Practice

“If the phone rings and you cringe, it’s time for that client to go. Life is too short, we’re too good at what we do,” Rigas told audience members at the Women Advisors Forum conference in Dallas on Tuesday. “There is a rookie out there, there is somebody else that will be really, really happy to serve that client.”

More and more planners need to start taking advantage of this powerful medium, says social media expert Amy McIlwain, but how?

Advisors seeking to help older Americans prepare for retirement should remember to keep one tip in mind: avoid using the word “retirement.”

“I feel like a therapist sometimes,” says Patricia Barrett, one of the five speakers on the Remember the Alimony panel of divorce experts at the Women Advisors Forum in Dallas. “I took mediation training at the University of Houston School of Law. They really emphasized listening, looping back and repeating back to people."

Talk coffee, not college savings plans. That avoids potential compliance issues. Besides, visitors to social media sites are coming to learn about who you are, not what you sell.

After Ann Hughes took over a struggling annuities wirehouse division, she learned six lessons about loyalty and success that every financial advisor can apply to their practice.

Advisors should encourage their clients to take advantage of current gifting opportunities, now that individuals can give others cash gifts up to $13,000 tax-free.

Majority of workers surveyed plan to put off retirement until after 65, and then find retirement work.

Successful advisors have more efficient practices, they keep up to speed on products and trends, are better positioned to withstand uncertain markets, and they are better prepared to handle specific economic challenges like low interest rates, according to Cara Farchione, manager of retirement solutions for Raymond James.

Pending legislative decisions around the fiduciary requirement for all advisors is not a threatening issue, Raymond James Financial Services Chairman Dick Averitt told a packed general session at its National Conference for Professional Development on Monday.