1. Talking Investment Alternatives with Your Client
The stock market has done better than expected during the pandemic. You have cautioned clients “No tree grows to the sky” and the importance of asset allocation. The think fixed income sounds boring. They found other ideas on late night TV or suggestions from friends. They are running them past you. You agree diversification is good, but want them to go into situations with their eyes open. — Bryce Sanders
2. The Hidden Costs of Working From Home
When COVID-19 took hold in the U.S. and 42 states and territories issued mandatory stay-at-home orders, we commenced a massive work from home (WFH) experiment. In the short term, the benefits were obvious: employees working from home were safer, they saved time and money by not commuting, and many organizations were pleasantly surprised to find productivity did not suffer as much as they feared. However, some leaders wondered about the hidden costs. — Brooks Holtom, PhD and David Niu
3. Financial Advisors Could Be Closing 90% of Their Prospects
As a financial advisor, you wear many hats. Besides managing your clients’ finances, you have to stay in touch with them on a regular basis, keep up with managing money, stay on top of new regulations and, indeed, grow your practice. — Paulette Filion and Judy Paradi
4. Three Questions Financial Advisors Need To Ask Before December 31st
Advisors don't talk to their clients enough.. as business owners. Advisors always tell me they're unsure about: what type of client event to host or newsletter to send out... — Penny Phillips
5. These ETFs Might Help Explain Why Your Portfolio Is up or Down
I poured through the working watchlist of 100 ETFs that my team and I consider for inclusion in our portfolios at any point in time. This is NOT a recommended list to buy or sell. This shows their performance for the year-to-date through last Wednesday. Below, I offer some brief comments, from seeing many investment cycles over the decades. — Rob Isbitts
6. 3 Reasons Why There Really Is No Housing Shortage
One of the most recent mantras in the financial media is that housing prices rise because there is an inventory shortage. While it is an excellent headline for “getting clicks,” the are 3-reasons why there really is NO housing shortage. — Lance Roberts
7. 5 Common Decision-Making Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
Teams tend to make decisions in one of three ways. All three approaches have their place and their strengths. However, trouble arises when we fall prey to overusing one of them. Or when we automatically apply a decision-making style without much thought as to what’s needed for that situation – a kind of ‘knee jerk’ decision-making tactic. — Suzi McAlpine
8. Advisors: Stop Sharing Content and Start Delivering Value
We all can share content on social media, that’s easy. But showing your true value, putting yourself out there, and doing webinars for clients and prospects creates tremendous activity, confidence, and initiative. I am encouraging you as a financial professional, be unique, be creative, and consider webinars and other ideas to show your value. — Grant Hicks
9. Why Investors Should Ignore Next Week’s Election
The biggest presidential election of our lifetimes is just around the corner. And if you watch cable news, you may feel like the fate of everything hangs in the balance, from our environment to our economy to our health. But as I’ll show you today, the election has almost zero impact on my stock picking process. That may surprise you. You may even think I’m foolish for ignoring the election. But here’s the thing: politics and investing don’t mix. — Justin Spittler
10. Red Investor vs. Blue Investor: What's Next?
Are you advising clients to remain in cash based investments? Or, are you telling investors to buy now because there will be a market boom after the election? While at the outset it seems that investors are relatively similar regarding the starting point regarding their investments, their attitudes about what might happen next are very different, based primarily upon political affiliation. — George Walper, Jr.
11. Top Financial Advisors Are Thriving, Not Just Surviving, in Uncertain Times
Top financial advisors are having their best year in 2020. They are growing at their strongest rates in over a decade. The year 2020 will be remembered for many generations to come because it brought massive changes to the world. The aftershocks of the COVID pandemic will be both permanent and temporary and are still not fully known. — Ken Unger
