According to Investopedia, an alternative asset is any non-traditional asset with potential economic value that would not be found in a standard investment portfolio. This column uses alternative inve …
The easiest way to start a conversation with a stranger, after the standard exchange of names, is to ask a question — preferably something less bland than, “How are you doing?” or, “What do you do?”. …
Every Advisor should re-do the math for their personal financial plan. Add another 10, 20, or even 30 years to the forecast to have enough money to maintain your lifestyle forever. How much do yo …
According to Investopedia, impact investing is investing that aims to generate specific beneficial social or environmental effects in addition to financial gain. The purpose of this column is to look …
Click the below above to view a great Nick Saban video that can help you with possibly viewing mindset from a different perspective so you can have the highest probability of imple …
There are critical conversations necessary to engage people in ways that predictably turn leads into prospects, prospects into clients, clients into people who take action on your advice, happily pay …
The experts on achieving goals say the first, and a very important step, to achieve a goal is deciding to. My hope is that this article points out some opportunities for you to make more money and ser …
The title of this article describes how most established Financial Advisors exist in their financial services business: too many clients, working too many hours, for too little money. It’s a shame bec …
We all want more success and the fear of failure can often be the driving force of our actions. We work long hours, sacrifice personal time, and even sleep. We put our heart and soul into …
How often have you heard the advice that in order to be successful you have to be different? You have to stand out from the crowd, right? Gail Graham, the highly respected industry marketing expert fr …
Hint: It’s not about pushing products and sales. Financial advisors sometimes joke about their clients’ unrealistic expectations. They smirk about Mr. Smith, who’s looking for a no-risk, high return, …
Wouldn’t it be great if your clients told you exactly how much they trust you? What would you do with that information? How would it help you help your clients? Would they be more likely to follow you …
As you know, without trust nothing else matters. I’m sure you know what it’s like when a client trusts you. Have you had the experience of working overtime to earn someone’s trust and enjoyed the bene …
What’s more vital to your success and happiness as a Financial Advisor, your technical skills or your people skills? Tough question? Not really. It’s your people skills. Hands down. No contest. How do …
I am passionate about our great business. How about you? Regardless of markets, economics, politics, regulations, or world events you are in a profession where you control your destiny. People always …
Could your communication skills save your life? According to my colleague in the Speakers Roundtable, Capt. Charlie Plumb, the answer is YES! He survived nearly 6 years in a Vietnamese prisoner …
New competition in the form of digital or “robo-advisors” has many industry leaders and advisors concerned. For the most part, machines are currently just digital money managers or TAMPs. As th …
Simply put, the service culture is oriented to giving people what they want and the Accountability Culture™ is about holding people accountable to do what needs to be done so they achieve their goals …
The experts on achieving goals say the first, and a very important step, to achieve a goal is deciding to. My hope is that this article points out some opportunities for you to make more money and ser …
There are 2 relationship bridges to cross with most of your clients that you may not even realize exist. On this side of the first bridge you have clients who like and trust you enough to do some of t …
Long distance cycling has delivered many lessons that have contributed to me helping FAs run better businesses and live better lives. An obvious fact about riding a bike is that it’s easier to ride wi …
One of your goals as a successful Financial Advisor is to have a positive influence on your clients. You want to influence them to make smart choices about their money so they can achieve their goals …
I love the modern world. I love the computer, transportation, TiVo, and my iPhone. Perhaps one of the reasons technology is so quickly embraced by us human beings is because we struggle to delay grati …
The single most important thing that will impact you and your clients’ futures is The Singularity. What is The Singularity? According to Wikipedia: “The technological singularity is the hypo …
Trust is not the objective in an advisor-client relationship. Rather, trust is a byproduct of the other things you do, such as your behavior, your communication, and the quality of your work. If gaini …
The headline reads: “Wall Street wins big as Dodd drops fiduciary provision.” And the first line of that article is “Chalk it up as a win for the securities and insurance industries.” How do the secur …
Wouldn’t it be great if your clients told you exactly how much they trust you? What would you do with that information? How would it help you help your clients? Would they be more likely to follow you …
October 14, 1985 was a pivotal day. Had I made a different choice that day you would have never given a crap about anything I would ever say about helping FAs be successful, both in terms of client ex …
Flight attendants have a step in their preflight process called the destination check. It sounds something like this: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Flight 123 bound for wherever. If wherever …
My personal trainer, Rico, is also a drummer. He told me a story about being invited to play with a group of musicians who were more talented than he was. Being a little nervous to play with these mus …
This is a great business! You can earn all the money you need to fund your ideal life, you have time freedom, and you help people. While all three matter, this article is dedicated to the best part of …
Perhaps one of the most ineffective ideas perpetuated in our industry is the “elevator pitch.” The idea of the elevator pitch is that you say something so unique and clever that people will want to ta …
