11 Most Read Articles of the Week!

1. Stop Justifying Your Fees and Start Explaining Them in the Context of What Your Prospects Value

The financial services world has undergone significant change in the last few years, mainly for the benefit of those seeking financial advice. They have more options, investment costs are decreasing, and they have more protections thanks to the regulators. However, for financial advisors, the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same—at least as it relates to fees. Advisors still find themselves in the unenviable position of having to withstand fee compression while, at the same time, justifying them to their clients. — Don Connelly

2. Bank Runs. The First Sign the Fed “Broke Something.”

With the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, questions of potential “bank runs” spread among regional banks. “Bank runs” are problematic in today’s financial system due to fractional reserve banking. Under this system, only a fraction of a bank’s deposits must be available for withdrawal. In this system, banks only keep a specific amount of cash on hand and create loans from deposits it receives. — Lance Roberts

3. Is the Silicon Valley Bank Crisis a Major Springboard Event for Bitcoin?

The Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapses are a “springboard event” for Bitcoin as investors around the world look for safe havens, alternative currencies, and weigh the likelihood of a period of lower interest rates. — George Prior

4. Trigger More Referrals that Convert into Appointments

Have you noticed that most of the prospects who convert into clients are going through some sort of life event that has put you and your work on their radar? Look… Any introduction to a qualified prospect from a trusted source that carries the power of borrowed trust is probably worth pursuing. — Bill Cates

5. Rethinking REITs? Top Considerations for Advisors Allocating to Real Estate

Many people were seemingly caught off guard in late 2022 when Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) became the first large non-traded REIT to limit investor redemptions – a process colloquially known as “gating.” The private equity firm’s move to limit outflows arrived amid a spate of withdrawals from clients in Asia –by some estimates, 70% of 2021’s BREIT departures – and was accompanied by the real estate vehicle divesting stakes in the Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip to bolster liquidity. — CrowdStreet Advisors

6. Will Silicon Valley Bank Kill the Fintech Industry?

You've probably seen a lot about Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and it's demise by now - the collapse of the bank pretty much dominated my social media feeds throughout the past few days - but I spent a lot of the weekend trying to do some forensic analysis of what happened to them. Net:net is that the problem SVB encountered is the pandemic flee to savings, deposits, digital and tech investing and then the post-pandemic reversal, combined with a completely flawed strategy of investing in illiquid assets and securities. As TechCrunch puts it, the bank shot itself in the foot. — Chris Skinner

7. Worried About Banks? Read This!

For most of us, the words “bank failure” immediately trigger the same recent memory: the financial crisis of 2008. That was a year no investor could ever forget. The year some of the largest, most storied financial institutions in the world — think Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and others — collapsed, never to return.  — Jose Feliciano

8. Dear Elizabeth Warren …

Elizabeth Warren is full of garbage… THIS is the best form of money for bad guys… I’m buying Ethereum… — Stephen McBride

9. Reviving Real Estate to Demolish the Housing Crisis with Scott Clark

Scott Clark is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The True Life Companies. The True Life Companies (TTLC) connects people of vision, property owners, investment partners, and municipalities, to generate and implement innovative solutions to our housing crisis. — Power Your Advice

10. Navigating Uncertainty: Four Key Strategies for Financial Firms To Thrive in 2023 and Beyond

If there’s one thing the financial industry can’t tolerate it’s uncertainty. While firms can develop strategies to mitigate or hedge against risk, it’s the uncertainty of being stuck in the middle that is distinctly unwelcome. From economic instability to stock market volatility, political wranglings or the war in Europe—not knowing which direction to head or what’s going to happen next leaves many in the industry watching and waiting. In such an unpredictable world, how are firms to find a foothold to move forward and succeed in such a changing environment? — Will Casserly

11. Understanding the 5 Money Personalities

Trust between financial advisors and their clients is essential. When dealing with something as important as another person’s future—not to mention their current livelihood—success is impossible without a trusting relationship. — Taylor Kovar