The Advisor's Fuel Podcast with Adam Koos cover art

The Advisor's Fuel Podcast with Adam Koos

The Advisor's Fuel Podcast with Adam Koos

By: Adam Koos
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 The Advisor's Fuel Podcast with Adam Koos, where high performing Financial Planners and Wealth Advisors discover proven processes and actual strategies to elevate their client experience, grow their businesses faster and achieve unprecedented success. Brought to you Adrenaline Advisor Consulting at https://adrenalineadvisor.com/2025 Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • A Will Doesn't Avoid Probate: The Trust & POA Gaps Advisors Keep Missing (with guest Dan Baron)

    A Will Doesn't Avoid Probate: The Trust & POA Gaps Advisors Keep Missing (with guest Dan Baron)
    Feb 10 2026
    Most advisors think "estate planning" is a checkbox: will done, beneficiaries named, move on. That's exactly why clients get crushed later—by probate, incapacity, outdated documents, and assets the advisor wasn't even looking at (real estate + businesses being the big two). In this episode, Adam Koós sits down with estate planning attorney Dan Baron (founding member of Baron Law LLC) to break down the real-world blind spots inside most client plans—and how advisors can use estate planning conversations to deepen relationships, reduce risk, and build stronger COI alliances. Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Intro + why this matters for advisors 02:15 – Dan's background: from business owner to estate planning attorney 06:20 – The most common planning gaps (and why "a will" isn't the fix) 11:40 – Incapacity planning: why POA is the document everyone ignores until it's too late 17:10 – Why advisors underestimate business owners + real estate in estate planning 22:00 – Advisor questions that uncover planning issues fast (without giving legal advice) 26:45 – Trust triggers: minor kids, real estate, businesses, divorce/creditor risk 33:10 – Co-trustees/co-executors: why it turns into a deadlock 36:20 – When a trust is NOT necessary (and what to do instead) 39:30 – Trust types in plain English: revocable vs. irrevocable (and when each matters) 46:10 – Charitable planning + donor-advised funds 49:20 – How advisors should build attorney relationships (and what NOT to do) 55:40 – Rapid fire: most overlooked document, biggest advisor misconception, daily ritual Key Takeaways 💡 A will does NOT avoid probate. If a client thinks "I have a will, so we're good," they're likely wrong. 💡 POA must be done while the client is competent. Once incapacity hits, families often find out the hard way that it's too late. 💡 Trust "no-brainers" for advisors: minor children, real estate with multiple beneficiaries, business owners, and situations with creditor/divorce risk. 💡 Advisors need to look beyond AUM. Real estate, closely held businesses, and tangible property create the biggest messes—because they're outside the portfolio view. 💡 Review cadence matters: revisit the plan every 3–5 years (not always to change documents, but to catch family/life changes). 💡 Best COI strategy: stop chasing quid-pro-quo "referrals." Start building real collaboration through scenario conversations and client-first problem solving. Key Quotes 🗣 "A will does not avoid probate." 🗣 "Stay in your lane… there's a lot of disconnect and misconceptions." 🗣 "37% of our calls are from a child saying mom or dad is incapacitated… and it's too late." 🗣 "Banks are changing their rules every single day… a one-size-fits-all POA doesn't work." Connect With the Guest: ● Website: https://www.baronlawcleveland.com ● Baron Law LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/baron-law/ ● Dan Baron LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-baron-55abb326/ Follow Adrenaline Advisor: Facebook: https://facebook.com/adrenalineadvisorconsulting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrenaline.advisor Threads: https://www.threads.com/@adrenaline.advisor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adrenaline-advisor-consulting/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrenalineadvisor email: info@adrenalineadvisor.com Website: www.adrenalineadvisor.com Connect with Adam Koós: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamkoosWebsite: https://www.adrenalineadvisor.com
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    47 mins
  • The Conversation Advisors Should Be Having With Business Owners (But Often Aren't)

    The Conversation Advisors Should Be Having With Business Owners (But Often Aren't)
    Jan 27 2026

    This episode is a repurposed conversation from Get Your Fill: Financial Independence and Long Life, where Adam Koós joined the show as a guest to talk candidly about what actually happens when business owners approach an exit — and where advisors often underestimate the risk.

    In this discussion, Adam breaks down why the majority of business owners never monetize the asset that represents most of their net worth, and why "I'll deal with that later" is one of the most expensive assumptions advisors inherit from business-owner clients.

