Practice

Affluent investors in three of Europe’s most prosperous nations have decidedly different levels of sophistication when it comes to investment knowledge and how they interact with their online trading and advisory firms. Knowing and appreciating these differences, according to a new Dow Jones survey, can make all the difference for American firms and advisors looking to expand their international client base.

401(k) auto enrollment has been all the buzz in retirement planning, and now it seems even more effective than expected.

Landing entrepreneurs and small business owners as clients can be a great way to boost your assets under management, but advisors need to understand their unique needs and challenges in order to provide the best possible service. Here’s what advisors need to know to attract and retain these complex clients.

Turning to an outside coach can help even the most successful and established multi-million dollar financial advisors and their practices run more smoothly.

Financial advisors looking to work with 20-something clients need to take a unique service approach with a group that financial services firm OrganizAmerica President Joanne Woiteshek says has traditionally been treated as the “trophy generation.”

Genworth Financial Wealth Management has added 20-year industry veteran Rico Casares to its practice management consulting team.

Advisors clearly need to change how their practices are staffed up in order to meet the challenge of running clean, client-focused businesses.

If personal financial planning is complex, then advising entrepreneurial clients is orders of magnitude more so. Planner Karl Frank in Englewood, Colo., who specializes in clients who are small business owners, relies on a guiding principle for himself and for this class of clients.

USAA Investments is adding six target-risk mutual funds to its portfolio.

Securities America is previewing changes to its advisor dashboard, and SA Mobile, a new mobile phone application that allows advisors to operate CRM programs and apprise clients of certain aspects of their accounts, the firm announced.