Practice management

When it comes to ultra-high-net-worth investor, more money means they want to remain more hands on.

Every once in a while, advisors are presented with special opportunities to build trust and win client loyalty. It’s when clients are feeling excessive fear, uncertainty, or doubt, that it is your responsibility to reassure them, educate them, and guide them. With so many factors impacting your clients right now, what do they need from you?

You aren’t the only one who is swamped during the day. There are bound to be people you can’t reach.

More than eight in 10 American millionaires believe that each generation should be responsible for creating its own wealth, up from 65% who said the same thing in 2007 when the survey was last conducted.

As the wealth management industry continues to evolve, financial advisors have a broader range of choices than ever before in determining the structure and growth trajectory of their own practices. Competition for successful advisors with strong books of business among the wirehouses remains fierce, while opportunities for ownership in that world remain elusive.

Fresh from year-end tax planning meetings with clients, it is time to identify four areas where great tax planning and great financial planning collide, specifically for people accumulating wealth.

As advisors wait to see whether they'll be regulated by the SEC or FINRA, the SEC announced that its enforcement director, Robert Khuzami, will leave the agency.

A new mobile application from Peak Advisor Alliance aims to revolutionize the client-advisor relationship.

What trends stand to reshape retirement planning in the new year?

In the sharply contested fight over how to avoid the automatic tax increases and spending cuts that became known as the fiscal cliff, President Obama emerged as the "clear political winner," according to a new study by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

JPMorgan Chase named Tim Ryan its Global Head of Regulatory Strategy and Policy. SIFMA names Kenneth Bentsen its acting chief, starting Feb. 23, and will search for a permanent successor.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority assessed financial firms and individuals $68 million in fines in 2012 and ordered them to pay a record $34 million in restitution to investors, the regulator announced Tuesday.

The U.S. Supreme Court signaled it may tighten the time limits that apply when the Securities and Exchange Commission and other government agencies seek to impose fines on people and companies accused of fraud.

Most advisors say referrals are the key to growth. So why do so many fail to dedicate the time and resources necessary to generate them?

Think about how much you appreciate a handwritten thank-you note. Now turn that courtesy into a regular business practice.

We got lucky in 2012. The financial markets held up. The economy, while slow, didn’t tank. Inflation remained benign. And the world held together. Blogger Steve Sanduski asks, will we say the same about 2013 a year from now?

How important is naming, branding, promoting and marketing? For some independent advisors who came to independence from larger employee advisor models, you may not have thought as much about your brand in the past. As an independent firm in a growing and increasingly competitive landscape, it’s important to recognize that you are building a brand as much as a business.

The agency has asked firms to comment on a proposed rule and some potentially divisive modifications.

For RIAs who want to ensure clients that their firm will endure to serve their children and grandchildren, a robust internal succession plan is critical. One way to do that is to eliminate outside ownership conflicts, argues the founder and CEO of one leading RIA firm.

Yesterday, you carved out time on your calendar to network. Now, it’s time to pick up the phone and start dialing.