Practice and client management

One-third of financial advisors say balancing personalization with growth is the hardest trade-off for them to manage. Doing so successfully means making hard choices about what's most important for clients and the business.

Financial therapist Rahkim Sabree wove his personal experiences into a detailed manual on a problem he and others say is often glossed over by the industry.

Less than a third of firms have a formal, documented plan in place, according to this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook survey. Experts say this is a dangerous state of affairs.

The higher standard deduction since 2017 has dramatically reduced itemization. But the new law provides incentive for teachers to consider whether that's feasible.

Political instability and other pressures are feeding some clients' portfolio fears, advisors say in this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook.

Scary good voice cloning technology means advisors can no longer believe what — or more accurately, who — they're hearing on the phone. Rigorous verification protocols are the new key to gaining client trust.

Minority transactions are increasingly appealing to sellers who are wary of giving up the full control of their firms. But experts say the deals do come with strings.

Americans tend to be overly pessimistic about their own life expectancy — a fact with major implications for retirement planning. But new research shows that certain interventions can help.

Getting it right can help prospects find your firm's website, according to FMG Suite's Samantha Russell at ADVISE AI.

Time savings is generally understood to be among the main advantages of AI note-takers. But advisors who have incorporated them into their practices said the benefits go much deeper.

The Ensemble Practice's annual RIA compensation survey suggests that firms are paying a pretty penny for financial advisors but reaping healthy profits.

Merrill wealth co-head Eric Schimpf says the firm does about as good a job as its rivals in drawing in net new assets. But given Merrill's relationship with Bank of America, "We can do better."

Firms of all sizes have had to think through the compliance concerns and rank AI tasks in order of difficulty, ADVISE AI panelists said.

Deal structure, transition plans and dog and pony shows represent only a few of the thorny difficulties involved with branching into an acquisition strategy, experts say.

Big aggregators could feel the heat if private equity continues to fund $500M to $1B-AUM firms.

Panelists at the ADVISE AI conference said document processing has never been more efficient with the help of AI tools. But that doesn't mean there aren't challenges along the way.

Scott Posner, who's in charge of advisor and institutional recruitment as LPL's business development head, on why LPL leads in advisor "capture" at a time when fewer teams are switching firms.

Middle-class Americans say paying off debt is their top financial priority. Financial advisors say a fixation on paying down debt can hurt in the long run.

A Financial Planning survey of 250 advisors reveals the top AI features they're still waiting for — from workflow automation to compliance support.

AI is being used not only to locate prospects, but also to help advisors show their value on the way to signing a new client.