Meet Nancy Hetrick | Financial Advisor, Divorce Planner, Mentor and Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy Hetrick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Every successful entrepreneur is a risk taker. That’s just a fact. The vast majority of humans never push themselves to make their dreams reality due to one basic survival instinct, fear. Fear will stop progress dead in its tracks. If you are not willing to take risks, it’s safe for sure, but also boring and guaranteed to limit your potential.

I was not always a risk taker. It was only after some epic failures, where I got up, dusted myself off, and moved forward, that I realized that there really isn’t much that a person can’t come back from. The secret is that inner belief in personal responsibility. If I don’t like something in my life, I have the power to change it. Humans aren’t trees. If we don’t like where we are, we can move. If we don’t like where we work, we can look for another job. If we’re in relationships that don’t serve us, we can leave.

All of these things are scary! You have to be willing to step into the unknown, step into fear. My mantra starting my business was “feel the fear and do it anyway”. I must have said it 18 times a day. Now, I know that if I’m not feeling a little bit of anxiety, I’m not pushing to be my best self. I’m getting lazy.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve been a financial advisor/planner since 1999 and in 2007 went through a less-than-optimal divorce. After my experience, I learned about th credential for financial professionals, CDFA®, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and felt compelled to get the credential to help others, especially women, not make the mistakes I had made. Unfortunately, my firm at the time would not endorse the credential. In 2011, I left and, went independent so that I could pursue this niche. I started my own company, Smarter Divorce Solutions.

Fast forward nearly 13 years and I am a trained mediator with hundreds of hours of training, a trained financial neutral for Collaborative Divorce, I teach and train financial advisors all over the US how to have a similar business and in 2018 I published the textbook for my field, Divorce Financial Planning, Building a Successful Niche Practice.

Every single step of the way was terrifying! I had to learn early to embrace the fear and take the necessary steps anyway. I looked everywhere for mentors, education, and guidance to build my own business. I took multitudes of business, entrepreneur, leadership, and industry specific training and within about 18 months was averaging 3-5 new clients per month.

I didn’t have a lot of money to invest so I had to learn as I went and find free or low-cost options. I learned to build my own website, manage SEO, email marketing automation, graphic design, etc. Was it great? Heck no! But it was good enough. I had to put my inner over-achiever-perfectionist in time-out and realize that done is better than perfect.

The work I do with divorcing individuals is some of the most difficult work I’ve ever done and also the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done. I have helped hundreds of couples avoid courtrooms and judges and instead become the best divorced family they can be. I like to say I’m raising the vibration of the planet, one little family at a time.

When I realized that time would ALWAYS limit the number of people I could help, I realized I needed to build an army and that’s when I started teaching. 90% of every divorce is financial but how is it that the vast majority of couples get divorced with zero financial expertise? It baffled my mind. My primary focus now is on teaching and inspiring other advisors to consider this niche so that every single couple that finds themselves facing this difficult transition has the financial expertise that they need to ensure their best outcomes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite places to take friends that come into the city is the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. It’s such a wonderful place to soak in the Desert Southwest.
In the Summer when weather may not permit, we head North and check out a great Sedona hike or the drive from Payson to Show Low and the forest roads along the way.
Regardless of weather, we always head for our favorite local watering hole, il Asilo in Moon Valley! Can’t miss with that one!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Huge shoutout to my husband, Tom. He is NOT a risk taker and he is always willing to give me the space to spread my wings and take chances.

Website: www.SmarterDivorceSolutions.com, www.InvestSPS.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hetricknancy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyahetrick/

Twitter: https://x.com/nancyahetrick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancyhofmanhetrick