Balancing Act 

Aug 1, 2007,

By Anne Field

Two years ago, Tom Lydon, a small independent advisor running an 11-year-old practice, launched a blog about Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Now, he's wondering...

How to Cover Your Clients 

Jul 1, 2007,

By Matt Oechsli

Tampa: I feel that we're continually asked to cull the bottom of our book, says Sean. But what do you consider to be the ideal number of clients for a...

Morals Beat the Market 

Jul 1, 2007,

Christina Mucciolo

What does integrity have to do with superior portfolio performance? A lot, say researchers in a study released in May, which found that advisors who demonstrate...

Shopping for Dog Food and Stocks? 

Jul 1, 2007,

Christie Matheson

It is no secret that Wal-Mart has an insatiable appetite for expanding the reach of the products and services it offers. But now, behold, the behemoth...

Credit and Banking: The New Frontier for Securities Firms 

Jun 1, 2007,

By Andre Cappon, Guy Manuel, Stephan Mignot

Broker/dealers are starting to market credit products through financial advisors, and it’s good for everyone: the firms, the advisors and the clients. ...

The Golden Rule Brings Affluent Success 

Jun 1, 2007,

By Matt Oechsli

Treat your clients the way you’d want to be treated, and referrals and business growth will follow naturally. ...

Women Ignored? 

Jun 1, 2007,

Kevin Burke

Forget shows like The View. An increasing number of women are handling their own finances and want to talk money, but many firms aren’t listening....

More Millionaires, More DIY-ers 

Jun 1, 2007

The rich are getting richer, and more independent when it comes to managing their wads of cash. ...

The New Big Brother 

Jun 1, 2007,

BY JOHN CHURCHILL

Client communications protocol has become so restrictive as to be absurd, registered reps say. How reps are handling it....

Sales Culture Leads to Advisor Selection Blunders 

May 23, 2007,

By Kevin Burke

A good salesman doesn’t always make a good financial advisor. And some clients are finding that out the hard way. A survey published by The Paladin Registry, a for-profit company that offers consumers free access to a Web-based database of credentialed and ethical financial advisors, shows that the biggest mistake consumers make when choosing an advisor is gobbling up the sales pitch. In light of the recent court ruling striking down the broker exemption or “Merrill Lynch rule” on fiduciary status, the findings are particularly compelling....

The Acre of Diamonds in Your Backyard 

May 17, 2007,

By Matt Oechsli

Let's explore how providing Ritz-Carlton service to your top clients can be a high-impact Rainmaking activity. Our research has informed us that each of your top clients, over the course of your professional relationship, should be responsible for bringing six clients with a similar profile into your practice. Here's the first step in that process:...

Ritz-Carlton Basics 

May 3, 2007

Myrtle Beach: "Your research on the affluent cites personal service as one of the top criteria impacting client loyalty," said Holly, who then posed an excellent question, "but isn't this rather basic? You would think every advisor strives to provide personalized service to all of her clients." Holly's question sparked a discussion about what impact client loyalty can have on affluent word-of-mouth influence (a high-impact Rainmaking activitity). Well, just for the record, the impact is huge! In fact, you will struggle to penetrate your affluent clients' centers-of-influence if you do not excel in consistently delivering Ritz Carlton-quality service. ...

Are You Referrable? 

May 1, 2007,

By Matt Oechsli

Jack spent the last 45 minutes of his day watching someone from his home office around citing firm research that showed that 90 percent of the firm's clients would be happy to provide referrals if their advisors would only ask....

Affluent Call Reluctance 

Apr 19, 2007,

By Matt Oechsli

Las Vegas: "Is it possible to make a lot of money, run in affluent circles, and still be somewhat intimidated about approaching people for business?" asked Larry as we began our first break at one of our Rainmaker Weekends. Larry, a veteran $1 million plus advisor, then proceeded to give me a quick personal confession. He told me all about his new 7 series BMW, his $2,000 Italian suits and his $200 shirts. When I asked how he was marketing his practice to the affluent, he simply replied, "I've always been intimidated by people with power and money. I continue to find excuses to avoid affluent people. I don't socialize with them. I don't even belong to the country club where all the serious money plays golf, and I know that I should." ...

Affluent Loyalty Index 

Apr 5, 2007,

By Matt Oechsli

Client loyalty has become a key issue within the financial services industry. Finally it appears to have replaced the tired old "client satisfaction" standard for measuring client relationships...

Warning or Opportunity? 

Nov 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

The surprising success of Vanguard's new online financial planning service suggests advisors have some work to do...

Your Opportunity Antenna 

Oct 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

You can find more opportunities - and affluent clients - by focusing on your goals...

Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself 

Oct 1, 2006,

By Janet Arrowood

Reps say their clients don't want insurance but their clients say they do. If you want to hold onto these clients, you might want to consider their insurance needs more carefully...

The Mindset of a Rainmaker 

Jul 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

Advisors need to be fearless if they want to sign up affluent clients...

Strategic Intent 

Jun 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

Rainmaking demands that you approach every activity with your 'serious money' antenna out. Pick up oppurtunities you are prepared to capitalize on....

Making It Personal 

Apr 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

At our last branch meeting, our manager took us all to the woodshed, complained Sal, a broker from Houston. It was over the complaints we were getting...

The Full Monty 

Feb 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

A Chicago financial advisor recently lamented to me: I feel like we're offering a complete array of wealth-management products and services, but we aren't...

Developing Your Business Mode 

Jan 1, 2006,

By Matt Oechsli

The financial advisory world is in flux, and there's no doubt that you are fully aware of changes in the business. But with all the white noise from regulators,...

Successful Prospecting Habits 

Nov 1, 2005,

By Matt Oechsli

If your pipeline is full of affluent prospects, you can skip this month's column. If, however, you could use more affluent prospects and new affluent...

Seven Steps to a Highly Successful Practice 

Oct 1, 2005,

By Matt Oechsli

We are all familiar with Murphy's Law: A satirical proposition stating that if there is a possibility for something to go wrong, it will go wrong. But...