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6 Christmas Gifts Advisors Gave to Clients

When doing their Christmas shopping this year, advisors haven’t forgotten their clients. And some are coming up with unique ways of rewarding the loyalty of their closest accounts. It starts with a card and gets more involved (and more pricey) from there.
See what some clients are finding under their tree this season.
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The Traditional Route

Advisers can strengthen established client relationships and foster new relationships during the holiday season. Small gestures such as personally signed holiday cards go a long way. Some advisers want to do something extra for top clients and send a small gift. Business conversations with clients will be friendlier and more productive when advisers have taken an opportunity to thank clients outside of those meetings.
-Larry Tate, director of retail, Southwest Securities
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Candies

Advisor: Steven Johnson


Firm: Raymond James Financial Services


City: Draper, Utah


Gift: Enstrom’s milk chocolate English toffee. (www.enstrom.com)


Recipients: Top 200 clients

Anecdote: I have one client who told me he didn’t care about the return on his accounts but if I ever stopped sending the toffee for Christmas, he would move his account!
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Charitable Donations

Advisor: Drew Bilotta


Firm: PAX Partners of Raymond James


City: Wayne, PA




Gift: PAX Partners makes a charitable donation to clients’ chosen charity every month, the amount being based on visits to the firm website. But just recently, in celebration of the holidays and the firm’s 5th Anniversary with Raymond James, PAX Partners invited all its clients to attend an anniversary party, and for every person who attended, the firm donated $20 in his/her name to one of two charities that benefit Spinal Cord Injury research. The charities were Adam Taliaferro Foundation (benefiting Magee Rehab) and the Buoniconti Fund (benefiting The Miami Project).




Donation: The firm sent $2,000 to each charity for a total of $4,000.
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Support Client Causes

James and Kara Larew from the Wedbush Financial Advisor team provide a unique client giving example this holiday season. The duo is committed to supporting its clients’ causes, donating money to organizations on their behalf including Johns Hopkins, the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Center Theater Group. In addition to supporting causes near and dear to their clients, they also support causes they feel are important including the Children’s Burn Foundation and the ACCESS Schools. James and Kara are based out of Wedbush’s Los Angeles headquarters.
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Baked Goods

One Raymond James advisor stops by the local bakery to pick up some much saught-after pies, the firm said, but one advisor has topped that baking his own pies for some lucky clients.
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Gift Baskets

Another suggestion from Raymond James is the Harry & David gift boxes, a traditional but thoughtful favorite.
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