Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 31, 2025

Also in industry news this week: While RIA M&A deal flow hit record levels in 2024 (both in terms of volume and the speed of completing them), firm valuations saw relatively modest gains In its latest annual regulatory oversight report, FINRA joined the SEC in flagging the potential risks to firm and client data from the use of third-party vendors (..)

Financial Planner 245

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Compliance Taxes 245

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 17, 2025

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that at a time when brokerage firms' cash sweep programs come under increased scrutiny (and as the Federal Reserve has cut interest rates), Charles Schwab (the largest RIA custodian) continues to slash sweep rates for client (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Retirement Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 10, 2025

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that the "Social Security Fairness Act" was signed into law this week, eliminating the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provisions, which previously reduced the Social Security benefits (..)

Financial Planner 189

Financial Planner Clients Financial Advice Numbers 189

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

In the early days of financial planning, serving clients often meant developing transactional relationships focused on facilitating trades and selling insurance. Today, the industry has evolved further, with a growing emphasis on aligning financial decisions with clients' personal priorities and life goals.

Clients 130

Clients Planning Financial Planner Financial Planning 130

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 25, 2023

Each week in Weekend Reading For Financial Planners, we seek to bring you synopses and commentaries on 12 articles covering news for financial advisors including topics covering technical planning, practice management, advisor marketing, career development, and more.

Financial Advisor 246

Financial Advisor Insurance Financial Planner Clients 246

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 11, 2025

Also in industry news this week: NASAA this week approved model rule amendments that would restrict the use of the titles "advisor" and "adviser" by broker-dealers (and their registered representatives) who are not also dually registered as investment advisers, which, if adopted by state regulators, would largely bring state rules on this issue in (..)

Financial Planner 130

Financial Planner Communication Commission Clients 130

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 14, 2025

Which, if implemented under the new administration, could provide relief for investment advisers, particularly smaller firms that already have to balance compliance with client service, marketing, and the other duties that go into running a firm.

Financial Planner 162

Financial Planner Compliance Commission Retirement 162

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 29, 2024

Most financial advisors strive to provide excellent client care and prioritize a systematic process to maintain regular communication with their clients both on a scheduled (e.g., Suddenly, the question of, "What does it mean to provide the best care for clients at this firm as a team?" annual meeting) and an "on demand" basis.

Clients 246

Clients Communication Healthcare Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 24, 2025

In this article, Senior Financial Planning Nerd Sydney Squires discusses how to construct an associate advisor onboarding plan that guides an associate advisor through their first year, establishes clear checkpoints for progress, yet still allows enough flexibility to grow with the new advisor! building an initial financial plan).

Planning 130

Planning Clients Financial Planning Communication 130

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 26, 2025

Recent swings have been driven by economic policy shifts, persistent inflation concerns, and geopolitical uncertainty – all of which may unnerve even the steadiest of clients. During turbulent periods like these, advisors play a critical role in helping clients maintain perspective and stay grounded.

Clients 219

Clients Marketing Marketing Economics 219

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 15, 2024

For financial advisors, an ongoing client service model often means finding ways to keep clients engaged and progressing toward their goals outside of the 1 or 2 typical client review meetings each year.

Clients 246

Clients Communication Financial Advisor Wealth Management 246

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 22, 2024

The obvious answer to growing beyond the capacity of a single owner/advisor is to build a team of employees (either in advisory and/or other roles like client service or operations) that can accommodate additional room for growth. Read More.

Clients 246

Clients Communication Compliance Management 246

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 15, 2023

For instance, ensuring clients maintain the proper insurance coverage based on their needs is an important part of the financial planning process. At the same time, clients face another class of risks that advisors often do not consider: cyber. stealing a client’s financial assets that are accessible online), identity theft (i.e.,

Management 246

Management Clients Wealth Management Insurance Coverage 246

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 28, 2023

One of the key steps in the financial planning process is presenting the plan to the client, which has traditionally been done as part of a single 'plan presentation' meeting that takes place once the advisor has gathered and analyzed all of the client's data.

Planning 246

Planning Clients Financial Planning Education 246

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 9, 2023

This article examines three key use cases where AI can benefit financial advisors: practice management, client engagement and prospecting.

Financial Advisor 336

Financial Advisor Clients Management 336

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 13, 2023

Establishing successful client relationships as a financial advisor relies on good communication skills not just to present information persuasively and with confidence, but also to establish client rapport that allows meaningful and engaging relationships to be built.

Clients 246

Clients Financial Planning Financial Planner Communication 246

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 17, 2025

This is largely because, for financial advisors, it's not 'just' about capturing notes from the client meeting itself, but also about managing everything that follows: recording meeting notes in the CRM for compliance purposes, assigning post-meeting tasks to the team, and sending the client a post-meeting recap email.

