I thought it was marketing jargon when I first heard a financial advisor refer to “coaching emotions.” However, it turns out that they were a part of something that was quietly expanding—a whole field that was concerned not only with what people owned but also with how they felt about it.
The phrase “emotional wealth management” sounds a little ironic at first, like something you might find on a wellness podcast or a pamphlet for a retreat. However, among those whose fortunes require more than just spreadsheets, it is real and becoming more and more significant. These are skilled experts who combine emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and conventional financial strategy; they are not life coaches with stock advice.
| Key Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Topic | Emotional Wealth Management |
| Core Concept | Integrates emotional intelligence and neuroscience with financial planning |
| Market Focus | Entrepreneurs, C-suite leaders, athletes, and wealthy families |
| Purpose | Helps clients manage emotions for clearer decision-making and deeper relationships |
| Notable Advocates | Dietrich Desmarais, Susan Schoenfeld, Amy Reding |
| Differentiation | Positions emotions as assets, creating a new value proposition in wealth advisory |
| Reference Link | emotionalwealthmanagement.ca |
The reasoning is surprisingly useful. According to the research, emotions are data and should not be disregarded when making decisions. These advisors assist you not only with portfolio diversification but also with managing anxiety during market downturns, navigating intricate family dynamics, and resolving the silent tension associated with succession planning. They speak with ease in terms of cortisol and dopamine, frequently relying on neuroscience to support their gut feelings.
Emotional intelligence is the most underutilized asset in business performance, according to one expanding company, Emotional Wealth Management Inc., which is run by Dietrich Desmarais. They have programs for athletes, hotel groups, real estate brokers, and corporate leadership teams in addition to the private wealth sector. The fundamental idea is that over time, clarity—rather than just capital—compounds.
For some, realizing that having money causes more emotional problems than it resolves is the first step toward achieving clarity. What do you explain to your kids about the inheritance they will probably inherit? When are you going to reveal it? Is it better to give now or wait? What happens if one child is quiet about academics and the other is entrepreneurial? These inquiries, which were previously relegated to awkward estate planning corners, are now the main focus of sessions on emotional wealth strategy.
Female wealth clients are particularly receptive to this strategy for a reason. Research continuously demonstrates that women value legacy, education, and family continuity over immediate financial gains, especially those who inherit or create wealth. They frequently prefer discussions over quarterly reports. They expect advisors to interact with a level of emotional fluency not taught in traditional finance programs, ask more questions, and seek clarification.
One advisor described the emotional portfolio as the “hidden balance sheet” of each estate. It’s what decides whether families remain together or split up after the death of a patriarch. Whether the family business grows smoothly or breaks apart due to competition. if having money benefits or burdens a generation.
During a workshop facilitated by Susan Schoenfeld, a speaker who combines emotional intelligence with legal experience, I was struck by how many financial professionals had long viewed these “soft” issues as dangerous territory that should be avoided rather than addressed. She completely reversed that story. According to her, the human concerns are the same as the financial ones, albeit with a longer time horizon.
Professionals are increasingly using emotional wealth management to manage their own volatility. Entrepreneurs and C-suite executives deal with decision fatigue, burnout, and pressure to perform in illogical situations. Working with an EQ-based advisor was like “finally being understood as a human being, not just a revenue engine,” according to one CEO.
There are skeptics in the field. Some consider it an overreach or a rebranding of financial counseling. Others are concerned about the limits—to what extent can a financial advisor delve into emotional territory before it is deemed improper? However, proponents of the model contend that the real recklessness lies in disregarding emotion.
Family offices are especially productive. Here, advisors mediate relationships in addition to handling finances. The stakes are frequently high: a single incorrect assumption can result in decades-long sibling rivalries or shattered trusts. According to one planner, emotional wealth management helps avert “slow-motion catastrophes,” which are instances in which misalignment gradually worsens until the harm is irreparable.
The vocabulary is also changing. These days, advisors discuss relational capital, value-aligned leadership, and emotional liquidity. They assist clients in differentiating between personal and inherited values. One family discovered the silent suffering of a business founder who thought his kids would want to run the company through a facilitated session. They didn’t. But until the emotional labor made room for the truth, nobody had spoken it aloud.
That story moved me in an unexpected way because of its gentle honesty rather than its drama.
Macroeconomically, emotional wealth management also makes advisors stand out in a market that is becoming more and more commercialized. The remaining tasks for human professionals are presence, insight, and care as robo-advisors and AI-driven platforms take care of more of the math. It is a distinct advantage rather than a soft skill.
The success of more women in wealth advisory positions may also be attributed to this emotional fluency. Deep listening, tactful curiosity, and empathy are more than just personality qualities; they are career accelerants. While acknowledging that emotions frequently influence financial decisions more than facts, many companies, such as RBC’s Nearing & Dallas group, now actively train teams on how to reduce the emotional noise in client decision-making.
Acknowledging emotions can feel subtly radical in a society that still values stoicism, particularly in business. However, those at the forefront of this field are not waiting for approval. Emotion is not the enemy of wealth, as they can see from the balance sheet. When used skillfully, it’s a multiplier.