Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders, MBA - Interview with Greg DuPont, Founder of Advocate Wealth Solutions Discussing Making Informed Financial Decisions

Episode Date: January 28, 2026

Greg DuPont is an estate planning attorney, comprehensive financial advisor, and entrepreneur dedicated to helping families protect what matters most—while making confident, informed decisions about their future.As the founder of DuPont Law Group and a leader behind The Wealth Solutions Network and Advocate Wealth Solutions, Greg works with individuals and families who want more than documents or disconnected financial advice. His work focuses on clarity, protection, and long-term stewardship—helping clients reduce financial loss, avoid unnecessary conflict, and align their wealth with the lives they actually want to live.Greg is known for taking complex legal and financial topics and translating them into clear, practical guidance. His approach is intentionally different: instead of selling products or pushing pre-packaged solutions, he leads with education, diagnosis, and trust. Clients often describe him as calm, strategic, and deeply invested in helping them think clearly before acting.Over the course of his career, Greg has advised thousands of families on estate planning, wealth protection, retirement strategy, and legacy design. His work emphasizes proactive planning—addressing risks before they become crises—and helping clients make decisions today that still make sense decades from now.At the center of Greg’s philosophy is a simple belief: good planning isn’t about money—it’s about people, responsibility, and peace of mind. Whether working with young families, business owners, or retirees, his goal is the same: to replace uncertainty with confidence and help families move forward with intention.Greg lives and works by a mission to impact one million families by protecting legacies, reducing avoidable financial loss, and elevating the way people experience planning. When he’s not working with clients or building new initiatives, he is focused on teaching, mentoring advisors, and creating systems that make high-quality planning more accessible and human.Learn more: https://www.advocatewealthsolutions.com/The information provided by Greg DuPont is intended for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. Nothing discussed should be relied upon as a substitute for individualized advice from qualified legal, tax, or financial professionals. All planning strategies and concepts are general in nature and may not be suitable for every individual or situation. Any references to financial strategies, investments, or planning concepts are not intended as a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial products. Advisory services are offered only pursuant to an advisory agreement and where permitted by law. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Participation in this content does not create an attorney-client or advisor-client relationship. Outcomes depend on individual circumstances, applicable laws, and market conditions, which are subject to change.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-greg-dupont-founder-of-advocate-wealth-solutions-discussing-making-informed-financial-decisions

Welcome to influential entrepreneurs, bringing you interviews with elite business leaders and experts, sharing tips and strategies for elevating your business to the next level. Here's your host, Mike Saunders. Hello and welcome to this episode of influential entrepreneurs. This is Mike Saunders, the authority positioning coach. Today we have back with this Greg DuPont, who's the founder of Advocate Wealth Solutions, and we'll be talking about making informed financial decisions. Greg, welcome back to the program.

Thanks, having you back, Mike. Hey, you know, I know that this is really a tough topic for a lot of people because this is their life savings, that this is retirement. And will I have enough money to make it to end through retirement? So all of these are really a high trust level with that advisor. So once you start working with the client and they have some fuzziness and where they're going, you've got the roadmap. But how do you help someone understand the difference between making informed decisions and being really ready to make some of these financial moves that you are laying out for them? You know, Mike, it's kind of, I was with a client just the other day,

an estate planning client, and this poor lady, she's tortured herself over the last, oh, 12 months, with regards to some fairly core estate planning decisions. And every time she makes a decision, she revisits it. And when she revisits it, She does a deep dive into the world of, well, it used to be the world of Google. Now it's the world of chat GPT, right? Yeah.

And this is instructive for, you know, state planning discussions, financial discussions, whatever, because there's so much information out there that people are confused. Yeah. And so today people are mostly well informed, but they're poorly oriented. They have all this data input that they can get. When they get done talking to one of the guys that responds when they reach their hand up for Social Security information, for example, you know, and they start trying to get that conversation in context. And so they have all of this data.

