Kitces.com - Advancing Knowledge in Financial Planning

The Latest In Financial Advisor #FinTech (December 2019)

December 2, 2019 07:09 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Technology & Advisor FinTech

Welcome to the December 2019 issue of the Latest News in Financial Advisor #FinTech – where we look at the big news, announcements, and underlying trends and developments that are emerging in the world of technology solutions for financial advisors and wealth management!

This month's edition kicks off with the blockbuster news that Charles Schwab will be acquiring TD Ameritrade in 2020, which sets off not only a seismic shift in the competitive landscape for retail brokerage and RIA custodial platforms but also raises substantial questions about the future of advisor FinTech innovation in a world where the majority of such startups in recent years have built first to TDA’s VEO platform as an initial go-to-market strategy… which may or may not remain viable if Schwab folds VEO into its own (much-harder-to-get-onto-the-integration-roadmap) OpenView Gateway platform.

From there, the latest highlights also include a number of other interesting advisor technology announcements, including:

Newly Proposed Regulations to update SEC advertising rules and permit advisors to steer clients towards third-party review sites could spawn a slew of new Advisor Ratings platforms
Envestnet’s Tamarac integrates with FIX Flyer as more and more large RIAs look for trading efficiencies in a multi-custodial world
MaxMyInterest launches a 1.00% APY high-yield checking account (to couple with their even-higher-yielding savings account) for advisory firms to offer their clients
Goldman announces that it is gearing up a new pricing strategy for United Capital’s FinLife CX technology to support the distribution of Goldman proprietary solutions

Read the analysis about these announcements in this month's column and a discussion of more trends in advisor technology, including the launch of BidMoni’s FiduciaryShield platform to help advisors support (and prospect for) 401(k) plans, LoanBuddy's launch of a new advisor dashboard and enterprise pricing as student loan planning as demand begins to rise for student loan planning tools, the launch of a new “AdvisorEpisodes” platform by three former Riskalyzers to provide advisory firms ready-made short videos to share on their social media channels, and JourneyGuide's launch of a new retirement planning software platform with the novel approach of illustrating, in the planning software itself, whether a particular annuity product actually improves the client’s long-term financial plan (or not)!

And be certain to read to the end, where we have provided an update to our popular new “Financial Advisor FinTech Solutions Map” as well.

I hope you're continuing to find this column on financial advisor technology to be helpful. Please share your comments at the end and let me know what you think!

*And for #AdvisorTech companies who want to submit their tech announcements for consideration in future issues, please submit to [email protected]!

Weekend Reading for Financial Planners (Nov 30 – Dec 1)

November 29, 2019 02:01 pm 0 Comments CATEGORY: Weekend Reading

Enjoy the current installment of "weekend reading for financial planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the ongoing chatter about the fallout of the announced Schwab acquisition of TD Ameritrade, from Schwab relocating its headquarters to Dallas, the uncertain fate of TDA's VEO, how Schwab will handle smaller RIAs that, in the past, may have joined TDA specifically because they didn't meet Schwab minimums, and whether it will be necessary to repaper accounts as a part of the merger (which could put all the RIAs on TDA's platform 'in play' for competing custodians).

Also in the news this week is a newly proposed rule from the SEC that would potentially limit the use of leveraged and inverse exchange-traded products as regulators grow increasingly concerned about inappropriate uses of such vehicles and whether investors (whether clients of a broker-dealer or an RIA) truly understand the risks involved.

From there, we have several tax planning articles, including new Final Regulations from the Treasury clarifying that there will not be a 'clawback' of gift and estate taxes even if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lapses in 2025 and the current $11.4M estate tax exemption falls back to lower levels, a look at how states are becoming increasingly aggressive on "residency audits" to determine whether those claiming to have relocated (to avoid the state's high income tax rates) really changed their state of residence or not, and a reminder from IRA guru Ed Slott that with the beginning of a new year fast approaching the once-per-year 60-day rollover rule for IRAs does not reset and is still based on a rolling-365-day blackout period (but trustee-to-trustee transfers remain safe either way!).

We also have a few articles on advisory firm mergers and acquisitions, including a reminder of the key levers that drive the valuation of an advisory firm beyond just its revenue (as two firms with the same revenue may still have a drastically different valuation based on the stability and profitability of that revenue), the rise of bank funding options for RIAs that want to sell internally but not seller-finance the transaction, tips from successful acquirers of what it takes to close on a transaction (and get the seller to pick your firm as the chosen buyer), and some interesting research on the realities of today's M&A market for advisory firms that is increasingly driven by large firms that are paying ever-higher levels of upfront cash or in-kind stock exchanges as a part of the transaction.

We wrap up with three interesting articles, all around the theme of customer/client service and interacting with clients: the first explores the concept of "aesthetic intelligence", and that how an advisory firm and its services are aesthetically staged can have a significant impact on the client experience; the second explores how, amongst the affluent, human contact that eschews screens and computers is becoming a form of 'luxury good'; and the last is a powerful reminder that at some point spending money as a business on good customer service isn't just an overhead expense but a 'marketing' expense that drives word of mouth (and that it's important to be strategic in how you allocate resources to client service recognizing its potential marketing impact).

