8 Common Curveballs in Financial Planning Meetings & How to Handle Them

If you’re new to financial planning, you probably prepare for client meetings by reviewing the agenda, polishing your talking points, and making sure your numbers are right. 

But no matter how prepared you are, financial planning meetings rarely go exactly as planned.

It’s not because you’ve done anything wrong. It’s because people are unpredictable. Clients bring emotions, questions, and expectations into the room that don’t always fit neatly into your plan. The good news is: curveballs are where you learn to move beyond theory into practice.

These moments don’t just test your skills; they help you develop the competencies you’ll need for a successful career. The FPA Competency Model™ highlights six areas of growth every planner needs, and each curveball is an opportunity to strengthen one of them.

Here are eight common curveballs new planners face in financial planning meetings and strategies to help you handle them with confidence.

Disclaimer: These are just a few of the more common situations that come up with clients. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Also note that the solutions suggested here may not work for you. If you find that you’d take a different approach, write that down and practice it. This isn’t meant to be prescriptive, but to help you reflect on what you’d do as a planner! 

1. The Emotional Disclosure

Sometimes, a client will suddenly share something deeply personal: a recent loss, a family conflict, or a fear about their future. It may feel like the meeting is getting off track, but this is actually a chance to build trust.

Instead of rushing past the moment, acknowledge their disclosure. You might say, “Thank you for sharing that. That’s a lot to navigate and I’m sure it’s hard.” Then, once the client feels heard, you can decide if the conversation needs to switch gears (to reflect this new information), or you can gently guide the conversation back to the agenda if it feels right. In other cases, you may want to ask your client if they want to shelve the discussion today so that they can focus on their personal needs.

COMPETENCIES: This builds Interpersonal Impact and Client Communication and Care, showing that you can listen deeply and change course on your plan or meeting agenda to meet what’s most affecting your client today. 

2. The Surprise Question

At some point, a client will ask you something you don’t know, whether it’s about tax law, employer benefits, or a niche financial product. The fear of saying “I don’t know” is real, but pretending or coming up with a half-baked answer can do way more damage. 

Instead, normalize the gap: “That’s a great question. I don’t want to guess here, so let me do a little research and follow up with a clear answer.” Clients appreciate honesty paired with professionalism.

COMPETENCIES: This builds Professionalism and Critical Thinking, proving that integrity matters more than knowing everything on the spot.

3. The Mid-Meeting Pivot

You’ve prepared to talk about retirement planning or a tax strategy, but the client suddenly wants to dive into college savings or their concerns about buying a vacation home.

Here’s where adaptability shines. If the topic is urgent, e.g., they’ve just put in an offer on a house unexpectedly or they just lost their job, you can go into problem-solving mode, determining what needs to be done today, this week, and/or this month to adjust their plan. If you are unsure about what needs to change, ask them to give you a day to evaluate their situation and the changes to their plan, and then schedule a follow-up call that same week. 

However, if the topic is not urgent, you can acknowledge the new focus and suggest time to evaluate it in the future: “That’s an important topic. Let’s spend 10 minutes on it today and add it to our next meeting for deeper discussion.” You can use a “parking lot” for topics that can wait, or schedule the next meeting then and there. 

COMPETENCIES: This demonstrates Professionalism and Critical Thinking, showing clients you can pivot without losing direction.

4. The Time Crunch

A client arrives late, or the conversation runs long, leaving you with half the time you expected. Do you plow ahead or cut corners? Neither.

In these situations, prioritize. Quickly identify the top one or two items that must be addressed and push the rest to follow-up. At the end, summarize clearly: “We covered A and B today. Let’s revisit C at our next meeting.” If they want to review C as soon as possible, schedule the meeting while they’re in your office. 

COMPETENCIES: This is where Professionalism and Leadership overlap — your ability to manage time effectively gives clients confidence in your process while also keeping your business on track.

5. The Technical Deep Dive

It’s easy to slip into planner-speak. Maybe you’re explaining Monte Carlo analysis or tax-loss harvesting, and suddenly the client’s eyes glaze over.

Instead of carrying on or starting to over-explain, pause. Ask, “Is this level of detail helpful, or would you prefer a summary?” Also, it helps to review and practice different analogies, visuals, or stories to make complex concepts accessible. In most cases, it’s best to start with a simpler explanation of complex topics. You can always leave room for clients with more experience to ask more complex questions. 

COMPETENCIES: Balancing clarity and accuracy demonstrates Client Communication and Care, alongside Critical Thinking, ensuring clients leave informed rather than overwhelmed.

6. The Silence After a Big Question

You ask a meaningful question, like “What do you want your retirement to look like?” and the client just… pauses.

The instinct is to fill the silence, but resist it. Give the client space to think. If the silence stretches too long, reframe: “I know that’s a big question. Would it help to put it another way, or would you like time to think about it?” If you know that you’re going to ask a big question in a financial planning meeting, it might help to prep 2-3 smaller questions to get the conversation rolling again if a client is unsure. 

COMPETENCIES: This builds Interpersonal Impact and Client Communication and Care, showing that you respect clients’ processing styles and value their perspective.

7. The Unrealistic Expectation

Clients may come in expecting quick investment returns, instant debt payoff, or a flawless “magic plan.” These expectations can create tension if not addressed.

Validate first: “It makes sense you’d want fast results.” Then reframe: “Here’s what progress can realistically look like in the next [insert timeframe].” Anchor the conversation to long-term goals while still celebrating small wins. And if a client seems to expect returns or something you can’t provide, it might be time to have a discussion about parting ways.

COMPETENCIES:  demonstrates Professionalism and Interpersonal Impact, helping clients feel supported while setting healthy boundaries.

8. The Money Conflict

Sometimes, couples bring conflict into the meeting, or one reveals a financial secret to the other. These moments are tricky, especially for new planners.

Your role isn’t to play mediator, but to hold space neutrally. Redirect the focus: “It sounds like this is an important topic for both of you. Can we pause here and reconnect around your shared goals?” If needed, suggest outside resources, like counseling.

COMPETENCIES: This requires Professionalism and Interpersonal Impact, allowing you to maintain professionalism while guiding clients back to collaboration.

You Can’t Plan for Every Curveball 

While these 8 scenarios come up quite often for new and experienced planners alike, this is by no means an exhaustive list. No matter how much you prepare, financial planning meetings will throw you (new) curveballs. These moments aren’t a sign that you’re failing, though. They’re proof that you’re strengthening your craft and becoming even more valuable to your clients, firm, and the profession at large.

By learning to navigate these challenges, you’ll grow across all six competencies of the FPA Competency Model, becoming a planner who not only delivers technical expertise but also provides meaningful guidance through uncertainty.

Want to see how experienced planners handle curveballs in real client meetings? Join Amplified Planning CORE. Inside, you’ll observe real planning sessions, study the “in-between moments” most training skips, and build the confidence to handle whatever comes your way. You can also earn CFP Board and AFCPE experience hours, as well as CE credits for some courses.