After a tough winter and spring, summer is finally here. And as the days go by, we sit and watch as the market's major indexes crawl their way out of this crippling recession. No one can be sure if we've reached the bottom just yet, but we are certainly enjoying some time out of the red. It's great news, and it certainly helps you—not to mention your clients—sleep better at night.

So as the tide is turning, and at least some of the burden has been lifted off your shoulders, now is a better time than any to step back and take a look at your practice. How well has it weathered the storm? Have you lost clients? How about staff? Do you know how to go out and get new clients in this type of environment?

We know that the past year has been a rough one for everyone—and especially so for independent financial advisors. That's why we're here to help! AdvisorMax, formerly our practice management site, is now a part of Financial-Planning.com. That's right, all you have to do is click "Practice Management" under our Channels column on the left-hand side of our site, and you will find articles, web seminars, podcasts and more from the best and brightest experts in the industry. Here's what's on our agenda for July:

• * 7/1: Martin Shenkman's How to Maintain and Administer Your Estate Plan, at 4 p.m.
• * 7/7: Joe Robinson's Lose Stress, Manage Time, Boost Productivity, at 4 p.m.
• * 7/14: Katherine Vessenes' Blueprint for Becoming a Multimillion-Dollar Advisor, at 4 p.m.
• * 7/23: Teresa Easler's Building Business Through Better Communication, at 4 p.m.
• * 7/29: Dan Finley's Personality-Based Prospecting, at 2 p.m.