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1. All-Time Market Highs Fueling Advisors’ Anxiety
The seemingly endless nearly-13-year bull market has engendered for many financial advisors a growing, uneasy feeling that has been known to develop into a downright anxiety over where to invest clients’ money. This concern can lead some to employ defensive strategies that may drag on performance as equity markets continue their climb. This sets up performance-related questions from clients, and a vicious cycle of investment anxiety continues. — Bill Hortz
2. 40% Of The Bull Market Is Due Solely To Buybacks
What If I told you that 40% of the bull market rally over the last decade was from buybacks alone? That may not be as crazy as it sounds. We previously discussed the misuse and abuse of stock buybacks over the last decade. Such is not surprising given the low interest rate environment. But, as we now know, there is a point where low rates deter economic activity. Companies become unwilling to “invest” due to the low return environment. — Lance Roberts
3. Five Entry Points into the HNW Community
You’ve bought into the logic the best way to get HNW clients is to become part of their world and raise your visibility. You also agree, generally speaking, once people achieve a level of financial success, they get more involved in their local community. How do you get this to work to your advantage? — Bryce Sanders
4. What Separates the Best Advisors From the Rest
Over the last 18 months the best advisors have separated themselves from the rest, but how did they do it? In this episode, Duncan MacPherson is joined by Chris Jeppesen of First Trust. They discuss what they’ve seen in the last 18 months, and what the best advisors and teams have done to separate themselves from their competitors. They also touch on what separates the best wholesalers from the rest. — Duncan MacPherson
5. How to to Become a Highly Referable Advisor
Most financial advisors find it difficult to ask for referrals. That we know because less than 11 percent even bother to ask. Maybe that small cadre of advisors knows something the other 89 percent don’t—that nearly three-quarters of high-net-worth clients say they would refer friends or colleagues if their advisors asked. That’s quite a disconnect, so I’m wondering if there is something else going on that’s preventing advisors from tapping this precious and obvious source of new clients. — Don Connelly
6. 5 Reasons Why Hiring A Financial Advisor Marketing Agency Is A Bad Idea
Most financial advisors aren’t natural marketers. But this idea that you can outsource your marketing to someone else and have everything be unicorns and rainbows is a pipe dream. Here’s why. — James Pollard
7. Infrastructure Digitalization Accessible with New ETF
Among the many investment themes clients are likely curious about this year is infrastructure and it's easy to understand why that's the case. Infrastructure has been the epicenter of political debate since the start of the year and while there's bipartisan support for President Biden's infrastructure proposal, final approval of that legislation is being hindered by highly partisan wrangling over another, significantly larger spending package. — Todd Shriber
8. How Advisors Can Talk About Referrals
What if you could monitor your client’s emotions as you spoke with them about referrals. Then you could know, word by word, what you say that makes them feel good and what annoys or even angers them. You could try different conversations and learn to say just what makes them feel best and maximizes the likelihood that they will refer. What would you do if someone created a system to measure that? — Stephen Wershing
9. Addressing the Elephant in the Room in Crypto
Regulation is coming to crypto. This is a carved-in-granite, dead certainty. And now’s the time to prepare. Since bitcoin burst onto the scene 13 years ago, crypto has existed in a regulatory gray area. Regulators didn’t know what to make of it. They still don’t. Not only is the government unsure how to regulate crypto. It doesn’t even know who should regulate crypto in the first place. Are cryptos securities, which would fall under the SEC… or are they commodities, which means the CFTC has to get involved? — Stephen McBride
10. What Every Executive Should Know To Grow Their Brand
Professional services firms are always looking for new ways to gain a competitive advantage—but that doesn’t always lead them to offer something new. All too often in the professional services field, you see lots of competition with very little differentiation. Firms claiming distinction, but able to demonstrate very little difference. — Lee Frederiksen
11. Rethink: Advisor, Adviser or Advicer featuring Michael Kitces
As you likely know, the financial services business is changing in the way advice is delivered to clients, so this begs the question, is a professional’s identity best defined by being a “financial advisor, adviser, or advicer”? In this episode, Adam Holt & Derek Notman invite the renowned Michael Kitces to the Rethink Tank to debate professional identity, practice investments and regulation given the direction of the profession. — Adam Holt & Derek Notman