What happens to the returns of your clients’ portfolios when more and more companies go public later and later? Will returns be privatized and kept in the hands of the few? Staying Private As the Wall Street Journal noted Amazon went public at a market cap of...
It’s difficult to pick up an industry publication, attend a conference or speak to a fellow advisor without discussing the threat of robo-advisors. There is no doubt they will change our industry forever but what is the solution for the financial advisor? Over the last week...
10-year treasuries are at 2%. High-yield bonds dance around historical lows and you are probably wondering if there will be anything left after inflation. Welcome to today’s bond environment where safety of principal is being exchanged for the most minimal of returns. When speaking to advisors,...
When you read all the literature designed to help you advance your practice do you ever feel that it’s junk? I do! Not because it isn’t useful but because it focuses on areas of your business that don’t really matter. It fails the 80/20 test of...
Successfully on-boarding new clients is a common concern of financial advisors. As you know, those first few experiences a client has with your practice will color the relationship you have for years to come. Failure to understand your client, set expectations and begin on a...
Late last year I wrote a popular list of 58 technology tools for financial advisors. It was shared over a hundred times on various social networks becoming our most visited post last year. However, a great tool is merely the beginning. How do you use these...
In Harold Evensky’s “The New Wealth Management” risk is described as a “four-letter word” and that echoes many of the discussions I have had with advisors. Again and again I ask myself how do we get a better grip on what Evensky calls “a client’s most...
So what’s going to happen in 2015? Over the year I’ve seen three clear trends from discussions with 351 financial advisors. I have two books full of notes as you can see in the image and I am going to share what I am seeing....
A never-ending challenge for the financial advisory industry is quantifying the value it produces for its clients. We know advisors help people set goals, choose investments and sleep well at night but what about the dollars and cents impact? As clients get smarter they’ll be...
Understanding risk tolerance should not be a guessing game especially when dozens of academic studies can point us in the right direction. Below is a list of important academic studies in the field of risk tolerance. Financial risk tolerance revisited: the development of a risk assessment...