Enjoy the 'light' reading!

Why It’s Best To Measure Risk Tolerance With #FinTech Questionnaires Instead Of (Just) Risk Conversations

November 27, 2019 07:08 am 5 Comments CATEGORY: General Planning

There are numerous factors that every advisor must consider when objectively assessing a client’s risk tolerance. And if the concept of risk wasn’t already complex enough (as it considers a multitude of facets, including tolerance, capacity, composure, perception, and literacy), the variety of available tools to measure risk tolerance – from written questionnaires to various FinTech software tools and simply having the advisor-client “risk conversation” – often results in inconsistent (or even contradictory) results (especially given that clients vary in their own risk literacy to navigate such assessments in the first place).

In addition, recent research reveals that the modality of the risk tolerance assessment process can itself influence the results. For instance, one study found that when advisors verbally discuss risk tolerance with clients of the opposite sex, the client’s self-reported risk tolerance tends to be higher than if the client would have responded to an advisor of the same sex. This implicit gender-bias behavior is thought to be driven by subconscious psychobiological tendencies of the client, possibly influenced by a desire to appeal to a person of the opposite sex (even if not otherwise attracted to or interested in them).

In turn, alternatives to the conversational approach to risk tolerance – such as using pen-and-paper written questionnaires, or FinTech-based software tools for assessment – also appear to have an influence on the results. For instance, while scores for men and women were equal in a pen-and-paper assessment, men scored significantly higher than women in a technology-based video assessment that included the exact same questionnaire as the pen-and-paper test. And although it might be tempting to conclude that the pen-and-paper assessment is better for eliminating the gender gap between men and women, studies have shown that an inherent difference in risk does indeed exist between the sexes, where men generally report higher risk scores than do women. Given that this gender difference was preserved in the technology-based assessment suggests that perhaps gender-neutral technology-based assessments may have the edge over pen-and-paper assessments in most accurately assessing clients’ risk tolerance levels.

On the other hand, it’s also important to recognize that not all technology tools are similar for assessing risk tolerance. In practice, risk tolerance software can be best leveraged by understanding the methods used to measure risk tolerance and also by knowing how risk literate clients are, as certain assessment modalities may resonate more for clients depending on their risk literacy levels. For instance, clients who are highly risk-literate may relate better to econometric measuring technology, such as the software platform provided by Riskalyze. Other less risk-literate clients may relate better to FinaMetrica, another software platform that relies more on psychometric criteria than economically complex quantitative risk trade-offs.

Despite the advisor gender bias observed in risk tolerance studies between men and women and the appeal of gender-neutral technology risk measurement tools that are readily available, conversations with clients should not be eschewed altogether. Instead, they may be effectively used after a (software-based) risk tolerance assessment has been administered, and perhaps by a team of male and female advisors, not only to review the assessment with the client and help them understand the results, but also to supplement the process with a human element involved in helping clients improve their overall risk literacy. Because technology tools are still no match for a person-to-person connection for an advisor to gather the subtle nuances about their clients that software programs are simply unable to detect.

Ultimately, the key point is that there are many factors affecting how clients perceive their relationship with risk, and at least some of these are subconscious influences on human behavior. And as technology-based assessment tools may minimize a client’s bias that can arise in response to their advisor’s gender (while leaving the inherent gender gap that exists between men and women intact), connecting through conversations in person (after the technology-based assessment is administered!) is still the best way to grow relationships and develop trust with clients.

#FASuccess Ep 152: Getting Comfortable With Sales By Simply Seeking To Find Qualified Prospects To Inform, With Beverly Flaxington

November 26, 2019 07:06 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Financial Advisor Success Podcast

Welcome back to the 152nd episode of Financial Advisor Success Podcast!

My guest on today's podcast is Beverly Flaxington. Bev is the founder of The Collaborative, which provides sales training and organizational development support to financial services firms.

What's unique about Bev, though, is the human behavioral coaching approach that she takes to teach sales and business development skills. Recognizing that, in the end, with financial advisors (as with our own clients) it's not just about knowing what to do, but figuring out how to change your behavior to actually do it.

In this episode, we talk in depth about Bev's approach to sales training and how to conduct a meeting with a prospective new client. Why it's so important to set upfront for the prospect an expected outcome for the meeting, the importance of figuring out whether someone is a qualified prospect by determining if they're suited for your firm services, willing to pay and really ready to make a decision, how to get permission to ask deeper questions to the prospect to get to know them further, and why it's ultimately a kindness to a prospect to ask for their business when that moment comes, instead of just waiting and praying for them to volunteer that they're ready to sign up with you.

