1. Not Sure Where To Invest? Follow the $1.2 Trillion Money Trail
When this “investor” pumps billions of dollars into an industry, pay attention… Follow the $1.2 trillion money trail… A great way to profit from this megatrend. — Stephen McBride
2. What Do HNW Individuals Want in an Advisory Relationship?
It is not all about price. When businesses by supplies or raw materials, the purchasing department might put out criteria and see who can provide what they need at the lowest possible price. When mass market investors talk with advisors, they might want to play hardball over fees. Surprisingly, getting the cheapest price is not top of mind for HNW individuals. What do they want? — Bryce Sanders
3. Modernizing Estate Planning for Financial Advisors
Having a holistic financial business model and product/servicing offering can be a very competitive and engaging way to grow your business, but it requires you to become “proficient” in areas beyond investment management, like estate planning. Becoming the primary point of contact for client needs and goals squarely positions you to be able to differentiate and place yourself in the minds of prospects and clients, not just as an investment manager but as a wide-ranging trusted advisor. — Bill Hortz
4. Goal Setting: Not Just About the Numbers. It’s About Emotional Connections
Goal setting is the second step of the client data-gathering process — unquestionably the most critical step in solidifying the client relationship and the key to setting your clients up for success. Beyond offering the technical expertise to help clients navigate the complex realm of financial planning, the most valuable service financial advisors bring to the table is helping them align the use of their resources with the things that are most important to them. — Don Connelly
5. Integrating Home Equity into Retirement Planning
Advisors aren’t real estate agents, but they frequently engage in conversations with clients about residential real estate. Generally speaking, the bulk of those chats focus on saving for a home, strategies for getting the best mortgage rates and estate planning regard to whom the property will be bequeathed. — Todd Shriber
6. Monetary Support Suggests Bear Market Is Possibly Over
Could massive monetary support have softened the deep bear market many expected? It is an interesting question. Particularly given the Fed has hiked rates at one of the most aggressive paces in history. Combined with inverted yield curves, surging debt levels, and weak economic data, a recession and bear market seem assured. — Lance Roberts
7. How to Surf the Sleep Creep Leap Wave of Building Client Relationships
Building client relationships for a high-end advisory business is pretty much the same: you keep getting to know and help the right people and eventually those relationships blossom. The challenge is that we get frustrated when prospects are in the sleep and creep stages—it’s too tempting to decide further nurturing isn’t worth the effort. — Rochelle Moulton
8. Investors Only Have Eyes for Cash
If you are starting to have a case of déjà vu around the current debt ceiling negotiations, you are not alone. In 2011, markets were relatively flat during the year before Congress and the White House (temporarily) buried the hatchet with the passage of the Budget Control Act on August 2, 2011. — Brian Clark
9. Velocity and Money Supply: Inflation’s Dance Partners
Most people think the nation’s money supply is the sole cause of inflation. They fail to realize inflation has two equal dance partners. The money supply and the velocity of the money supply dance hand in hand to determine the rate of inflation. — Michael Lebowitz
10. Who Are Your Most Valuable Clients?
It may seem an obvious question however understanding who the most valuable clients are to a firm is not always as simple as it seems. There is often an innate understanding of who they are however it is often not underpinned by any analysis or hard data. — Tony Vidler
11. 4 Reasons Financial Advisors Can’t Rely on AI To Create Marketing
Technology is truly incredible. It seems not too long ago that we first experienced the powertrip of screaming, “Alexa, turn the heat up to 71!” and now we’re already seeing the amazing capabilities of AI-generated content. Type a prompt into a platform like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and you can watch in awe as a 500-word blog unfolds faster than you can reheat your morning coffee. — Kalli Fedusenko