Commercial banking

Word-of-mouth endorsements still pack a punch, but after prospects identify a trusted referral, they then verify online — here's how to be prepared.

Meghan Loomis is a principal with Baker Tilly's digital solutions practice. She has spent her career helping clients drive back-office transformations using technology as an enabler of change. During her time with Baker Tilly, she has championed and led the research, development and growth of several key technology alliances. She drives transparent communication in building new relationships and works to ensure mutual benefit and success.

Courtney Csik is a director with Baker Tilly's digital solutions practice. With more than twelve years of experience, Courtney has worked with organizations, big and small, across industries in the commercial and public sectors to define their Cloud strategies, implement modern technologies and achieve digital transformation.

Lawrence Sprung, CFP, is the founder and wealth advisor of Hauppauge, New York-based Mitlin Financial.

He has more than a quarter-century of experience in the wealth management field.

Roughly 200 advisors at the firm are being named "founder specialists" for their track record helping entrepreneurs do everything from set up employee-benefit plans to take their firms public.

A new TIAA Institute survey found that a vast majority of 401(k) plan participants are interested in accessing fixed annuities through their retirement accounts. Plan providers are listening.

The industry is awaiting SEC approval for dozens of applications, even as Vanguard's shareholder case highlights some of the tax complexity of the looming shift.

Many advisors face challenges building trust with Asian-American clients. Here are key strategies to establish those relationships.

As a subscriber to Financial-Planning.com, you can earn up to 12 hours of CE credit from the CFP Board and the Investments & Wealth Institute.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say Social Security benefits should be equal for everyone, regardless of marital status, according to a new survey. Financial advisors are skeptical.

Brett Erickson is managing principal of Obsidian Risk Advisors. He also serves on the advisory board of Loyola University Chicago's Center for Compliance Studies.

Financial advisors and other female wealth management professionals say eliminating the self-doubt represents an important first step.

Jeff Moore is a seasoned professional with an impressive career spanning over three decades at ATI Restoration. Throughout his tenure, Jeff's strategic vision and industry knowledge have been instrumental in driving growth and expansion for the company. His leadership has transformed ATI from a regional restoration firm with revenue of $20M into America's largest family-operated restoration company, boasting over 70+ offices nationwide and revenue exceeding $900M.

As president and chief acquisitions officer, Jeff leads the executive team, spearheads acquisitions, and is the driving force behind ATI's ongoing growth. Over the past four years, Jeff and his dedicated mergers and acquisitions team have successfully negotiated, finalized, and integrated 18 strategic acquisitions, tripling EBITDA, doubling revenue, and multiplying the number of locations threefold. In addition to his work at ATI, Jeff advocates for the restoration industry and proudly holds the position of President for the Restoration Industry Association (RIA).

Also this week, Raymond James pulls from Ameriprise, UBS from Morgan Stanley and LPL from RBC.

Traditional methods of driving traffic to a firm's websites aren't enough in the new "zero-click" search results world.

Brenna Johnson, SVP, product management at EZLynx, is a driving force behind several of the company's newest products. Johnson is passionate about leveraging technology to solve problems for independent insurance agents. As vice president of product management, she is actively involved in all phases of the development life cycle, and hopes to help transform the insurance industry by leveraging technology to improve agency profitability, productivity and serviceability.

Wenyu Chen is a CPA and valuation specialist with expertise in complex securities and financial instrument valuations. He is also a master's candidate in computer science at Georgia Tech.

Trevor Jones is a partner of the insurance practice for West Monroe, a global business and technology consulting firm. He is a strategic partner to P&C carrier and brokerage C-suites, fusing board-level vision with hands-on execution across underwriting, distribution, and claims.

Without legislative action, Social Security and Medicare trust funds are heading toward depletion within the next decade, triggering automatic benefit cuts that could severely impact retirees and the disabled.

Rostyslav Vovk has been the CEO of Kormotech for the last 11 years, helping to establish it as one of the top 50 global manufacturers of pet food. He is also the founder of Kormotech Ventures, an investment fund for supporting pet-care startups in Europe and the U.S.