We also talk about the challenge of differentiating in today's crowded advisor marketplace, the value of having a niche, at least for your outbound marketing efforts, why getting more specific about exactly who you serve makes it both easier to generate referrals from existing clients and reduces that awkwardness of talking about what you do in social settings, and the importance of defining clear triggers so those who might refer to you know exactly what situations to watch out for that might be a good opportunity to refer.

And be certain to listen to the end, where Bev talks about how advisors who find the sales process icky or uncomfortable can reframe it in their own minds to understand that in the end, settling is simply about letting people know what you do, how you can help them, that you genuinely want to work with them and do good work, and that your job is simply to help them make a decision they're confident about, which hopefully will end out being to hire you to do the work!

Nerd’s Eye View 2019 Reader Survey – Your Input Is Requested!

November 25, 2019 07:01 am 0 Comments CATEGORY: Nerd's Eye View

The past year has been one of major reinvestments back into the Kitces.com platform and the Nerd’s Eye View blog, with a significant expansion to “Team Kitces”, in our ongoing attempt to make this site an ever-more-valuable resource for the financial advisor community, and especially all of you, our readers. But to make sure that we’re staying on track with the right focus, we ask all of you, every year, for feedback about what you want to make this website even better for you!

Over the years, your reader feedback has shaped everything from the visual design of the blog (from its original dense small font!) the comment system we use, to the expansion of our Members section to offer CFP and IMCA/IWI CE credits, and now CPE credits for accountants as well for Nerd's Eye View blog posts, the launch of the Financial Advisor Success podcast, our popular Advisor #FinTech Map, and our newest “Master List” of all the major Financial Advisor conferences in the industry.

But we’re not done. There’s always more we can do. Which is why, every year, we conduct a reader feedback survey of all of you who read this blog, to get your thoughts and feedback about everything we currently offer, your perspective on some new ideas we're considering, and to take in whatever other input you're willing to share (good or bad!) about what we could do to make this a more valuable site (and a better user experience) for you.

So regardless of what kind of reader you are: an advisor, an individual consumer who reads this blog for your own benefit, a related professional that works with financial advisors, or associated with a vendor who serves advisors... I hope you'll participate in this year's survey. It's only 12 questions, should take no more than a few minutes, and will remain open until the end of next week.

Thanks in advance for taking a few minutes to access our Reader Survey below, and share your feedback! 🙂

Weekend Reading for Financial Planners (Nov 23-24)

November 22, 2019 02:57 pm 0 Comments CATEGORY: Weekend Reading

Enjoy the current installment of "weekend reading for financial planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the mega-news that Charles Schwab is apparently in talks to acquire TD Ameritrade, in what would create an absolute juggernaut in the brokerage industry with nearly $5 trillion in assets and as much as a 70% market share of RIA custody... which in turn is already raising concerns about whether, at least when it comes to RIAs, creating "Schwabitrade" might actually go too far in reducing competition and industry innovation (not to mention the challenges of integration and managing advisor service at such scale).

Also in the news this week is an indication of the growing "turf war" emerging as everyone from private banks (e.g., Goldman Sachs) to robo-advisors converge on serving the mass affluent that historically were the bread-and-butter client of the independent RIA but are now increasingly hard to attract in a more competitive landscape, and an indication that the SEC may be preparing new Proposed Regulations on both the definition of an Accredited Investor and the RIA Custody Rule (both of which are badly in need of updating for the modern era).

From there, we have several articles on behavioral finance, from a look at the value of a financial advisor as one who helps to minimize potential regret of the few big irreversible financial decisions in life (where it's crucial to have the right advice to ensure the right decision is made in the moment), the emerging rise of "financial therapy" as a complementary value-add for financial advisors (or possibly even the future of the financial advisor's value proposition), and a look at how thus far Artificial Intelligence is still struggling with the sheer breadth and complexity of interpreting human emotions (and suggesting that AI may still be a very long ways off from really being able to replace human-to-human interactions on emotional topics and issues).

We also have several marketing-related articles this week, from exploring why RIAs often have difficulty getting clients to read their email newsletters (and what are realistic stats to expect for client open and click-through rates), the importance of storytelling to both convey a financial advisor's value proposition to prospects and their recommendations to clients through a financial plan (which arguably should be more of a 'storytelling aid' than an analytical document), and the key pages that prospects actually focus on (and therefore every financial advisor should have) on their financial advisor website.

We wrap up with three interesting articles, all around the theme of making good career decisions: the first looks at how most people seek out the wrong kind of career advice (asking people in similar roles or other 'successful' people who tend to give advice from their perspective, instead of asking people who know you well personally or are in the company/role in question already who can really validate whether you understand the role and how good of a fit it really is, or not); the second explores how to find the right community of peers to help get that professional sounding board and support; and the last looks at how, because the best firms end out being exponentially (1,000X) more successful, the key to career success is less about finding the right dream job and simply about finding the right company ("rocket ship") to get on board with... and figure out later how to get into the best role/seat on the rocket ship!

Enjoy the 'light' reading!