# Herman Chan on the benefits and challenges of going independent Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-advice-7023081/herman-chan-on-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-going-independent Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-advice-7023081/herman-chan-on-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-going-independent.md Podcast: [Behind the Advice](https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-advice-7023081) Published: 2026-05-27T08:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://behind-the-advice.simplecast.com/episodes/herman-chan-on-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-going-independent-VdSdRfcs Audio file: https://afp-119681-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/0e1a7767-ecb5-4a20-a3aa-a54ae2d19808/episodes/e6c49a26-d7f7-45ca-bca7-fb96e56a37c6/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=0e1a7767-ecb5-4a20-a3aa-a54ae2d19808&awEpisodeId=e6c49a26-d7f7-45ca-bca7-fb96e56a37c6&feed=OZVJlu3c Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-advice-7023081/episodes/herman-chan-on-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-going-independent Duration seconds: 1492 ## Resource Herman Chan’s path to becoming a financial planner was anything but linear. He started out with a journalism degree and a dream of being a sports writer, before a stint in retail management convinced him it was time for a career change. After 15 years of supporting other advisors at major firms such as RBC and London Life (now Canada Life), Herman took the leap into independent advice. We talked about his "frugal-boomer" upbringing in Port Coquitlam, B.C., why he thinks every good advisor needs to be a bit like Batman, and the “Platinum Rule” that guides his new firm, Crimson Financial. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-advice-7023081/episodes/herman-chan-on-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-going-independent/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-advice-7023081/herman-chan-on-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-going-independent.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.