In this episode, Michaela Scott, Principal and Founder of Strategic Retirement Benefits Group and RPAG Council Member, shares her inspiring journey of becoming a leading and award-winning retirement plan advisor, emphasizing the importance of clarity, client selection, prioritizing your time, and how to build a strong team. Discover her insights on creating impact, fostering a positive culture, and mentoring the next generation.
More About Michaela Scott:
Michaela is the Founder and Principal of the Strategic Retirement Benefits Group, partnering with businesses on the financial portion of their benefits program – specifically their retirement Plans. She has been recognized as the Top Women Advisors Rising Star and Top Plan Advisors under 40, and their team has earned Top DC Advisory Team.
Michaela earned her Master of Science in Financial Services with a concentration in Retirement Planning from the American College of Financial Services, where she serves as the incoming President of the Advisory Committee. She was awarded their Millennial Advisor of the Year award.
She is a Certified Financial Planner™, Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Retirement Income Certified Professional®, Charted Financial Consultant, and Certified Health Savings Advisor. Michaela earned her Certified 401(k) Professional Designation administered by the Retirement Advisor University in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education. She serves at The Plan Sponsor University as an adjunct professor.
She holds an honors Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Saint Anselm College and is the immediate past President of the St. A’s Alumni Association and current Advisory Council Co-Chair for the Department of Business and Economics. Michaela was selected to serve on the Retirement Plan Advisory Council (RPAC) for Osaic. Osaic is one of the largest networks of independent advisor firms in the country, overseeing approximately $500 billion in assets. RPAC comprises a select group of advisors who specialize in retirement plans, are innovative, and can lead by example with best practices for servicing clients and delivering results for participants.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Gray to Great and Michaela Scott
02:07 Michaela's Origin Story and Career Path
06:44 The Importance of Client Outcomes
08:58 Building a Strong Team
12:45 Clarity as a Differentiator
17:22 Selecting Ideal Clients
21:35 The Role of Mentorship
26:34 Advice to a Younger Self
29:22 Outro to Gray to Great
Disclosures:
Michaela Scott and The Strategic Retirement Benefits Group, LLC are not affiliated with or endorsed by, Great Gray Trust Company, LLC.
Great Gray® and Great Gray Trust Company are service marks used in connection with various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services offered by Great Gray Trust Company, LLC.
What is Gray to Great?
Rewrite your practice growth playbook.
Hosted by Dan dal Degan—known to many as Triple D—this bi-monthly podcast pulls back the curtain on what it takes to thrive as a corporate retirement plan advisor in an increasingly tech-centric business world.
As a former powerhouse sales leader at Salesforce and Oracle, now sitting on the board of Great Gray Trust’s holding company, Dan’s sales experience and curiosity provoke compelling conversations with top advisors.
Each episode of ‘Gray to Great’ focuses on the crucial parts of the business that often get overlooked: prospecting, referral business, challenger selling, client service, tech adoption, and cutting-edge marketing tactics.
This is where the playbook is rewritten, offering listeners sharp, actionable insights that go beyond investing to fuel lasting growth and success.
Tune in to learn the strategies that separate the leaders from the pack—because in sales, there are no gray areas.