    Rather than focusing on tactics or deal mechanics, this conversation centers on the advisory conversation itself — what needs to be addressed years in advance, what buyers truly care about, and how poor planning quietly erodes enterprise value.

    For advisors who work with business owners, this episode highlights the difference between retirement planning around a business and planning for the transition of the business itself.

    ⏱️ Episode Timestamps

    00:00 – Why most business owners never sell their business
    04:00 – The concentration risk advisors often overlook
    08:30 – How businesses are actually valued (and why owners are surprised)
    13:00 – Owner dependency and why buyers discount for it
    18:30 – Customer concentration, retention, and perceived risk
    24:00 – Why waiting "a few more years" costs real money
    30:00 – Planning early vs. selling reactively
    36:00 – Life after the sale: the emotional blind spot
    42:00 – What advisors should be addressing long before an exit

    🔑 Key Takeaways

    💡 Exit planning is not a transaction — it's a multi-year advisory process
    💡 Most business owners overestimate value and underestimate risk
    💡 Owner dependency is one of the fastest ways to reduce enterprise value
    💡 Advisors who address exit planning early create better client outcomes
    💡 Planning years ahead creates optionality — waiting removes it

    🧠 Notable Quotes

    🗣 "Most business owners don't realize how much of their net worth is tied to their business."
    🗣 "If you don't plan ahead, you don't get what your business is worth — period."
    🗣 "Exit planning isn't about selling tomorrow. It's about being ready when the opportunity comes."
    🗣 "The goal isn't just to sell — it's to sell on your terms."

    Follow Adrenaline Advisor:

    Facebook: https://facebook.com/adrenalineadvisorconsulting

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrenaline.advisor

    Threads: https://www.threads.com/@adrenaline.advisor

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adrenaline-advisor-consulting/

    Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrenalineadvisor

    email: info@adrenalineadvisor.com

    Website: www.adrenalineadvisor.com

    Connect with Adam Koós:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamkoos
    Website: https://www.adrenalineadvisor.com
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    46 mins
  • Scaling Without Burnout: Systems, Staff, and Smarter Growth

    Scaling Without Burnout: Systems, Staff, and Smarter Growth
    Jan 13 2026

    In this repurposed episode, Adam Koós joins Scottie Taylor for a wide-ranging conversation on what it actually takes to grow a financial advisory practice without working 70-hour weeks.

    Adam shares the real lessons from building and scaling multiple businesses — including his RIA, Elevate & Exit (focused on business transition and exit planning), and Adrenaline Advisor (education and community for financial advisors) — while staying focused on systems, delegation, and long-term sustainability.

    This conversation goes beyond surface-level growth tactics. Adam and Scottie dig into the mindset shifts advisors must make as they move from "doing everything" to building firms that can grow without them being the bottleneck.

    If you're an advisor who wants more leverage, better clients, and a business that doesn't depend on your constant presence — this episode will resonate.

    ⏱️ Episode Highlights

    • Why most advisors struggle to scale — and how control is often the real bottleneck
    • The difference between marketing that builds familiarity vs. prospecting that creates action
    • How automation and systems create freedom (not distance) from clients
    • What it really means to hire the right people — and when the wrong hire caps your growth
    • The shift from "financial planning firm that does marketing" to "marketing firm that does planning"
    • Why growth isn't about working harder — it's about removing friction
    • Lifestyle practice vs. scalable firm: choosing intentionally, not reactively

    🔑 Key Takeaways

    💡 Growth doesn't come from one tactic — it comes from building an entire system that works together
    💡 Delegation only works when the right people are in the right seats
    💡 Advisors have a responsibility to market ethically — not a discomfort to avoid
    💡 The ultimate scale comes when clients trust the firm, not just the founder

    🧠 Notable Quotes

    🗣 "If you know, but you don't act — then you don't know."
    🗣 "We're not a financial planning firm that does marketing. We're a marketing firm that happens to do financial planning."
    🗣 "The badge of honor isn't working 70 hours a week — it's building something that runs without you."

    Follow Adrenaline Advisor:

    Facebook: https://facebook.com/adrenalineadvisorconsulting

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrenaline.advisor

    Threads: https://www.threads.com/@adrenaline.advisor

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adrenaline-advisor-consulting/

    Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrenalineadvisor

    email: info@adrenalineadvisor.com

    Website: www.adrenalineadvisor.com

    Connect with Adam Koós:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamkoos
    Website: https://www.adrenalineadvisor.com
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
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