In this insightful episode of Financial Behavior Thought Leaders, host Dr. Mary Bell Carlson welcomes Christine Moriarty, CFP®, the founder of MoneyPeace and one of Financial Behavior Keynote Group’s exclusive speakers, to the podcast. Christine is renowned for her extensive expertise in personal finance, entrepreneurship, and the intricacies of business transactions. 

The conversation takes you deep into her journey—from her early days teaching as a child, to building her own niche business focused on entrepreneurs, and ultimately, becoming a leading voice in client-centered financial planning. Together, Mary and Christine explore the pivotal role financial advisors play long before the “for sale” sign goes up on a business, as highlighted in Christine’s keynote.

Throughout the episode, Christine shares stories from her decades-long career, illustrating why values-based, holistic financial planning is critical. She opens up about the importance of aligning money habits with life aspirations, why business owners need to plan early for their eventual exit, and how advisors can forge deeper connections and trust with clients by being present for the big—and small—moments. The conversation is full of practical wisdom for financial professionals, event planners, and entrepreneurs alike, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Christine’s authentic, approachable style makes her a sought-after keynote speaker.

About Christine Moriarty, CFP®

Christine has coached and guided thousands of individuals and business owners to create financial peace of mind over the past 25 years. An award-winning Certified Financial Planner®, author, and speaker, Christine combines her deep financial expertise with compassion and inner wisdom to guide people in becoming aware of the intersection of emotions, behavior, and money. Often referred to as the “cash counselor” or “financial therapist” by her clients, Christine’s holistic approach to financial management leads to improved money relationships and quality of life.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start With the End in Mind—Business Exits Begin Early:
2. Christine emphasizes that successful business sales begin not when an owner decides to sell, but when the business is first created. Advisors should encourage clients to think about exit strategies from the outset, helping structure businesses for maximum value and smoother transitions down the line.
3. Values-Based Planning Drives Action:
4. Rather than relying solely on checklists or standard questionnaires, Christine’s approach centers on deep conversations about a client’s personal and family goals. By helping clients connect money decisions directly to what matters most to them—whether it’s travel, flexibility, or family—advisors can inspire more meaningful action and commitment to financial plans.
5. Advisors as “Quarterbacks” of the Business Transition Team:
6. Financial professionals are uniquely positioned to quarterback the many moving pieces that come with selling a business. From coordinating accountants and attorneys to planning for charitable giving or legacy wishes, proactive advisors help clients navigate complexity, minimize surprises, and maximize outcomes.
7. Money Peace Is More Than a Number—It’s About Quality of Life:
8. Christine’s own journey from Boston to Vermont is a living demonstration of her philosophy: financial plans should support the life you truly want. She encourages clients (and advisors themselves) to use money as a tool to create fulfillment, not just accumulate wealth or chase external definitions of success.
9. Listening and Transparency Build Trust and Referrals:
10. By fostering an environment where clients feel comfortable sharing their real stories—including setbacks, fears, and dreams—Christine has cultivated strong, lasting relationships and earned significant referrals. Advisors who embrace the human side of finance ultimately help clients achieve “money peace”—a sense of calm and confidence in their financial lives.

If you’re looking for a keynote speaker who brings both heart and strategy to the complexities of business transitions, Christine Moriarty is a powerful choice.

Welcome to Financial Behavior Thought Leaders. I'm Mary and this podcast takes you behind the scenes with top speakers and financial services. So whether you're a financial advisor booking a client event, an event planner looking for the perfect keynote, or a financial professional wanting to learn more from industry thought leaders, you're in the right place. Today we're featuring Christine Moriarty, one of Financial Behavior Keynote group's exclusive speakers. Christine brings deep expertise in personal finance, entrepreneurship and business transactions. We'll dive into her keynote on selling a business, why your client needs you long before the first cell sign goes up. And learn how financial advisors play a proactive role in one of the biggest transactions as a client may ever make. Thank you so much for being with us today, Christine.

