THE MISSION

Changing the relationship between people and money

People are not naturally engaged with their money.

They are engaged with their lives.

They care about the people they love, the places they want to go, the work they want to do, the freedom they want to create, the fears they carry, the dreams they pursue and the future they imagine.

Yet financial services often begin somewhere else: with products, portfolios, pensions, investments, insurance, numbers and financial information.

The financial question is rarely the whole story.

Behind every financial decision is a human story.

And when financial professionals learn to discover that story, something changes. The conversation moves from money to meaning, from information to understanding, and from advice to genuine engagement.

That is why I created Telling the Financial Story.

From financial information to human engagement

Our mission is to help financial services professionals discover the stories their clients are really living and use the power of storytelling to create deeper, more meaningful engagement.

We believe that the future of financial services is not simply about giving people better information.

It is about helping people understand why their money matters in the context of their lives.

That requires a different kind of professional.

Not simply a financial expert.

But a Financial Storyteller.

Someone who listens differently.

Who asks better questions.

Who pays attention to what is said — and what is not said.

Who can move beyond the conscious first answer and discover the deeper story underneath.

And who can tell that story in a way that helps clients see themselves, their choices and their possibilities differently.

StoryDiscovery + Storytelling

This is where The One Great Story comes in.

We use the power of archetypes, characters, plots and dramatic situations to help financial professionals understand the human stories behind financial decisions.

12 Characters.
7 Plots.
36 Dramatic Situations.
2 Endings: Tragedy or Happiness.

Applied to one of the most important stories people live:

the story of money in their lives.

The goal is not to turn financial professionals into writers.

The goal is to help them become better observers, better questioners, better biographers and ultimately better storytellers for their clients.

The 100 Financial Story Pioneers

We are beginning with 100 innovative financial services professionals who believe there must be a better way to engage people with their money.

They are Explorers and Creators.

They are questioning assumptions, experimenting with new approaches and imagining what financial services could become.

We invite them to share their own stories:

What are you trying to change?

What are you creating?

What have you discovered about people and money?

What have you learned from your journey?

What should financial services become?

Because getting your own story straight is powerful.

Sharing your story can inspire others.

And the stories of pioneers can help an entire profession imagine a different future.

This is bigger than storytelling

We are not interested in storytelling as a communication technique added to financial services.

We are interested in what happens when story becomes the way we understand the client.

When a financial professional stops asking only:

“What do you want to do with your money?”

and starts discovering:

“What story are you living — and what role does money play in that story?”

That is the change we want to create.

Changing the way financial services engage people with their money — through the power of stories.

And the story is only beginning.