The SEC's amendment to rule 17a-4 represents a tremendous opportunity to bring firms' record-keeping systems into the 21st century.
If you’re not paying close attention to ensure that your clients’ cash is safe, you’re ignoring your fiduciary duty.
The SEC doesn’t care whether advisors or staff are banned from using apps or tools. What’s important to them is that firms fulfill their capture and retention responsibilities.
Several unique elements affect women advisors' planning, including a greater focus on the established relationships between staff and clients and on the maintenance of culture within their practice.
The expansion of the map over the last five years shows the innovation that's occurring in the fintech sector and the many choices available to advisors.
As a management tool, compassion is hard to execute and easy to love.
As an advisor's client base grows, more of their time is spent servicing existing clients, which leaves little time for finding new ones.
A change in cash flow meant it temporarily wasn't worth it to itemize donations of goods and money, a development that provided an unexpected bonus.
In 2020, the global real estate market had a value of more than $326 trillion, which is more than the value of all the stocks and bonds in the world.
Financial advisors can play an active role in the success of student athletes with name, image and likeness deals, but they need to speak the language of their young clients.
While the legislation provides an attractive option for families who end up not needing the money in a 529 plan, it's not clear how many will be eligible to use it.
It's vital for advisors to develop relationships with the next generation of investors and carve out a niche for their business.
The primary reason RIA principals continue to run their own shops, rather than cashing out or offloading day-to-day responsibilities, has to do with fear.
A recent survey by CFA Institute found 20% of retail investors say their primary reason for using trading accounts is entertainment or speculation.
As firms increase in size, client referrals represent a declining percentage of new assets, while marketing accounts for a greater percentage.
Look for independent broker-dealers flush with interest-rate revenue to emerge as credible threats to the mergers-and-acquisitions status quo.
Set aside time to take stock and focus your sights on what you want to achieve in the months ahead.
When an advisor launched a nonprofit in his ancestral home of Ghana, he also learned how to better understand his clients
Smaller firms can still flourish amid the rampant M&A activity, but they need to employ targeted client development and strategic outsourcing.
It's safe to say that the more adept you are at selecting, implementing and utilizing the available technologies, the better off your practice and your clients will be.