They have all this knowledge that's available to them, but they don't have, you know, the confidence. There's not the wisdom that puts it all together for them and to help them get clarity. You know, that's an interesting point you bring up. And I know that we can go down a huge rabbit trail on AI these days. But I feel like what you just said needs to go, you know, a little bit deeper because people think, I want the quick answer, I want to click something, tell me what to do. But in reality, you need that human behind the technology, whether it's software, AI, or anything, you need that human to go, okay, well, you mentioned this. Let's consider that and to take those empathy

approaches and relationship approaches. So is that something that is what you feel like is, number one, lacking and then going to only get worse if it's not addressed in this day of technology and AI were in. It's absolutely going to get worse. And what's happening is, you know, many people when they become confused, well, as you know, confused mind doesn't commit. So they don't take any action. Some get so baffled with the BS that they do take action, but then they don't have any understanding of why they did what they did. So they get buyer's remorse, right? They don't see how their decision, whatever they did, connects with everything else in their picture. And a lot of times those people are making those decisions are reacting to urgency and fear that the quote-unquote salesman or woman is structuring so that they get them to close.

As opposed to having a process that the consumer has gone through so that they feel confident that they're ready to make a decision. that they've got less noise and they're calmer about making the decision. And most importantly, they have fewer regrets and thoughts about, well, what have I missed something? Yeah. And that's what a structured process does to help somebody become ready to make the decision. It slows things down. It organizes decisions in the right order, and it replaces pressure with, perspective. You know, I think probably you could make a bumper sticker off of that one phrase. You just said it replaces pressure with perspective. And that's huge because we all want to respond, not react. And we don't want to be in the position to react to a market change or an inflation or a tax or a market volatility and react. We want to respond to go, okay, Greg told me that was going to happen. And so now we're just going to watch the plan unfold. So talk a little bit about what that does to actually client's piece.

of mind when they understand the process, they're ready to make those decisions. They've seen you come alongside and help and educate through that. And then when they see those kind of bumps and whatnot, it doesn't create more static. You know, when you get more orientation as a buyer, right, or as the person experiencing the process, when you get more orientation and you're not rushed to a decision, it's, it results in more understanding of what the ramifications are. As we go through our process, first we start with getting the clarity on where we are and what the implications of that are.

And then, you know, co-creating, as it were, the solutions to those things. So the consumer doesn't feel like somebody came down from the mountaintop with a pre, can solution that they're saying this is what you need to do. You know, that, that, that may have worked years ago, but that's not working now. Yeah. And it wasn't healthy years ago. Yeah. Now, you know, the, with the advent of the modern era, you know, there's so much information out there.

And it's very easy for the consumer that has some question as to what they just did, what the hell just happened to start going down rabbit paths, trying to get clarity on that, and then they end up getting even more confused by what they just did. Yeah, that's just so huge. So let's talk about what does it actually look like. What does a healthy financial decision process look like? because I think that too many times people don't focus in on that concept of process. It's like, oh, I need this.

I'm going to make that. But shouldn't there be a process to making that decision? What does that look like in real life? Yeah, you know, a healthy process always starts with understanding, not recommendations. So if you're experiencing, you know, product recommendations early on in a conversation, you know, that's a definite red flag, you know, because before there are solutions, there must be clarity. And before there's action, there has to be alignment between you as the buyer, your understanding of the problem, and your understanding of the solutions. And if there's dissonance in there in any way, shape, or form, then there's going to be regret and remorse.

Yes, it reminds me to begin with the end in mind. You got to know where you're headed and then know what you want and then see where you're at now and then make make the move to close that gap. Yeah. And, you know, with that end in mind, you know, those, these decisions, you know, that the consumer has to make that they're making with their guide, you know, they have to be looked at in a holistic way, you know, considering the legal financial tax. and family implications, you know, at the same time. Those all have to be looked at together, not in isolation. Because when they are looked at in isolation, you know, that's when siloed advice creates unintended consequences.