Thanks for having me.

Glad you're here. So I want to start off by asking you a question that we begin with, and that is where did your journey begin? You've worn a lot of hats over the years. How did you find your way to the stage?

Oh, I think I found my way to the stage as a young child when I was wanting to be a teacher so I would stand up and teach my younger cousins all the time. But that led to both high school and college. I was in student government and put in situations where I was talking to the board of trustees or doing things. Gratefully in college I took a speaking class so it became more comfort level what I needed to do. And then I think a personal growth workshop I took in my mid-20s, I had this whole vision for me, going to speak, traveling across the country, doing these topic, doing different topics. And someone said, well, what are you going to talk about? And I said, I don't know. And five years later I had my CFP and my MBA in entrepreneurship and some experience and here I am, been doing it ever since.

Well, and so let's back up. You started speaking from a very young age. You did go into business yourself. And so tell us a little bit about the business you've built for the last 30 years.

The name of my business is Money Piece. Before I started a business and got my mba, I was auditing for small businesses and for a bigger company. But I'd go into small businesses. They were fantastic at their woodworking or selling furniture or whatever they were doing across a multitude of different industries. However, when I gotten back and saw their books, nine times out of 10, they weren't in great shape. So when I went and got an mba, I knew I wanted to be a financial planner and I was working on my CFP and I majored in entrepreneurship because I knew that would be my niche for financial planning.

And that's really where your business took off, is in that specific niche of entrepreneurs. And you're an entrepreneur yourself.

Right. I kind of just said, this is what I want to do. I actually had a vision, and this is, you know, one of my taglines in the beginning was great financial ideas start with a vision. And for me, my vision was, I want to go live in Vermont. And there weren't a lot of jobs, so I created my own business so I could take it with me. So I worked where I started. Yeah, I started it in Boston, but then I moved to Vermont and just would go back and forth for clients.

So that's very interesting. And you've landed in Vermont, you met your dream, and you live in Vermont now year round. Tell us about how that's played such an important role in who you are.

Well, I think two parts. One is I model it professionally, so in my professional life, I can say, hey, go for what you want. It's not always easy. You know, someone. Masha Sintar was living in Vermont when she wrote the book, do what you want. The money will follow. I will be able to tell clients, it's not that easy, but you work hard and it happens. And two is, this is my quality of life.

I went to the University of Vermont, worked here for a year, knew that this fit, even though I grew up a Boston girl with that accent that I still own. And I was more drawn to the mountains to go skiing or camping or hiking or play in the water. It's a natural fit. I don't go away on weekends much anymore because I live where I want to be.

Well, and I think that's one of the things as knowing you for these last several years is you really don't just tell people you model that behavior in Money Piece. I mean, let's be honest. The name of your company is you work to create peaceful financial plans. Tell us about that.

Absolutely. And I think that's important. And as part of that flow into Money Piece, I let them know, had I stayed in Boston, I would have made a lot more money, and I wouldn't be as happy and peaceful and grateful as I am now. Maybe I would be. But it's a lot easier when you're living where you want and doing what you want. And so that's what money's for, to create the lives we want, not to try and match some external status symbol or vision or someone else's idea of what's right for us. And so money's an inside job.

Yeah, I love that. Let's talk about that a little further because you really dig in not just the business transactions and transitions, but also financial and values based planning. So I want to dig into that a little more. Why is that so important for advisors in this day and age?

No, it's always been important for advisors, but they didn't know it until now. It's becoming much more common. When I started in business in financial planning 30 plus years ago, it was a foreign concept. I through, I mentioned that personal growth workshop I did years ago and I continued that journey and I then when I started my business I was so confused. People had all the information, they trusted me, they knew what to do and they would come back in my office the next time and hadn't done it. And I started a different tactic because I was had money piece. I was my, it was my own business. I could approach anything else I wanted.

