Wealth Think

In an exclusive interview, Skip Schweiss, managing director of advisor advocacy at TD Ameritrade Institutional, spoke about the tensions, dangers and future outlook of the fiduciary standard being debated in Washington -- and how the decision might drastically alter the advisory landscape.

A Connecticut advisory firm has developed a new approach to help financial planners solve client problems more quickly and efficiently. The activity is aimed at strengthening internal communications across service units, exchanging institutional knowledge, supporting business strategy and day-to-day management initiatives, and developing personnel skills.

Why do some wealth management firms experience explosive growth while others plod along at a more leisurely pace? To answer this question, Fidelity recently invited senior executives from nine firms that manage $1 billion or more to join us for a full-day discussion of what’s driving growth.

With the passing of Dodd-Frank, the SEC is paving the the way to adopt a uniform fiduciary standard for broker/dealers and investment advisors. Barry Glassman of Glassman Wealth says that there's no feasible way for brokers to uphold the same fiduciary standard to which RIA are held. He writes, "for them to come under the fiduciary standard as it currently exists, their businesses would have to split up into so many micro pieces that it would be disastrous for them." But the alternative, as it is being proposed, is for the very meaning of the fiduciary standard to change.

Happiness is a choice, according to Shawn Achor, author of "The Happiness Advantage", and for advisors, it may be a key to increased productivity and client satisfaction.

Today we say that to be a canary in a coal mine is to be a warning to others. I couldn’t imagine a more fitting analogy then to say Japan is the canary for the U.S. And, fellow coalminers, Japan has stopped chirping.

It can be difficult for new hires to excel in the planning industry. As a consultant to advisors, Top Advisor Coaching founder Matthew Halloran offers his take on what's happening with new recruits and what advisors need to consider.

When you launch your own RIA everything matters. Even the color pink.

Globally, women are more economically powerful than ever before. Kathleen Kingsbury write that, despite this financial influence, many women still struggle to express their personal power in the workplace.

To generate more high-level referrals, Bill Cates suggests advisors try hosting a simple, targeted educational seminar populated by clients and their friends.