Wealth Think

How could a financial advisor help a new client who wants to retire, but hasn’t saved much, doesn’t know how much to set aside and worries about running out of money in old age?

Topics at this Women Advisors Forum event included behavioral finance, tools for working with widows and divorcees, the need for succession planning, strategies for philanthropic giving, ways to get more women into the planning industry and more.

The best bank managers and best wirehouse managers have a lot in common. While each has the distinct flavor of their respective channels, they are very similar in spirit.

Physicians, lawyers and accountants all have a comprehensive, detailed set of rules or best practices that govern their actions in providing services to their clients. Unfortunately, Steve Atkinson writes, not all financial advisors have a consistent, universal code.

If you’re like most advisors, plan growth is one of your highest priorities. However, for many, growing a business is an elusive dream or a worst nightmare. The typical advisor spends very little time on outreach, relying instead on referrals or direct-to-plan-sponsor marketing. Ken Haman writes that this “brute force” marketing worked in the past, but plan sponsors have become increasingly unresponsive to it.

Bring value on the very first contact. Bill Cates says it is a a simple concept that advisors often muddle. He offers three simple ideas to help provide value immediately to your new referral prospects.

Your clients need you. They really need you! A new report released by FINRA’s Investor Education Foundation shows why, and perhaps casts light on why financial planning has been ranked as one of the best careers.

Value is often difficult to quantify. When it comes to your jobs, how do you measure your value and overall impact?

Residential and commercial real estate are finally enjoying a solid recovery. Housing prices are rebounding nationwide, and residential construction was a leading contributor to overall U.S. growth last year. The market for multi-family apartment buildings is on fire, and money is also pouring into office buildings and retail space. But national numbers only tell part of the story.

It took four years of dreaming, and nine months of late nights and hard planning, but now it’s real. Dave Grant is running his own RIA and he's taking us along for the journey.