Enjoy the current installment of "weekend reading for financial planners" - this week's edition kicks off with several big news announcements, including the release of the first Department of Labor "FAQ" about the fiduciary rule (a series of 34 common-question-and-answer responses about keep aspects of implementing the Best Interest Contract and Level Fee Fiduciary requirements), the announcement that Commonwealth is breaking ranks with other independent broker-dealers and opting to eliminate commissions from IRAs altogether (while Ameriprise and Raymond James announced they will be allowing commissions and implementing all the additional compliance processes necessary to adhere to the Best Interests Contract Exemption), and an indication from FINRA that it is working on new regulatory guidance regarding social media intended to make it easier for brokers to use the platforms with less burdensome compliance going forward.
From there, we have several practice management articles including: a look at the situations where a financial advisor might want to merge their advisory firm into another (rather than simply be acquired); the long-term trade-offs to consider when building a "lifestyle practice" as a financial advisor (particularly if you're still in your 30s or 40s); and a look at how one mega-RIA built a new specialty niche inside the existing RIA without disrupting the existing business (in this case, by rolling out an impact investing solution).
We also have a few more retirement planning articles, from a look at the existing proposals to resolve the projected Social Security shortfall in 2034 (where the levers to adjust to solve it are actually easy to determine, and the only challenge is deciding which ones to pull on to shore up the future cash flow obligations), to a discussion of the mechanics of the "pro rata" rule from IRAs and why it matters (particularly for backdoor Roth contributions), and an examination of the "tenure" option in a reverse mortgage and in what situations it may be a superior "lifetime" income alternative to an immediate annuity.
We wrap up with three interesting articles: the first is a look at how accumulating significant wealth, especially suddenly, can actually be very disruptive socially, often leading the newly wealthy to become surprisingly isolated socially (in part to defend themselves from people who try to attach themselves socially to be a part of the financial gain); the second is an examination of how the dynamic between financial planning academics and practitioners needs to change and improve to bridge the research/practice gap in financial planning; and the last is an incredible anecdotal story to help remind us all that customer/client service interactions that we may repeat over and over, day after day, may be a small part of what we do, but are 100% of the client experience for that particular client... which is why every single moment in the delivery of the client experience really matters.
And be certain to check out Bill Winterberg's "Bits & Bytes" video at the end, which this week includes an interview directly from Schwab IMPACT with VP of Advisor Technology Solutions, Brian Shenson, about the upcoming Schwab technology roadmap, from OpenView Integrated Office and Gateway enhancements, to an update on the OpenView MarketPlace, and the timeline for the new Schwab Portfolio Connect (the replacement for Portfolio Center) to be released in phases throughout 2017 and 2018!
Enjoy the "light" reading!