Enjoy the current installment of "weekend reading for financial planners" - this week's issue is drawn entirely from blogs and bloggers I read who deliver content that has relevant for financial planners. We start off with a relatively new blog, which shares a great guide in how to write an attractive "bio" page as an advisor; in a world where we are often focusing on storytelling to communicate planning strategies and solutions, it's time to better apply the same techniques in communicating about ourselves, too!

From there, we have a few technical articles, including a great discussion of what is (and isn't!) really guaranteed when clients say they're considering a variable annuity with a "5.5% guaranteed growth rate," and a look at whether clients should consider skipping employer-based health insurance as the new health insurance exchanges open up later this year.

Beyond that, there are several articles related to technology and social media this week, including whether the Google Apps platform is a viable solution for a growing advisory firm, a due diligence checklist of questions to ask when evaluating a potential CRM system, some "advanced" tips to getting more productive value out of Twitter, and a look at how advisors might use Pinterest to help grow their business. There are also a few practice management related issues, including a great look at some tips and opportunities in trying to self-publish a book (it's a lot easier than you think and there are lots of resources to help!), some things to consider if you're considering a podcast, and some guidance from Angie Herbers about how to fend off and resolve employee problems without resorting to just firing and replacing them.

>We wrap up with three final articles that look a bit more inward: the first is from Ronald Sier, and looks at whether it is appropriate and ethical to try to influence your clients' decisions (his conclusion: as long as it's done in their interests, yes it's appropriate, and in fact you should be trying to do it!); the second is from Tim Maurer, and his new "Financial Common Ground" initiative that is trying to establish what he calls the "unifying principles of personal finance" that hopefully all experts can agree on, regardless of their business model; and the last is a review of the recent Robert Cialdini book "Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive" that includes some fantastic ideas on influence and persuasion that could be used to tweak an advisory firm's communication techniques to improve their business results. Enjoy the reading!

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Enjoy the current installment of "weekend reading for financial planners" - this week's issue starts off with a discussion of the CFP Board's decision to issue a Letter of Admonition to its former board president Alan Goldfarb, tying to the fact that Goldfarb indicated he was a "fee-only" advisor even though he had a 1% ownership interest in a broker-dealer (though his clients only paid him directly via fees).

Beyond that, there are several practice management articles this week, including a profile of some newer advisors and how they're growing their business in a world where cold calling is dead, a discussion of how to transition your business from a generalist practice to one focused on a specialized niche in a world where specialists in various professions tend to make far more money than generalists, some ideas about how to identify good prospective rainmakers to hire and promote for your firm, a discussion of whether the boomers vs Gen X/Gen Y gap may be less about the failings of younger advisors and more about the fact that they simply approach the world differently, and some tips to taking advantage of the slower summer season to review and update your firm's technology.

From there, we have several more technical articles, including a Journal of Financial Planning article that provides a nice review of semivariance/semideviation and downside portfolio risk measures, a discussion of health care planning for retirees, and tips to establish "incentive" trusts like a financial skills trust or business skill trust that will encourage the beneficiaries towards certain behaviors by incentivizing the desired results.

We wrap up with three final articles that look a bit more inward: the first is from Angie Herbers and suggests that while advisors often tackle bad "financial enabling" behaviors in their clients the advisors themselves are often enablers in how they structure compensation and give raises to their staff; the second is from Mark Tibergien, and looks at how, because the best motivation is ultimately internally driven, it's important not to rely too much on just designing incentives to build a successful business but instead its better to focus on building an environment where motivated staff can be successful and flourish; and the last is from Carl Richards, who makes the important point that while it's crucial for financial planners to help clients weigh trade-offs, including complex decisions that have both financial and personal values consequences, it's equally crucial for planners not to impose their own value system and judgement on client decisions and instead let them come to their own conclusions. Enjoy the reading!

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