Financial Advisor 147

Financial Advisor Clients Financial Planning Professional Services 147

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 26, 2024

The study also identified attributes of "top performing" firms across a range of metrics, finding that they are more likely than other firms to have a clear ideal client persona, client value proposition, and marketing plan.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Communication Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 13, 2024

Read More.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner CFP Retirement Certification 246

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 26, 2024

Also in industry news this week: The Federal Trade Commission released a final rule that would ban most non-compete agreements, which could lead to an increasing number of non-solicit agreements (and, potentially, lawsuits regarding their enforcement) between financial planning firms and their advisors The Securities and Exchange Commission issued (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Commission Communication Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Also in industry news this week: 43% of wealth management firms are frustrated with the effectiveness of their CRM software, spurred on by challenges with integrations and workflows, according to a recent survey The Social Security Administration this week announced a 2.5%

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Risk Tolerance Financial Planning Clients 246

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Also in industry news this week: A coalition of organizations representing financial advisors is pressing Congress to include tax breaks for financial advisory fees amidst expected negotiations to address the pending expiration of several provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act A recent survey indicates that client referrals remain the chief source (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Investment Advisor Financial Advisor Clients 246

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 4, 2024

Further, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the most cited factor driving industry growth during the next 3 years, with client data integration as a primary area for improvement, suggesting an opportunity for AI tools to help advisors make the most of the significant amount of client data they possess (possibly saving time in the process) and potentially (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Clients Retirement 246

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Read More.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner CFP Certification Communication 246

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Also in industry news this week: Edward Jones, which added more new CFP professionals than any other firm last year, announced that it is planning to offer financial planning services nationwide, highlighting the value for RIAs and other firms of differentiating themselves amidst increased competition not only for clients, but also for advisor talent (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner CFP Financial Planning Retirement Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 30, 2024

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that a recent benchmarking study suggests that a number of RIAs are looking to move 'upmarket' and work with wealthier clients by expanding their service menu to include family office services, investment banking, and/or trust (..)

Financial Planner 241

Financial Planner Financial Advisor Retirement Clients 241

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 2, 2023

Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that a recent study found that advisory forms working with a younger client base tend to have relatively stronger growth in assets under management and revenue over time.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Risk Tolerance Clients Financial Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Also in industry news this week: A survey indicates that while financial advisors remain the most trusted source of financial advice, they might increasingly encounter client questions and ideas that originated from social media Following the transition of advisors and clients from TD Ameritrade and amid competition from competing RIA custodians, Charles (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Financial Advice Financial Advisor Tax Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Also in industry news this week: A CFP Board study indicates that financial planners with the certification earn 10% more than other advisors and show very high levels of career satisfaction A Morningstar study has identified 4 main areas where investors find value from their financial advisors, which might not match an advisor's own list of top ways (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Compliance Fee Only Communication 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 10, 2024

Also in industry news this week: The latest Social Security trustees report offered a slightly rosier picture for the health of the various Social Security trust funds thanks to improved economic conditions, though they warned that time is running out for legislators to take action to ensure the system will be able to pay out full benefits beyond the (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Retirement Valuation 246

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 7, 2023

Which suggests that advisor wellbeing could potentially be improved not only by automating or outsourcing administrative tasks, but also by adjusting their client rosters to better match their ideal client type.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Tax Planning Clients Valuation 246

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Also in industry news this week: A recent survey indicates that about 98% of clients are at least somewhat satisfied with their financial advisor and that an advisor’s ability to provide peace of mind when it comes to finances is a key driver of this satisfaction A study indicates that advisors can potentially boost client referrals by using (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Communication Insurance Advertising 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 3, 2024

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a recent study indicates that nearly a third of advisors in the independent broker-dealer channel have considered transitioning to the RIA channel during the past year as they seek higher payouts and not just "independence" but (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Healthcare Retirement Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 17, 2024

Also in industry news this week: The SEC this week announced a proposed rule that would require RIAs to collect and verify their clients' personal information in an effort to prevent illicit activity, though many firms likely are taking many of these steps already Why larger RIAs and those that have been acquired tend to have worse client and staff (..)

Financial Planner 238

Financial Planner Wealth Management Retirement Investment Planning 238

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 5, 2023

Also in industry news this week: Legislation working its way through Congress would allow for electronic delivery of documents to clients of advisors and other financial services firms by default, though it has been met with some opposition While RIAs have outpaced wirehouses in terms of client asset growth and headcount, industry consolidation has (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Financial Services Electronics Compliance 246

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 21, 2024

At the same time, they also overwhelmingly recognize the value of financial advisors , not only for increasing their wealth beyond what they could have achieved on their own , but also for helping them feel more prepared and less stressed about their finances!

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Financial Advisor Taxes Math 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 12, 2023

Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that a recent study found that clients of advisors providing comprehensive planning services are significantly more satisfied than those receiving a lower tier of service.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Clients Tax Planning Food 246