Professional development

From the Bible to best-selling books, the NBA player turned business owner credited his success in part to his voracious reading habit.

The positive association between the largest certification in the planning profession and key client outcomes is adding to a growing field of research on the value of advice.

Wealthy parents fear their kids will squander their inheritances. Financial planner Mary Clements Evans solved for that while cementing her firm's future.

Nick Francia of UBS, Matthew Gallo of Merrill and Ryan Bass of Raymond James all once felt their youth to be a perceived liability. Now, in an industry with an imminent retirement wave, they see it as an asset.

The industry often struggles to help prospective professionals find their place, a challenge experts say is a crucial competitive priority for the future.

Nearly two-thirds of advisors surveyed this month said that internal training programs or workshops were offered by their firms.

Financial advisor Drew Boyer turned an accidental acceptance from a fire chief into a successful niche serving firefighters and police officers.

The language that financial advisors use in their first interactions with prospective customers could make or break the relationship, according to an expert.

In the coming weeks, the CFP Board will launch a working group to reconsider whether a bachelor's degree should remain a requirement for CFP certification.

As valuations continue to rise across the industry, more firms are using compensation to invest in their top talent and future growth, Succession Resource Group says.

Advisors can maintain professional certifications while keeping up to date on important issues in tax planning, compliance and more.

Looking for a new challenge, Mark Seither found the complexities of pilot compensation and tax planning to be a niche that energizes him.

An internal successor, a seller and an acquirer dish out the most common mistakes they say advisory firms must avoid to address the challenge.

K. Dane Snowden initially joined the CFP Board as chief operating officer in 2023 and replaces outgoing CEO Kevin Keller.

Many owners of privately held businesses are planning to sell at least part of their interests in the firm in the next five to 10 years, a Raymond James study found.

The FPAi Authority offers demos, guidance and insights to help planners adopt AI effectively in their practices.

A tiered service model should make clients feel valued while helping the firm scale.

Logic (and compelling Cerulli Associates data) explain why advisor teams are gaining momentum. But teaming is not the only option for growth.

For advisors who are also voracious readers, it's no surprise the books that most inspired them in their practices this year often focused on ways to improve client relationships and communication.

These are the stories and issues that readers gravitated to in the last year.