That's huge. Siloed advice, because it might make total sense if that's all you, if you had the blinders on and you looked at this decision, whatever that might be, makes total sense. But in relation to the other things, oh, we didn't take into it. consideration, the tax implication, the legal implication, that kind of thing. So what about, what about that approach, that holistic approach? How should people expect their advisor to help them stay in control without being rushed or sold to, but also in light of what you just said there, having kind of that holistic 360 degree approach? Well, I like to think that that process

unfolds in stages. You know, first, you know, we get oriented. We get an understanding where we are, as I keep saying clarity, right, to understand exactly where we are. And then part of that is organizing ourselves, right? Then when we, when we have that together, then we can move into decisions, you know, but not everything is the side at once. You know, we got to have a process that we're walking through getting there.

And, you know, the hallmarks of a trustworthy process is, number one, there's, there's no rush. You know, why do we have to make decisions today? You know, no pressure. You know, if you're not feeling comfortable with it, then, you know, then there's something wrong. Either you don't understand what's going on there or your amygdala is triggering that there's something wrong here. Yeah. That we need to do. So we got to be in touch with our.

ourselves that way. You know, and, and typically those feelings come because the quote-unquote advisor is jumping into product conversations before the client has any context on why these things are there. So when the process is right, you feel in control, you know, decisions feel deliberate, not reactive, and you end up with confidence instead of anxiety. Yeah. So I know that it's almost like I've said many times when I hear people like yourself talking about how you help your client succeed. It sounds like you're almost a life coach of sorts. Like you're guiding them through life, you know, and making financial and retirement decisions.

But also I feel like what you just said there makes you you feel like also being a psychologist, you know, like, oh, I need to assess. And so makes me think, what are some of the triggers, flags, conditions or signals that tell you that a client might kind of need a little bit of extra guidance emotionally or cognitively to make a decision like that where it's like they might even say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand. But maybe they don't. What are some of the things that you're watching for to help them make sure that clarity is there?

Well, you know, Mike, that's part of, you know, 30 plus years of sitting in a room with people. whether it's in a estate planning conversation or in the aftermath of an estate where the family is dealing with the death or financial conversations. It's just, you know, you gain some insight when, and I underscore this, when you are able to be present and hold space with that client to help them, you know, feel, you know, feel. comfortable in sharing their disease. And that's where you separate the good advisors from the not so good advisors. And where good advisors will always have a place in this world that is driven by knowledge being everywhere. Yeah.

You know, and that's another huge piece. It just brings to my mind when you say knowledge, being everywhere. It's like, you know, knowledge is power. Not really because knowledge is just information. You got to put it into action to make it to be power. So people these days have chat AI Google that can give them all kinds of financial tips, strategies, ideas, advice, but is it in the right sequence, at the right time, in the right strategy for what you're looking to achieve? And that's where that human element comes in. I think that's a big point that you bring up. Well, yeah, it's a, it's a real difficult dance.

You know, when you're talking about, you know, somebody with, you know, this savings, which represents their lifetime of work all in a 401K balance, an IRA balance, you know, this is not money to them. That's the reflection of a life of saving and scrimping. And next thing you know, you've gone through some form. of rabbit path and the person that you've talked or talking to wants to take control of that in one way or the other. And, you know, if they're not, if that person that wants to be the advisor is not sensitive

to the emotional trauma that can be there, then they're just going to exacerbate the situation. And but to your point earlier about knowledge is power and all that kind of monarchy, you know, we got to take action. And so that's really what is the real challenge is when do I, as you put it as a life coach almost, when do I take a more affirmative step and lead the client into a decision that is in their best sense? interest. And if we've got a process that is set up that is building confidence, building context, building clarity, then it's much easier for the client to say, okay, you're right. I see life has changed. I've got to do this. And I'm comfortable making that decision now. Let's move forward. Yeah. And then that kind of thinking sequentially through that process, Once they make that decision, how do you help to make sure that they don't have that cognitive dissonance you alluded to, like, you know, regret, like, oh, that was a big decision, you know, like a week later or whatever.

