Financial planning

Many financial advisors hesitate to use social media because they are concerned about compliance. This is certainly understandable, but current rules allow plenty of flexibility to use social media effectively.

How are you going to improve your book of business? Check out these essential tips to improve your practice.

Who are the top producers in the bank advisory channel? The editors of Bank Investment Consultant have broken down and ranked the industry's top advisors by production. How does your bank rank?

Here’s a sampling of bank reps who were recently promoted or moved to new organizations to assume roles of greater responsibility.

The most successful advisors intentionally create a brand that is distinct, stands for something, and creates an emotional connection with clients.

These are the biggest money blunders clients make. By getting ahead of the problem, advisers can make themselves more valuable.

The organization announced Tuesday that Linda Leitz, a fee-only planner based in Colorado Springs, Col., is set to become its chairwoman in September, and will serve as chair-elect until that time.

The list has been narrowed down. On Wall Street and New York Life/Mainstay Investments have named the top 100 branch managers for their steadfast leadership, commitment to their advisors, and their ability to recruit and retain talent no matter the circumstances. Click through for a breakdown firm-by-firm of those at the top.

Here we present a new look at our Top 50 Bank Advisors list, reshuffled and ranked by percentage increase in assets under management (and then we cut it down to just the top 20).

What are the biggest technology trends, innovations and ideas impacting advisors today? Over 600 people, including more than 300 advisors, descended on Miami for the eighth annual Technology Tools for Today Conference. The event featured the industry’s best and brightest highlighting all the latest technology tools that will held advisors be more competitive, effective and efficient. Here are some of the most interesting things our editors heard, and advisors and financial experts tweeted, from the event.

In January Financial Planning featured tips from industry experts on how to improve your practice. Now, advisors sound off with their own tips for colleagues and competitors.

How can you build a better advisory practice? Check out some tips from the experts.

Merrill Lynch financial advisor Kevin Scott, number 8 on the Top 40 Under 40 list, took his cues to become an advisor from his father. Now, they work together as a team.

As an increasing number of fee-based advisors leave wirehouses to go independent, some custodians are experiencing some of the strongest growth in the financial industry. Here are the top 15 custodians as ranked by RIA assets.

Many investors are carrying the scars of the past five years into 2013. Some may lose money sitting in cash or fixed income while failing to recognize some long-term opportunities. Others may be too keen on trying to time the market to avoid potential downside. To clear up some misconceptions, Wells Fargo explains some of the less focused-on market trends that investors and advisors should keep in mind and also offers some timely reminders that are relevant no matter what direction the market turns.

How can advisors be more productive and take more time off? According to Jimmy Williams of Regier, Carr & Monroe in McAlester, OK and Randy Thurman of Investment Advisors Inc., by focusing on a dozen simple steps, the big picture becomes simpler.

Demographic shifts, technology implementation and investing challenges were in the spotlight this week in San Diego, where about 3,000 advisors and other industry professionals came together for TD Ameritrade Institutional’s annual conference. Between the presentations, meetings and hallway conversations, Financial Planning heard lots of smart takeaways for advisors.

Take the money and run? It is a question advisors face as retirees get offered lump-sum bonanzas.

Lack of knowledge is the top reason for not using alternative investments followed by lack of track record, according to Cambridge, Mass.-based consulting firm Cogent Research. As popular of an investing tool as they have become, there are different theories about what role alternatives play in a portfolio as well as what actually constitutes an “alternative,” so it’s easy to understand why there could by some misunderstandings.

Here we present a new look at our Top 50 Bank Advisors list, reshuffled and ranked by percentage increase in annual production (and then we cut it down to just the top 20).