For Douglas Boneparth, Attracting Clients Is a Laughing Matter

He argues that sharing humor is good for business, especially amid economic and stock market chaos.

“More than occasionally, I’ll speak with a prospect who’ll tell me they like my jokes and follow me,” he tells ThinkAdvisor in an interview. “Usually, they’re more likely to become a client than not because they’re already a fan.”

Humor has long been a coping mechanism for the New York City-based advisor. Now it’s doubling as an ace marketing tool for a firm that manages about $100 million in assets.

Boneparth, 40, who has a bachelor's degree in public relations along with an MBA, has built a strong presence on the internet via plenty of visibility in the financial press and on social media.

He zeros in on helping couples with their finances, evidenced by a newsletter, The Joint Account, and books, all co-written with his wife, Heather Boneparth, Bone Fide Wealth’s director of business and legal affairs. Their new book, “Money Together,” is due in October.

Meanwhile, on X, there’s this bit of wit from Boneparth, whose client niche is high-achieving older millennials and Gen Z:

“I have announced the following tariffs: Wife, 50%; Kid 1, 30%; Kid 2, 25%; mother-in-law, 100%; Dog, 0%.”

Here are highlights of our conversation:

THINKADVISOR: So, were you class clown?

DOUGLAS BONEPARTH: No. But by high school graduation, I was voted Most Talkative.

Who inspired your humor?

I grew up watching a lot of Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld and Don Rickles, who was just hysterical.

However, my humor is more about who I am. Making people laugh is a wonderful way to connect.

If you can get a smile or chuckle out of someone, you’ve instantly tapped into something. And maybe it will set up a conversation or a relationship.

How would you describe your type of humor?

Sarcastic. And it has a good dose of self-deprecation. I try not to make fun of anyone. My thing isn’t to create sides or division.

I need to feed off news, stuff happening. I take something culturally relevant and tie it to a financial theme.

In view of the tariffs that President Donald Trump has imposed, market volatility and fear that a recession is en route, this seems like a good time for humor. Right?

We need it. This is stressful for people. We need to cut through with a laugh and then assess what’s really important.

In moments when people’s emotions are running hot and they’re so caught up in them, they need a way to take a step back and zoom out.

Long-term investing is very much centered around controlling your behavior and not doing things that would disrupt your ability to compound your returns. Markets recover.

Getting a bit of relief, clarity and perspective in the most chaotic moments is why my humor does really, really well.

What does all the commotion mean for your business? 

It’s time to shine with great client service. It’s time to step up and be a good husband, a good father, a good advisor — and tell some really funny jokes!

Are you getting more hits since the tariffs were ordered and many thousands were dismissed from their government jobs, among other disruptions? 

My business grows better in times of uncertainty and disruption than when times are particularly good.

I don’t like the uncertainty, and I don’t want my clients to feel pain or stress. But the reality is that these moments are opportunities for advisors to not only deepen client relationships but also create new ones with new clients.

As people get more and more nervous and maybe realize they aren’t getting the attention or service, or even performance, that they should, they make changes or want second opinions. And people who have never worked with a financial advisor before realize they need help.

Have your jokes on X helped you acquire clients? 

Absolutely. But humor is just one more marketing tool in my toolbelt. I can’t tell you that clients are coming in hand-over-fist because I have a funny social media account.

But more than occasionally, I’ll speak with a prospect who’ll tell me they like my jokes and follow me.

Usually they’re more likely to become a client than not because they’re already a fan. They wouldn’t be calling unless they’re really interested in working with me.

Do you joke around in discussions with existing clients?

There are appropriate and inappropriate times for that. You have to be tactful and read the room. But humor can be a wonderful tool to cut through some of the more depressing or dark themes that need to be addressed.

Such as?

We’re financial planners, so in addition to cash management and investments, we talk about the serious topics of insurance and estate planning. Estate plans are created for the worst times in people’s lives. We prepare clients and navigate through those moments with them.

How else do you inject funniness when speaking with your clientele?

It’s a great way to keep people’s attention when you’re [explaining] a financial plan, which can last for 90 minutes. A little humor here and there can ensure that you’re still capturing your audience — in this case, your client.

When did you start posting jokes on X?

In the [COVID-19] pandemic, when things were really sad, dark, depressing and scary. For me, humor has always been a way to cope.

So in 2020, in the middle of that global health crisis with people’s safety at risk, my outlet became Twitter, now X.

I followed a lot of humorous financial meme accounts. And then I said to myself, “I think I can do just as well as these guys, if not better.”

So I started telling jokes on Twitter and trying to be lighthearted to cut through the darkness and help people have a laugh when they needed to feel good.

But actually, it was just a giant cope for me.