All major corporations and non-profits have a board of directors and no matter what size your practice, so should you. Whether you are just starting out as a new advisor or are an "old hand," growing and managing an advisory practice is a challenge. Leveraging the experience of other successful professionals through an advisory board is a great way to help grow your business. An advisory board gives you access to fresh perspectives and creates an accountability structu
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Practice Tip - Grow your Business Using an Advisory Board
August 1, 2018Why if you don't have a succession plan, you are putting your business at risk
August 1, 2018Previously we discussed how only a small percentage of financial advisors have a retirement plan. So it isn’t surprising that most advisors also do not have a succession plan. What’s the difference between the two plans and why is it important?A retirement plan is a personal financial plan with the goal of how to accumulate the assets needed to stop working. A succession plan is a business-focused plan concentrating on two things: how the business can be best prepare
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Getting Things Done - Organize for Success
August 1, 2018It's that time of year when many people look back on the past year and wish they had been more organized and had gotten more done. It seems that we are all busy, but there is a difference between being busy and actually getting things done. So how can you get organized so that you are both effective and efficient?I have investigated and used at a lot of time management and calendar systems over the years, but they never seemed to work for me until I read Getting Things Don
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Practice Tip - Energize your Business
August 1, 2018We all know that staying in touch with existing clients and reaching out to new potential clients is important. Yet in my experience most advisors have no systematic plan for doing so. Ours is an event driven business. Most people seek out an advisor when change happens in their lives. They get a new job, lose a job or start a new business. They have a new child or a child is getting set to go off to college. When a life event does occur, how does someone select an advisor?
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The cobbler's children go unshod
August 1, 2018Look up the title of this post and you will find that it means the cobbler spends so much time looking after his customers’ needs that he has no time for his children’s. I talk with a lot of advisors and I know something similar can happen in our own practices. If you are good in this business it is usually because you like helping people. You give them great service and take care of their needs.
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The power of a handwritten note
August 1, 2018When was the last time you actually received a handwritten note or letter? What was the experience when you opened the envelope? Were you curious, interested, and engaged? And after you read the note did you feel appreciated or acknowledged? Did you appreciate the time someone spent to make sure you felt special? Handwritten notes are wonderful things.Handwritten notes not only make the recipient feel good (which is important), but more importantly something happens to you when
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A Best Practice - It's Showtime
August 1, 2018I have been fortunate to work with a lot of advisors over the past 25 years, and I have been able to identify some of the behaviors that separate the great ones from the not so great. One practice which is so often overlooked is presentation practice and role play.To use a theater analogy, how many actors without practice would simply walk out on the stage to give a presentation, probably a really bad one?
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What would you rather be, a dolphin or a shark?
August 1, 2018Sharks and dolphins look fairly similar, but oh are they different. The dolphin is a social animal and they are most often found in the company of others. They are intelligent and hunt using highly coordinated efforts that produce great results. On the other hand, the shark is usually a solitary animal, and constantly on the move. They are opportunistic hunters and are usually on the hunt for their next meal.Of course both dolphins and sharks have been film stars.
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Welcome to our new Website!
August 1, 2018Thank you for taking a few minutes to visit our enhanced website. We worked diligently on a new design, updated content, news feeds, updated photos and new videos. Thanks to our friends at The Visualab, we can now provide an updated, more vibrant, navigationally friendly and engaging website. This will not be stagnant, and there is still work to be done. Please take some clicks around and let us know what you think. Feedback is greatly appreciated via the 'Contact Us' page, or by calling
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