Wealth Think

By following six simple steps, advisors can improve their writing and marketing communications.

How can advisors take advantage of opportunities created by limitations on fees and transactions? Program managers at BISA’s bank broker-dealer breakout session presented some interesting answers. “Banks are struggling with where to get more revenues because of fee reductions,” said Rob Comfort, head of Huntington Investments. “This gives us an opportunity to play a prominent role.” …

I see a lot of advisors who get very little interaction with the sponsors, and there is little in the design of today's exhibit halls that encourages that interaction--and THAT was my point.

Nearly every day, I get a notice touting the launch of some new ETF. And at this point, most of them represent some fringe aspect of the investment world. Small-cap stocks from one certain country in the Middle East, say, or a fund from Africa that deals with water infrastructure. Sometimes, they are sliced so thinly that there are just a handful of companies in the underlying index. Useful perhaps, but probably only for a…

Advisors hate it when ancillary tasks eat up too much of their time, because it robs them of the most enjoyable part of doing their jobs—working directly with clients!

Many financial advisors think about leaving the ‘safety’ of the Mothership - you know, the large firm that takes 60% or so of every nickel earned - but then when push comes to shove, can it be done? Resoundingly the answer is “yes”.

One of the biggest wastes of time and talent that I see in the financial services industry is something you probably take for granted: the conference exhibit hall.

Every few years we begin to see headlines proclaiming the latest “New Retirement.” I have to admit there have been so many versions over the past 20 years that I sometimes get confused as whether they’re talking about the “new retirement,” the “new, new retirement,” or the “newest, new retirement.”

The financial advisor’s equivalent of the real estate agent’s “location, location, location” mantra is “communication, communication, communication.” Given the events in the Middle East, you have a perfect opportunity to communicate with your clients, deepen your relationship with them and position yourself as a thought leader with the investing public through a timely, well-written update letter.

According to DWS Investments, rising inflation is not a question of "if" it's a matter of "when."