To fulfill our mission of expanding access to financial advice to all corners of the country, our membership and our profession must reflect the makeup of our overall society.
If the perceived value of an RIA is tied to the adviser's investing prowess, it makes it hard to develop a succession plan or sell the firm.
Understanding what a company does can skew our perceptions of the risk of investing in the company.
More financial support is needed to combat the gap in financial investment in children’s mental health and improve access to care.
Given the looming shortage of advisers, the industry must improve its diversity and inclusion efforts so it can attract and retain employees from diverse groups.
It's critical for wealth management firms to create authentic and compelling narratives around their sustainable investing offerings.
Teachers are eligible for a second supplemental plan. It’s called the 457(b), and it has several key advantages over the 403(b).
Some of the most engaging practice stories arise from things we tell clients that they don’t hear or don’t remember, things we don’t think to tell them, and things they forget to tell us.
Not all of our old clients came with us. But the overwhelming majority came and — because of their enthusiasm for our move — some asked us to oversee even more of their assets, while others pointed brand-new business our way.
Twenty percent of high-net-worth clients say they're likely to switch their primary financial adviser this year, according to a Northwestern Mutual survey.
Whether they're inclined to stay or to go, advisers owe it to their clients and themselves to pay attention to the subtle, but important, changes happening at the company.
Advisers should provide a global view and frame conversations around investors' values.
Minding the "s" means recognizing the impact disgruntled employees or suppliers can have on reputations and business operations.
The upstarts will focus on a particular niche of the marketplace they feel is underserved, such as advisers with foreign clients or advisers focused on a particular investment approach.
Some firms mistakenly trim expenses too aggressively to lower their costs and maximize their earnings to attract buyers. It may seem counterintuitive, but the opposite approach can make a firm more desirable.
One option for advisers starting an RIA is to outsource in one fell swoop such responsibilities as custodial relationships, tech stack design and integration, client billion, tamp solutions and marketing expertise.
The switch in the compensation model will arrive silently, via death from a thousand cuts.
Given their limited savings, current low interest rates and the ongoing rise in prices and out-of-pocket health care costs, most boomers need a financial lifeline.
For the increasingly fee-based advisers at independent broker-dealers, the transition to the RIA model is likely to pick up speed in the years to come.
Enhancing the return prospects of individual investors seeking yield calls for hands-on, agile, active management — and the more flexible the approach, the better.