I forget about all the questionnaires. I just sat down and talked to them about what their choices were, where they wanted to be in five years, what they were thinking, what their family was like. And then we crafted answers for them that were more personalized and their comfort level then made them take action. So it was pretty ironic. I thought I was doing this separate path of personal, financial. Personal growth and starting a financial planning business and they came back in together.

Well, I want to dig into that a bit more of you. You sit down, you have these conversations that are not just check the box or multiple choice for clients. How did you see that change with your clients on the outcomes? How did that make a difference?

A huge difference. I mean a tons of referrals. People really, people called me when they wanted to know things. They weren't afraid to call me because they knew me. They talked to me. They weren't uncomfortable telling me everything from their son was on drugs to they just blew money on a car that they know they really didn't need. They were more transparent because they, they realized the human side of money because we had talked about it and I had, you know, talked about money being more than just building cash. They also had fun because they were building towards something they wanted.

Like I saw nothing wrong with a woman who was in college debt opening an account that she could save and help save money to buy in. That's what she wanted. Another couple I worked with, she was a business owner and had inconsistent cash flow. And they were like really? We'd love for our 10th anniversary to go to Wimbledon. I said, great, let's set up an account and make that happen. They're like, we can't do that. We have young kids, inconsistent money from business, all these reasons. I said, well, let's try.

If you don't get it there for your 10th anniversary, you'll get there for your 12th. And it really motivated them to organize their cash flow. When they got extra money from their business, they knew where they wanted to put it because they had thought ahead. And I wasn't saying go put it in retirement. I was saying, go enjoy life now, like there's a balance. They were still putting money away for the kids college because they did that every month from his salary. They were still feeding, you know, and clothing their children and themselves. It was like, oh, there is a little extra money.

And they did ask one of their parents to watch the kids while they went to Wilmington. And they were so happy after that that they started planning for other vacations, both as a family and together alone. And that, I think, helped them create money peace. And, you know, it wasn't about me. It did tie that. You know, clients always say it's like your marriage counselor, financial therapist, they assign me all these wellness coach. But it really was about them finding their way.

Well, and what I really hear is you're a believer in other people's dreams. Like you believe in them as much and you're going to help them on that path to get there.

Absolutely. And that's so fun. Listen to that story of Wimbledon. And I know that was 20 years ago, but it makes me happy to know they did that. I have no desire to go to Wimbledon, but it was really cool to hear about it.

Yeah. And just having that experience to be able to share on. So let's dive into more experiences. And I want to dive into your keynote experience. You have a keynote called Selling a business. Why your client needs you long before the first sell sign goes up. What is the core message of this?

It's really the art of selling a business starts when you start your business. So the art of selling a business is really not just about, oh, I want to sell in a few couple of years. You have to create the vessel that is going to be sold in. Too many clients don't get prepared for it. And one of the things I think financial advisors are hesitant at is to talk to clients about business. One of my first major talks was for NAFA in it was 2000, I think was on how to write a business plan, because a business plan is what I really focused on. In grad school, one of the first parts of a business plan is what's your exit strategy? And too many business owners don't pay attention to that. So as financial advisors, our clients typically believe their exit strategy is selling their business and that will be their retirement plan.

Won't they be happy? There may or may not be value in that business and there's ways to set up more value in that business. There's ways to manage the cash flow that makes it a more profitable business for the people. So I want to help financial advisors ask the right questions. There's a lot of advisors out there who don't ask the questions because they don't have the education or experience to do it or. But then they're missing out an opportunity to get assets under management if that's their model, because someone else can step in and work with them on their assets, the money from the sale of the business. There's other people who help clients with every step of the way and fee only planning or more consulting style like I've done. And if they're not asking about their business, then that client is never going to come to them and ask them questions about the business. And after they sell their business in the process of and after, it's more complex, there's emotional feelings, there's financial wealth or changes.

