An Engaging, Thought-Provoking Experience for Financial Professionals
In this keynote, Carl Richards—creator of The New York Times' “Sketch Guy” column and a trusted voice in the financial planning world for over 25 years—delivers a transformational experience for financial professionals. Drawing from hundreds of keynote events, thousands of real-life conversations, and the most powerful insights from his new book, Carl weaves live sketching, storytelling, and timeless human truths into a session that is both deeply engaging and profoundly practical.
This isn't about performance or products—it’s about the emotional side of money and the real work of advice. Through a carefully curated selection of 7 to 12 sketches, Carl helps advisors move beyond rigid financial plans toward a more adaptable, values-based approach. By exploring the critical tensions that define the advisor-client relationship, this session equips attendees with the language, metaphors, and frameworks to help clients make better decisions and have the conversations that truly matter.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand Behavioral Finance Principles – Identify key behavioral biases that impact financial decision-making and learn strategies to help clients navigate uncertainty with confidence.
- Enhance Client Conversations – Develop specific language and frameworks to improve client communication, fostering trust and long-term engagement.
- Apply Adaptive Financial Planning Techniques – Differentiate between rigid financial planning and an iterative, client-centered process that embraces uncertainty and course correction.
- Integrate Visual Thinking in Client Meetings – Utilize sketches and simple visual frameworks to clarify complex financial concepts and facilitate deeper client understanding.
- Strengthen Advisor-Client Relationships – Learn how to balance facts and emotions in financial discussions, using empathy and behavioral insights to guide clients toward better financial outcomes.
Carl Richards is a keynote speaker, author, and visual artist who helps people talk about money in a radically human way.
For over a decade, Carl was the creator of the Sketch Guy column in The New York Times, where his hand-drawn sketches made financial complexity surprisingly simple—and deeply emotional. His work has been featured everywhere from NPR and Morningstar to Harvard Business Review, and his sketches have been shared millions of times and used by financial professionals around the world.
The New York Times once said, “No one gets money and emotion better than Carl Richards”.
With more than 25 years of experience in the financial world and hundreds of keynote presentations delivered globally, Carl is known for his rare ability to make audiences laugh, cry, and rethink their relationship with money—all in the same hour. His talks blend storytelling, vulnerability, and live sketching into an experience that’s both entertaining and transformative.
Carl’s goal isn’t to make you slightly better with money. It’s to completely change the way you see it—and to give you the tools to have conversations that actually matter.
He lives in Park City, Utah, with his wife Cori and their four kids, whom he considers his best friends.
Learn more about Carl at:
Connect with Carl at:
★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thinkingcarl/
★ Twitter: @behaviorgap
★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviorgap/