Upfront on your favourite podcast app and subscribe and follow so you never miss an episode.

Series 3 has got a brand new host – the amazing Emmanuel Asuquo! He’s a financial adviser, TV personality and author. He’ll be asking the questions that nobody else is asking and getting guests to drop some serious gems to help you shine. 

Click below to listen the episodes that interest you but make sure you become an Advisely member first!

Episode 1: Suits You

Suit or no suit? To what extent does a suit and tie convey trustworthiness to the average client? Would that client be more or less inclined to trust advice given by someone wearing a hoodie? Is there room for an adviser to incorporate authenticity and personality into their service without endangering their professional reputation?

Emmanuel decided to take these questions to an expert: personal branding coach Jennifer Holloway. In this episode, he and Jennifer discuss adviser stereotypes, consumer expectations and Fanta Fruit Twist. Listen now. 🎧

Episode 2: It's Showtime!

What do top advisers do differently? If you're a financial adviser, you could be spending as much as 70% of your time on activities that don't generate revenue. 

So how can you make the most of that remaining 30%? If you're aiming to generate leads and win new business, should you focus on educational content – or are live events and webinars a better approach? Does AI have any role to play? 

In this second episode, Emmanuel welcomes financial advice marketing expert (and creator of the world’s best G&T) Philip Calvert to answer these questions – and more. Listen now. 🎧

Episode 3: It's Not Fair

Is financial services failing women? That’s the upfront question for Camilla Love, the founder of Future Females in Finance, who aims to get more women into – and interested in – finance.

Join Emmanuel as he explores the shocking statistics about the gender wealth and pay gap, and the sector's role in closing it. Listen now. 🎧

Episode 4: Shift Happens

Episode 5: Do you mind?

Are financial services doing enough to help neurodiverse people? 20% of the population is estimated to be neurodivergent (ND), yet reports show investment firms and financial advisers are falling short when it comes to serving people with cognitive differences like autism, ADHD and dyslexia.

In this episode, Emmanuel talks to Krystle McGilvery, a behavioural finance expert and founder of Mind Over Money, to learn more about what ND means, how it shows up, and how it affects money management. Listen now. 🎧

Episode 6: Change the subject

Is a fear of maths putting people off doing more with their finances? Over half the working population has the numeracy levels of a primary school child, and a third of adults say they actively avoid anything to do with numbers and data. To find out what can be done to change this, we’ve called in the big guns – mathematician and comedian Adam Spencer. 

Join Adam and Emmanuel for a fun and fascinating chat about money and maths. Are we teaching maths all wrong? What effect is a cashless society having on children’s understanding of money? Can we make finance fun? Why are some infinities bigger than others? And was learning Pi a complete waste of time? Listen now. 🎧

Episode 7: Go big or go home

Does digital transformation cause more problems than it solves? With big enterprise-wide change comes big expectations, yet the reality doesn’t always match up. Only 20% of companies achieve more than three-quarters of their expected revenue gains. While only 17% achieve more than three-quarters of the cost savings they hoped for.

There’s no denying digital transformation is becoming more important in financial services, so how do you get it right? In this episode, Emmanuel Asuquo chats with fintech consultant David M. Brear about why big transformation projects fail - and how to ensure yours isn’t one of them. Listen now. 🎧

Episode 8: CX appeal

Is it getting harder to make customer experience a priority? Most companies say it is a priority, yet 37% of people think companies prioritise profit, with CX taking a backseat to cost-cutting and inflation.  

In this episode, Emmanuel talks to CX expert Amanda Stevens, who says too many companies are striving to deliver ‘lowball’ customer satisfaction, which is so “1989” compared to the magic that can happen when a business is radically customer-obsessed. Listen now. 🎧

Episode 9: Wake up call

Do we have to get up at 5 a.m. to be productive? It might work for the tech bros, but what about in the real world, like financial services, where 91% of people consistently work longer than their contracted hours and 60-80 hour weeks have become normalised? 

It’s time for a wake-up call. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber has helped thousands of people turbo-charge their productivity, well-being and energy levels. Now, she shares her productivity hacks with Emmanuel Asuquo on the Upfront podcast to help you improve your focus, prioritise your day and sleep better. And the good news is, you don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. to do it (unless you’re a Lark). Listen now. 🎧

Episode 10: Don't panic! - Coming out 1 Nov

How will financial services survive the next crisis or scandal?