If we can get financial advisors to understand the worth of asking these questions, we can not only help the advisor in the way of getting more work, getting a better and deeper relationship with a client, but we can help the clients. I've seen clients who want to take their retirement funds and start a business. And if financial advisors aren't talking to them about business before, then it's a mistake. I've seen business owners telling me they're going to co sign a document for a loan. And I say to the wife, do you know about this? Half the time they don't and half the time the couple isn't talking about the business and yet both their futures are tied up in it. So I really think our assets and mental health is for clients understanding their business and the role and we can be guides in that and coaches.

Yeah. And one of the things I'm hearing you say is the fact that as a financial planner, I heard it said once that you're the quarterback of the football team and in that case you're working with multiple professionals, but you're also seeing the whole play even before that play is played out. And so I'm hearing you say in this position, especially with clients with Small businesses, which, let's be honest, there's a lot of our clients that have small businesses. It's important to not just manage the personal asset side, but really be involved from day one on the business side as that quarterback, right. Of helping them foresee what's coming down the road before it even happens. How do you do that?

Well, there's a couple of ways. One is you want to talk to them about what happens if you drop dead. I mean, it's nothing anyone wants to talk about. But in the reality, if only one person is running the business or only one person signs all the checks or their estate plan isn't set up correctly, what happens? I want to say it's a recipe for disaster, but it's beyond disaster for the family that's left and trying to untangle that or run the business, especially if it's expertise business. So that's one piece. The second piece is talk to a business person about their cash flow. I cannot tell you how many clients that say, oh, I can. Only my accountant and I love accountants said, oh, pay myself as little as possible so I don't have to pay Social Security taxes.

And I go, wait a minute, there's another way to look at this. So then they can't put as much in retirement. They're not going to get Social Security. There's a whole host of other things, but the biggest one, Mary, is they don't have any routine for taking money out. That is the bigger danger. If you're trying to create money piece, you need some consistent flow. It's better to take something that's consistent than trying to say, oh, I'm just taking as little as possible when I can. And that's better.

You need a plan. Often I tell clients, take a paycheck and then quarterly, you can take a bigger distribution that aligns with your accountant and the fica, but then you can have a plan for those quarterly distributions. It's interesting. Once I talk to most accountants, they're totally understanding and may even agree or at least not protest. They, oh, I see the point. So business owners need that quarterback that you're talking about to handle that situation. And the flip side, as they get ready to sell, someone needs to be the quarterback to say, hey, you might need a different lawyer to help you handle this. You might need a different accountant to help you handle this.

You may need to talk to some charitable organizations and set up some fund before all this transitions. You can put in some of the corporate stock in there now, save some money for the transaction. There's so many different moving pieces that have to be reviewed and business owners underestimate how much time it's going to take. So by being on their team, you're going to make it easier on them, but you're also going to make sure all the boxes get ticked and the puzzles get put in the right order in place.

Which, by the way, the whole time is solidifying that relationship. Right?

Correct.

You're showing your value by not just managing one small portion of it, but overseeing and helping them manage the entirety of the portfolio, which does include the business.

Right. But some people think, oh, it's not. That isn't included under my asset fee, so I don't have to deal with it. It's like, well, then where are they going to go when the business does sell?

Great point.

It's knowing what your expertise is and if you're not the right person. I really have great respect for any professional who says this is not my field. However, let me get Christine in here or, you know, an advisor from ABC Consulting to help you with this, to guide you along the way. Whoever it is, this, that is a helpful role of a financial person as well.

Well, and we all know every great presentation has a great story to go along with it. And I can hear in your conversation you have lots of stories because you've done this a lot with clients. So maybe you give us a little highlight of the story that really resonates in this talk.

Beyond the Wimbledon one, I think I had another client who sold their business and it almost became fun for me because it was a multimillion dollar business. She did need a different accountant, just temporarily for the sale. She was working with sales, the VCs, venture capitalists who are helping her negotiate all this. And she was giving money away, something near and dear to my heart. So she was structuring the business to make sure some of those stock and some of her future income went directly into a family foundation. And that really showed. All these pieces had to happen at the same time. And so having that quarterback in me to make sure this got done and that got done and helped her.

