11 Most Read Articles of the Week!

1. How to Drastically Improve Your New Client Meeting Outcomes

Humans are hard-wired to anchor themselves to specific outcomes, benefits or results. When you’re able to have an initial discussion about these deeply felt aspirations and desires, it provides a much stronger basis for the value of advice than some comparison of returns against an arbitrary index fund benchmark. — Stewart Bell

2. The Myth of the Perfect Investment

If building a sustainable bond portfolio sounds tidy and straightforward, it isn’t. The auto industry illustrates the difficulty of finding a perfectly sustainable private sector investment. General Motors and Ford Motor have made significant commitments to building out their electric vehicle lines in recent years. Electric vehicles are responsible for about 65% less greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered cars annually. — Erin Bigley

3. Fortunes Will Be Made as Panic-Selling Triggers Bear Market

Fears about possible recessions have tanked stock markets around the world amid reports that the U.S. Federal Reserve – the world’s most influential central bank - could raise interest rates by as much as 0.75% on Wednesday, which would be its biggest single hike for nearly 30 years. There’s huge uncertainty right now – which markets loathe – and this, of course, is creating mass anxiety amongst investors. — Nigel Green

4. The Value of Advice

Downward pressure on fees is one of the biggest challenges facing financial advisors today. Increased competition, the race to zero on trading costs, and the emergence of digital (or “robo”) advice platforms have converged to fl ood the market with inexpensive options, and prompted many advisors to consider whether they need to defend, justify, or even reduce their fees. — Axos Advisor Services

5. Social Security Has a Problem

When President Roosevelt first enacted social security in 1935, the intention was to serve as a safety net for the elderly. However, at that time, life expectancy was roughly 60-years of age. Therefore, expectations were that participants would not be drawing on social security for very long from an actuarial basis. Furthermore, roughly 16-workers paid into social security for each welfare participant. — Lance Roberts

6. A 15 Step Plan For Creating Constant Referrals

The best way to generate constant referrals is by having “centers of influence” delivering qualified and interested prospects to you regularly. To do this successfully – especially with a number of COI’s – there 15 steps you have to work through. — Tony Vidler

7. How to Go From $500K Revenue to 1 Million as a Financial Advisor

How do you go from where you are now, to where you want to be? How can financial advisors generating $500k of income get to one million-plus revenue? I will give you a hint. It’s not about time management. It is also not about products or services. It’s about your path to success, are you on it? — Grant Hicks

8. Income Galore to Be Found Overseas

Interest rates are rising in the U.S., but the yield of 3% of on 10-year Treasuries isn’t as enticing as it seems because it arrived there by way of falling bond prices and with more rate hikes to come, Treasuries just aren’t worth the trouble, low risk as they supposedly may be. — Todd Shriber

9. The CMO Series – Drivers of Revenue: Mary Ellen Dugan

Mary Ellen Dugan is the CMO at Envestnet, a company whose mission is to empower advisors and financial service providers with innovative technology, solutions and intelligence to make financial wellness a reality for everyone. In today’s episode, Doug and Mary Ellen talk about what it truly means to be a chief marketing officer. — Permission to Succeed

10. How Saying ‘No’ Can Create New Opportunities in Your Business

Do you know that feeling when you take on too much at once and feel like you’re spinning a million plates that could fall and break any second? — Deirdre Van Nest

11. Why “Goldilocks” Stocks Will Define This Decade…

Every decade has one …one defining trade…During which a specific group of stocks dominates for years and years… handing out a steady stream of big gains to investors. In the 1950s, it was European stocks during the post-World War II rebuild. You could have made a fortune betting on the companies that helped repair the damage the war had done. — Justin Spitter