Practice and Client Management News

Financial Planning's Practice and Client Management coverage includes essential advisor-level strategy and operational insight for firms and solo practitioners. Read how elite advisors build retention-driven practices, manage high net worth relationships and operationalize growth frameworks that go beyond rudimentary 101 topics. Learn the latest financial planning news from expert reporting and analysis that matters to industry leaders.

Social media

Attack of the Twitter trolls? Many advisors slammed by social media blowback

Harassment, belittling, defamation and crass comments plague advisors in the online public eye.

By Daniel Kuhn

March 19
M&A

HD Vest’s parent to buy 1st Global in $180M bid for tax-focused dominance

Should advisor retention go as planned, Blucora's agreement to purchase the firm would boost its IBD headcount to 4,500 reps.

By Tobias Salinger
Chief Correspondent

March 19
Earnings

Ladenburg IBDs add roughly 100 advisors amid surging product sales

Commissions and cash-sweep revenue jumped by more than a combined $100 million in 2018 — even as the parent firm’s longtime chairman left the company.

By Tobias Salinger
Chief Correspondent

March 15
SEC regulations

Better to have no rule at all, Reg BI critics say

Investor advocates blast the SEC's proposal, telling lawmakers it would do more harm than good.

By Kenneth Corbin
Contributing Writer

March 14
Wealth Think The secret to building a fair compensation plan

A seller’s market means firms will need to adjust pay-raise budgets for 2019. They may also need to increase salary offers to attract the best workers.

March 14

Kelli Cruz

Cruz Consulting Group
ETFs

Dividend ETF champs of the bull market

Eleven of the 14 dividend-focused ETFs in existence 10 years ago beat a plain vanilla index fund.

By Joseph Lisanti
Contributing Writer

March 14
Client relations

Slideshow Edward Jones unseats Charles Schwab; Stifel, LPL tumble as volatility hurts client satisfaction

Fourth-quarter volatility wrought negative year-over-year results for two-thirds of firms in J.D. Power’s annual survey.

By Tobias Salinger
Chief Correspondent

March 14

Resources

The latest Financial Planning research and discussion:

Web Seminar A holistic approach to delivering advisor alpha

Markets will move. Strategies will evolve. But the real differentiator? How you show up for your clients.

Partner Insights from eMoney Advisor
Advisor strategies
On-Demand Web Seminar Quarterly Outlook Briefing
Web Seminar The art of asking questions

Asking the right questions is at the heart of every meaningful financial conversation—but how do you know what to ask and when?

Partner Insights from eMoney Advisor

Practice & Client Management: Key Questions & Analysis

How should financial advisors rethink client management as they grow their practices?

As advisory firms grow, client management often shifts from ad-hoc relationship handling to processes focused on segmentation, service models and long-term retention. Coverage in this area reflects how advisors are operationalizing client experience as a core business discipline.

What operational challenges are most important in advisor-client relationships?

Advisors face increasing pressure from capacity constraints, rising client expectations and the need to balance personalization with scale. Practice and client management reporting highlights where firms are finding success to maintain service quality while expanding.

How are advisors adapting communication strategies to changing client expectations?

Client communication strategies are evolving as advisors respond to demographic shifts, digital expectations and heightened demand for transparency. Read how firms are adjusting cadence, channels and messaging.

How does client management impact long-term practice value?

Effective client management is often viewed as a driver of enterprise value. Client management is a key area of focus for retention, referrals and succession outcomes. Learn how client experience strategy directly to firm durability and valuation.