Like they all leave the office high-fiving, but then a week later, it's like, what have I done? How do you make sure that that is solidified in their mind? Yeah, that's actually a great challenge to the industry. because sometimes the people that have the money right now that you're now moving to your control or what have you, they don't want to give it up. The financial industrial complex can make the transition a little bit noiser than it has to be. Sometimes it's breaking partnerships that have been established for years that may have gotten to the point where they no longer. of the client's best interest, but they still have to break what is a friendship of form,

right? You're not with an advisor for 10 years without being at least friendly with them. So these are real challenges that the consumer has to go through. And the best way to try to deal with that is to be in communication, to try to try to, you know, give them some heads up on some of the challenges that might be down the road, that, hey, there might be, we might have to send this thing back to the compliance department a couple times because of A, B, and C with your situation. Hey, this is nothing to worry about.

This is not unusual. This is them being a backstop to what we've already determined to be in your best interest. And they're going to confirm that as well. So just letting them know what is going to happen as well. as opposed to having them see all these unexpected things come up, which just exacerbates the underlying concerns they might have that they overcame to make the decision. But now they're going to say, now, I'm not comfortable anymore. Yeah.

And when you do it the right way, or if an advisor does it the right way, and they've educated and explained and made it clear, then you actually are, you know, the client does it. need to know all the underlying intricacies that you, you know, went through in your, you know, training and all that. But they, they get it. They feel like, yeah, yeah, I understand that aspect. We want to protect this. We want to move this. We want this percentage here. We want to prepare for that. And when when it's done the right way, then, then guess what? I would even say this, the one of the backstops is they don't feel overwhelmed or confused because they know that every

so often quarterly, every six months or whatever the time frame is. They're going to be coming in with you, whether it's phone, Zoom, or in person, and having that review so that they don't feel confused or overwhelmed and just having that checkup. Absolutely. It's that customer service afterwards, that relationship that you'll now build. I mean, so it's, it's interesting to see, you know, the, the industry, you know, had its way, of selling, which was,

hey, I'm going to give you all of this information, all this knowledge for free. I'm going to give you this plan for free

and then you're going to become a client with the idea that this is going to, you know, so clearly illustrate your value that they're going to be

happy, going forward. But that was always started with trying to, you know, kind of quote unquote, no like and trust, right? Yeah. Chit chat and all this stuff and you're going to become a friend as part of that. Client doesn't really want a friend. They wouldn't be friendly.

And they can't see your value until you've delivered it. So it's by definition. They really can't see what they're buying until they bought it. So it becomes a real difficult. called dance, which is why we've, we've created our process so that, you know, the client can move into it as they see fit. If they just want to get clarity at this point in their life, then, okay, you're going to pay us a nominal fee for us to give you unbiased information and analysis for you get clarity.

And then if that does determine any issues that you want to fix, then, okay, we're going to go to the next step of our process where we're going to show you how, It can be fixed. And then if you want us to fix it, then here's how we can fix it for you. So each one of those steps along the journey, the consumer maintains control. They get to see a little bit of what can be done and see the value of the work as opposed to, you know, paying the price in terms of lack of clarity, lack of certainty, because this advisor gave them a free plan and it was just a thinly veiled attempt to sell them X, Y, or Z.

Yeah, huge. Well, it's just so great to hear your process and hear some of the inner workings that you make sure your clients are fully taken care of, not just on the financial front, but on the emotional front and make sure they're understanding and feeling confident and that is so powerful. So, Greg, if someone is interested in reaching out of connecting with you, what's the best way that they can do that? Best way to connect with me would be to shoot me an email at gregg at advocatewealthsolutions.com. Greg, thank you so much for coming back on. It's been a real pleasure chatting with you. Mike, thank you for your time. I've enjoyed our chats.

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