Enjoy the current installment of "weekend reading for financial planners" - this week's issue starts off with an announcement by the CFP Board of a new initiative to increase the number of women entering financial planning (currently only 23% of CFP certificants), a discussion from FPA's lobbying group of the current advocacy priorities in Washington DC for 2013, and a surprising article about industry trends showing that using virtual advisors isn't just about young people as many of the new startups in this space are reporting a significant number of Baby Boomers using their technology-driven advisory services.
From there, we look at a few industry-related articles, including one discussing how often the reason why advisors merger and acquisition deals fall through is not problems with culture and philosophy but just good old-fashioned dollars-and-cents, and a review by Bob Veres of the latest Mark Hurley white paper and the insights it provides not just about the advisory firm landscape but also some good tips for buyers and sellers about how to get a deal done. In addition, there's a pair of more technical articles, the first explaining how to help clients choose an appropriate Medigap supplemental policy, and the other looking at what an unwinding of Quantitative Easing by the Fed would really look like (hint, it will be a lot more gradual than the market volatility will imply when it begins).
In addition, there are several practice management articles, including one about how to ensure any photos and images you use on your website at legal to avoid a Copyright infringement lawsuit, another with some tips about how to "wow" a client (everyone says it's good to wow clients with great service, but what does that really mean!), and a good discussion about the importance of paying attention to your office environment and decor because the impression it leaves can impact your client's perspective on the entire experience.
We wrap up with three more introspective articles: the first poses a series of 5 questions that advisors should ask themselves and be able to answer to better focus where their business is going to succeed in the future; the second reflects upon the importance of telling your own personal story to help build a client's faith and trust in you; and the last is a fascinating look at the book "Give and Take" which finds that some people are givers, some are takers, and most are matchers, but it's the dynamic between the three of them that ultimately determines who succeeds in business. Enjoy the reading!