5 financial lessons from Game of Thrones

The Lesson? Just like your nest egg will hatch when the time is right (and hopefully when no one's husband has died or any fires are lit), Daenerys' dragon eggs hatched, as her intuition told her they would. In addition to intuition, we have talented retirement advisors that will coax your golden egg to hatch into a beautifully crafted retirement fund (dragons not included). Daenerys had to do a lot of adjusting to help keep those dragons, just like one does in order to make sure that the retirement fund lasts as long as possible. (Top photo: AP/Evan Agostini; Petrified dragon eggs and other props, part of the HBO and Time Warner Cable GoT exhibition in 2013 in New York. Above: Daenerys and her biggest teenage dragon, Drogon/HBO.)

4. The best financial partnerships are based on trust. 

In her position as a type of foreign queen to the Dothraki, Daenerys learns their culture, customs and language. She fights for the rights of the women, while trying to defend the prisoners they take as slaves when they attack other villages. This resonates with some Dothraki, although most are not in favor of compassion, believing it to be a sign of weakness.

Fast forward to season three, when Daenerys is finally able to purchase a ship and decides to go to another city to acquire slave warriors called the Unsullied. She's disgusted at the fact that they are slaves, and identifies with them because she was sold in marriage as a slave by her now defunct brother.

Through cunning negotiations — and, to be fair, cheating — Daenerys gains control of the Unsullied warriors and sets them free. The freed warriors don't know how to react to or what to do, but having an army of slaves goes against her very nature, so she invites them to either leave or join her as "free men" in her army, and they all do.

The Lesson? Know your audience, learn their way of thinking, empathize with their culture and traditions (and possibly speak their language), and be genuine with them. What do they want? What do they need? What are they worried about? Your prospects can tell when you have a genuine interest in them. The fear of the unknown — say, how insurance works — will dissipate with information, giving way for respect and friendship to flourish. This establishes a very strong foundation for lasting relationships with your clients.

And, just like a ruler, it is your duty to serve your loyal subjects …err, clients. However, unlike Daenerys, we don't condone violence, war or burning by dragons. (You can watch the video of Daenerys taking over her army here, but be warned that it is very graphic and has stong language. Photo: Screenshot of the HBO episode.)

5. Not having a trusted advisor is too big a risk to take. 

Where to begin with Sansa Stark? After going to King's Landing with her father and loving life in the big city, Sansa starts picking up bad manners from the people at court, mainly Queen Cersei. However, after Lord Stark is beheaded, both the Queen and the recently crowned Joffrey beat, manipulate, torture and humiliate poor Sansa. She just sits there in silence and takes it.

Why does she do this? Because she has no one else to come to her aid and she can't trust anyone. And what's a teenage girl with no present parents, guardians or purse full of gold to do if she can't bribe or pay her way out of the city? Sit there and take it, until a glimmer of hope comes.

It finally does, not because she planned it, but because of someone else who had set his eyes on her. And even though she unknowingly participated in the plot, she eventually gets the golden opportunity to take charge of her future. We'll see if that road leads to something good.

The Lesson? OK, you might be thinking that it's a little farfetched for me to make a comparison between a helpless teenage girl and financial planning, but here is my attempt: if Sansa had trusted advisors, spies, some sort of security net, and/or a Visa credit card for emergencies only, she could've escaped her terrible situation sooner, on her own terms, and not by being manipulated by others. Having a financial plan in place before you need it is essential. If you control your financial future, you can do whatever you please. If you don't have any control of your finances, they'll control you — or, you know, you're their "Sansa." (Photo: HBO.)