One less thing on the mind while she's trying to sign the papers, make sure the business stays running. I mean, think about that. If you're selling a business, it has to be continually running and keeping up the numbers to maintain the sales, no matter what's going on in the economy. So that was one of them. And we kind of talked about that. Another business, and this is the flip side, was what I Referred to earlier, someone who said, oh, I'll sell my business and then I'll have retirement. And they came to me about five years from retirement. And over the time that I built some trust, asked some questions, it was apparent that they were their business.

They were media photographer. And I'm like, what are you selling? Because your picture, your equipment, you are it. You don't have any employees, you don't have. So it's raising people's opinion. And then I've got to squeeze in one more because I live in Vermont, which tends to be a small town. And I bumped into a client a couple of weeks ago and I've always made the policy of not telling anyone who my clients are. But he came up to me when we were out and I was so delighted to see him. And we had sat down, I had asked him, you know, 16, 18 years ago, bring in your financials.

He goes, oh, my bookkeeper does them. I said, I know, well, bring them in. And had said, let's look at them. And he goes, oh, I don't really look at them. So by walking through what his net worth, what his income was, he set some really big goals about making a six figure income and then a seven figure, you know, in sales for his business. And he reached it once he had the tangible numbers in front of him. So that was really fun. It can be done with any size business.

Good.

Well, and it sounds like there's so many things even in the details. Right. That's what you're there for, is to really help them again, believer in other people's goals. Like you're believing in what they want to do and accomplish and you're helping them get there by the small and simple things along the way that a lot of us as planners just overlook or even business owners don't think about.

Right. Because they're so busy doing the business. You're so busy as advisors or behavior therapists talking about behavior and thoughts that you forget sometimes to just look at what's. What's in front of you. But that's right in front of you. Yeah. They make a real difference in a business and can make a real difference in a business if it should continue. Because sometimes I've looked at business numbers and said this isn't sustainable.

Yeah. Which also can be helpful in that approach as well, because then it releases some of the burden that they've been carrying for a while. Right. I love it. Christine, we're going to shift gears on this last question. You have such an approachable way with Money and you've spent time working with people, giving them thoughtful reflection. I want to know what is behind all this. Most of our audiences don't know what shapes you to be so approachable and finding the piece.

So what is it that really matters to you?

Well, aside from the personal growth work and inner work that I've done on my own self, which I can recommend to anyone, it's, you know, my dad ran a business. I saw things from the inside. He did a very good job. I, I not only had the experience, the education, but I saw what reflected back when it went successfully. And that made me want to run a business successfully and that made me want to do it my way and really look at what's important. Which is why other than for a couple of years in Boston working for some of the big accounting firms, I've never gone to work for anyone else because I already knew what I wanted to do and had a real sense of how I wanted to do it in that I like to write and share about it. As I said, I wanted to be a schoolteacher as a child and I am now cruising through some 200 journals. I have to pass them on to the universe and keep warm in a fire somewhere that I've written over the years.

So I'm a writer on topics and a speaker. And it all comes from taking the time to look inside of what I wanted.

Well, and I love that it's a generational thing, right? You could learn this from your own father and you're paying it forward. In fact, I've seen that in how you've interacted here is you've always paid it forward to help the next generation, to help the next person just make it a little bit further than what the past generation did. And I love that about you.

Thank you very much, Mary. It's a joy to help others.

Well, we love having you here. And if you're looking for a speaker who brings both heart and strategy to the complexities of business transitions, someone who helped your audience think about long term about their clients legacies, Christine is the perfect fit. You can learn more and book christine at financial behaviorthoughtleaders.com thanks for joining us. We'll see you next week with another leading voice in financial services.