Donald Jay Korn

All financial advisory referrals come from just 28% of your clients, according to a survey. But what type of clients are sending you new business?

Low-volatility stocks are in demand, as evidenced by the popularity of low-volatility ETFs and the ongoing expansion of available choices.

One RIA has found an attractive niche: Americans working in the Middle East. The foreign focus has helped him accumulate $470 million in assets, but it is not without its hurdles.

“Investors can find their account balances anywhere,” said Kevin Crowe, head of solutions for SEI Advisor Network. “We found they want their advisors’ technology to help identify clients’ goals, create plans, and show what progress is being made towards meeting those goals.”

Clients who hold valuable land may receive generous tax breaks in return for a conservation easement, but the IRS has made an effort to keep the tax breaks from becoming too generous.

The good news: ultra-wealthy individuals tend to put their trust in wealth managers. The bad news: most, still cautious after the Financial Crisis, tend to prefer using multiple advisors.

Advisors expect revenue growth this year, according to an SEI poll, and 53% expect increases of more than 15%. However, only 15% said they have a growth plan that they follow and monitor.

A challenging landscape is ahead for money managers as margins continue to shrink, but firms that can innovate will have substantial success.

The financial advisory industry could reach $850 billion in investable assets annually for the next decade, according to Pershing, but to be part of that growth, advisors need to follow four critical guidelines.

Increased automation will provide advisors with more time to spend on client relationships, planning, and prospecting.

As mobile applications proliferate, do financial advisors really use them?

Total HSA accounts rose by 22% last year, to more than 8.2 million, while assets picked up by 27%, to $15.5 billion.

As we head into the 2013 tax season, advisors should tell clients to be sure they won’t be hit with a Durden-style disallowance

Fidelity will team up with Extend Health, a Towers Watson company, to help retiring corporate employees choose Medicare coverage.

Data from Research Affiliates shows low volatility portfolios have produced higher returns than traditional large-cap portfolios over the past 5, 10, and 20 years.

Merrill Lynch advisor Eric Snyder, who lands at number 11 on the Top 40 list, says he practices with a team that can candle all of clients’ rigorous needs.

Can target date mutual funds continue their rapid ascent? Folio hopes so.

Institutional investors will broaden their ETF applications in 2013, predicted BlackRock’s iShares group.

Merrill Lynch financial advisor Charles Balducci says that partnering with Eric Snyder, who ties with him to take the number 12 and 11 slots on the Top 40 Under 40 list, is a critical part of his success.

UBS financial advisor Gregory Klenke, number 13 on the Top 40 Under 40 list, says that working with corporate executives’ stock compensation requires careful planning and managing emotions.