Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that an analysis of SEC data by AdvizorPro finds that while total advisor headcount dropped in 2025, the RIA channel saw a net gain of more than 17,000 advisors, with the hybrid channel seeing the largest losses at more than 15,000 advisors. Looking specifically at current advisors changing firms, the data show that while intra-channel moves remain common amongst advisors in the broker-dealer and hybrid channels (though less so at wirehouses), many advisors are gravitating towards the RIA channel (with very few RIA advisors moving away from the channel), suggesting that the draw of greater independence remains strong.
Also in industry news this week:
- CFP Board announced that its current COO K. Dane Snowden will succeed Kevin Keller as its CEO, with the new leader taking the reins of a growing organization (which added more than 6,700 certificants last year) that will look to add to its population and strengthen its professional standards as it seeks to ensure that CFP professionals continue to stand out from other sources of financial advice in the eyes of consumers
- FINRA has advanced a proposed rule that would eliminate requirements for broker-dealers to supervise unaffiliated RIA activities by its representatives on an ongoing basis
From there, we have several articles on retirement planning:
- An analysis assesses which retirement income strategies result in the largest ending value for clients who want to leave large legacy interests (as well as the pros and cons of doing so)
- How advisors can support clients by giving them confidence in their chosen retirement income strategy so that clients aren't tempted to take additional defensive measures that could be 'overkill' and reduce their income or overall wealth
- 8 ways advisors can help clients reduce their worry that they will run out of money in retirement, from insuring against major potential expenses (e.g., long-term care or a major tax increase) to highlighting additional sources of potential liquidity
We also have a number of articles on advisor value:
- How human advisors decisively won the 'battle' against robo-advisors and what this might mean for potential competition with AI-powered advice tools in the future
- How advisors can play a valuable role by helping clients consider possible life events they might not have previously prepared for, from a period of disability to unexpected lawsuits
- While there are more than 100 ways financial advisors can add value for clients, zeroing in on the key services that an advisor's ideal target client needs can allow them to attract good-fit clients without spending additional time mastering less-common planning areas
We wrap up with three final articles, all about work-life balance:
- Why the quality of time spent working is often more important than the total number of hours one works in a week
- How seeking out more opportunities for pleasure could be a more effective strategy than seeking out the latest productivity 'hacks'
- Psychological research suggests that regularly stepping away from the office (even when one is in the middle of a major project) could ultimately lead to greater productivity
Enjoy the 'light' reading!