Wealth Think

Consumerism has, for the most part, taught us that satisfaction is the standard. But Ron Carson writes that, in the financial advisory business, satisfaction is unacceptable. Satisfied clients are not loyal clients and loyal clients are the only good clients.

As many planners have discovered, unsettled markets mean many nervous phone calls and emails from clients. Investors want to know why their investments may be down and when the turmoil will stop. And advisors have nothing in their toolboxes to relieve that anxiety. Except, maybe there's a simple tool right at their fingertips.

Mitt Romney “has the momentum and nothing last night happened to change that,” said Charles Black, a Romney campaign advisor at the SIFMA annual meeting in New York.

Wall Street may still be in love with complex financial instruments, but more and more investors are choosing a simpler, more prudent way to invest, and Steve Atkinson explain that that is why the assets under management with independent wealth advisors continues to grow.

Though advisors are increasingly on social platforms, bringing financial goal setting to the social media sphere probably won’t change the way clients interact with their advisors. Will it instead help those who aren’t working with advisors start thinking about their finances?

Social media is rapidly changing the way financial advisors approach their marketing efforts, but staying current with compliance regulations can be a challenge.

Have you thought about what you can do in your practice to improve how you operate your business, making sure that this year is a better year than last year? Do you think your practice needs improved focus in order to be more profitable? Chris Kirby has some suggestions that could streamline your business to a “leaner and meaner” more profitable machine.

There are thousands of hedge funds competing in the marketplace. They come in all shapes and sizes, but all too often they approach investors with the same thesis.

A recent paper by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College suggests that in terms of actually being able to maintain one’s lifestyle in retirement, compared to other factors, the focus on asset allocation is largely misplaced.

While affluent women present a unique challenge to you as the advisor, they also represent a big opportunity as well.