Practice

A year ago, when opposition from the asset-management industry killed her plan to make money-market mutual funds safer, sec Chairman Mary Schapiro looked to Timothy Geithner, then the Treasury Secretary, to tackle “one of the pieces of unfinished business from the financial crisis.” It remains unfinished.

Building a successful fund requires a distinguishable brand, an effective marketing strategy, and a commitment to distribution support.

Is your marketing material as effective as it could be? Here are some basic guidelines to help improve your message and practice brochure.

Given the prospect of a 30-year retirement and 3% inflation, even affluent clients may need to continue working past age 65.

Blogging requires a commitment, but if approached the correct way, it should not be a burden. Here are a few tips that are currently helping solo advisor Dave Grant.

Sometimes it pays to build walls in the wealth management industry—as long as they keep competitors out and clients in.

A preview of the company’s new cloud-based CRM tool suggests a solid beginning.

Now that profits are at record highs, financial advisors' next priority should be better people management, according to the 2013 FA Insight Study of Advisory Firms: People and Pay. Cost control, solid productivity and soaring client profitability helped the typical advisory firm reach a profit margin in excess of 20% in 2012, the highest margin in the survey's five-year history.

In working on retirement plans with your clients, the most vital strategies can be playing defense and protecting them from their own temptations.

If you have clients who are struggling with the regular investment goals you’ve designed for them, and just can’t seem to understand where the problem might lie, it could be time to ask this question.