Archive | July, 2010

Rebalancing Software Update in Financial Planning Magazine

Posted on July 29, 2010 by in Compliance, Software

Yes, FPPad has been very quiet for the month of July. We’re working hard behind the scenes managing consulting projects for clients, caring for my 16-month-old son, and authoring contributions to trade magazines and journals.

On the authoring front, I want to share a column I wrote for the August issue of Financial Planning magazine. Titled Better Balance, I highlight the trend of increased use of rebalancing software programs, but also address how these programs help with a firm’s fiduciary obligation to treat all clients fairly and equitably.

Click here to read Better Balance at Financial-Planning.com.

I hope you enjoy the column, and feel free to leave feedback in the comments below.

The Standard® Webinar Series Replay on Productivity Now Available

Posted on July 15, 2010 by in Efficiency

The replay for the webinar I did on productivity for The Standard® Webinar Series is now available. I hope you enjoy the replay and take away a few tips on how you can get the most out of each workday.

Click here to visit The Standard® Webinar Series page and view the replay (63 minutes). It’s free!

Get Productivity Tips in The Standard Webinar Series

Posted on July 7, 2010 by in General

If posts seem a bit infrequent on FPPad, it’s because I’ve been busy preparing new content for a variety of sources (including my monthly technology column for Morningstar Advisor).

Also, I finished updating a presentation on productivity tips oriented to financial advisors. I’m presenting these tips during a webinar presented by The Standard.

The FREE webinar is this Thursday, July 8 at 12PM ET, 9AM PT (sorry for the late notice).

Click here to view The Standard Webinar Series page and my presentation titled Productivity Tips: How to Get More Done.

I hope you will join me on Thursday and I trust you’ll get a least two or three tips to help you work more efficiently and effectively to get more done for your clients.

AUM Billing Revisited: You’re Working Harder For Less

Posted on July 1, 2010 by in Practice Management

Nearly two years ago I wrote this FPPad post about the need for advisers to abandon the AUM fee model. No thanks to another dismal quarter in the stock market, I’m again finding myself thinking about this topic.

For the second quarter of 2010, the Dow fell 10 percent, the S&P 500 lost 12 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 12 percent (and some portfolios may need rebalancing). But guess what? The amount of service you delivered to clients didn’t decrease. If you bill based on AUM, you’re going to take about a 10 percent cut in revenue compared to the first quarter (unless you were one of the lucky ones who sold in May to go away).

For many of you, why are you willing to accept less revenue for sustaining, or even increasing, the services you provide?

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