I teach financial advisors how to talk to clients through loss and life transitions so they can protect and grow their practice.

Grief-informed communication consulting
for financial firms & advisors

KATHI BALASEK

$84 trillion will transfer to the next generation over the coming two decades …

and widows are first in line.

~ Widows change advisors: 70 -80% of widows leave current advisor within the first year. Fidelity Investments

~ 60–70% of women switch advisors after inheriting wealth. UBS / McKinsey

~ 70% of sandwich generation caregivers report caregiving has significantly disrupted their retirement plans. Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement Study

Silence is the single most expensive mistake you can make in your practice.

Let's address the Elephant in the Room

Beyond “I’m sorry,” you don’t know what else to say in difficult moments.

No matter how compassionate you may be, you need a communication strategy when you’re on the front lines of bad news.

When tears bubble up, the awkwardness that mounts in conversations with a grieving person can leave you afraid to say or do something that makes things worse.

Knowing you care doesn't give you the skills to navigate the first meeting after a client’s spouse dies or what to put in a condolence note so it doesn't read like a form letter.

That's a skill. And it's teachable

Learn to show up for the moments your financial degree didn’t cover.

Custom Grief Communication Architecture

Four-week process includes:

Audit of Current Practices
Executive Leadership Discovery Session
Custom curated best-practices playbook to navigate seasons of grief: including widowhood, caregiving, divorce, and major life transitions.
Options for in person or virtual half-day learning sessions for full advisory team.

Best for: Firm leadership ready to operationalize grief-ready communication across the organization.

Investment begins at 12,000

Schedule a Discovery Call

The Grief-Ready Communication Framework

Two-week process includes:

Executive Leadership Discovery Questionnaire
Best-practices playbook to navigate seasons of grief: including widowhood, caregiving, divorce, and major life transitions.
Options for in person or virtual half-day learning sessions for full advisory team.

Best for: Advisory teams who want to build this capability together.

Investment begins at 7,500

Schedule a Discovery Call

Tier 3

Grief-Ready Advisory with Kathi

90-minute intake and practice assessment
Personalized Grief-Ready Communication Plan for your 60 days and beyond
Four 60-minute private coaching sessions with Kathi
Custom resource toolkit: condolence language, client check-in scripts, first-meeting protocols, and transition conversation guides tailored to your practice
Direct email access to Kathi between sessions for real-time support on live client situations

Best for: For the advisor or firm leader who wants a curated, private engagement built entirely around their practice.

Coming Soon

Why Learn This From Kathi

Financial advisors are often on the front lines of life’s hardest news yet few are ever taught how to navigate those conversations.

Kathi Balasek built the framework that closes that gap.

For 25 years, Kathi was a professor of pedagogy; training teachers how to teach. Communication, curriculum design, learner engagement, and the art of asking the right questions. She is an expert in how adults learn and retain complex skills under pressure.

Then, at 39, she was widowed.

She navigated financial decisions, raised five children, and witnessed firsthand how quickly professional relationships fracture when advisors aren’t prepared to respond to life’s many forms of loss.

That experience didn’t make her a grief therapist, it gave her a problem worth solving. She built what the financial industry never had: a structured, teachable grief-ready communication framework designed specifically for advisors.

Kathi doesn't teach theory. She teaches application!

"Kathi Balasek is hands down the best at helping advisors work with clients experiencing grief. Her knowledge, ability to teach, and deep care for women experiencing grief is evident after your first interaction with her. Her class is not just theory but is full of real world tips and advice that I found useful and now use almost daily. I would recommend her class to anyone. She is AWESOME and I am fortunate to have taken her class."

~ Tim Hudson

CFP, Partner at Voyage Financial Partners

~ Stacy Francis

CFP, CDFA, CES; Owner and CEO Francis Financial

"Kathi did a fantastic training for our team of financial advisors on working with clients who are going through grief. We work mainly with widows and women going through divorce, so this was really apropos for us! Kathi was the best presenter I have ever heard on this subject, and she helped us to understand what these clients need and what they don’t need, how to effectively communicate with them in a compassionate and empathetic way, and why all of that is important for us in this industry. Kathi’s talk was highly informative, clarifying, and empowering!"

"After almost 30 years in financial services working with advisors focused on retirement income planning, I have seen that the most successful advisors are those that build strong client relationships. There is no one better to help advisors develop these skills than Kathi Balasek. Her personal experience of losing her husband and working with her advisor through this difficult period gives her a unique perspective, and her expertise as a professional educator and speaker gives her the ability to communicate these complex issues with a level of clarity and compassion that is rarely found in this industry."

~ Sheryl O'Connor

CEO & Founder, IncomeConductor