Tag Archives: IMPACT Awards

FPPad Bits and Bytes for November 11

I’ve been back in Dallas for a week, but I still have yet to review and edit my notes from Schwab IMPACT 2011. Soon I hope to have two or three new updates on my feedback from conference breakout sessions, but consulting, new content development, and family obligations take precedence. Still, I’ve kept my pulse on the wires this week for the best in technology stories for financial advisers.

First, if you have a website, but are wondering what you can do to take it to the next level and convert visitors to clients, read this month’s column on Morningstar Advisor, How Marketing Automation Can Accelerate Client Growth.

All the major media outlets were on site at Schwab IMPACT 2011, so there were a number of stories released this week regarding related announcements. Most of them were good, but in this case, video content did a better job of addressing what the custodian is doing with its technology platform for advisers than print.

Here are two video updates from Schwab IMPACT worth viewing, one from InvestmentNews’s Davis Janowski interviewing Neesha Hathi and a second from James J. Green’s AdvisorOne, also interviewing Neesha Hathi.

Advisor Tested: Arkovi expands and archives a firm’s online footprint from RIABiz.com

[As an adviser in a regulated industry, you can’t tweet, post to Facebook, or interact on LinkedIn if it’s related to your business unless you archive and supervise your records. One tool that facilitates your compliance obligations is Arkovi, and Judy Messina gives a good rundown in this RIABiz Advisor Tested story.] As registered investment advisors flock to Twitter, Facebook and other social-media sites to establish themselves as thought leaders and connect with customers and other investment professionals, storing and keeping track of tweets, posts and other content for compliance purposes can seem like an exercise in herding cats.

And in related news, I think you might care a little bit about what might happen with the future of regulatory examinations for investment advisers.

Let RIAs Foot Their Own Examination Bill, Report Says from FA-Mag.com

[In a report commissioned by TD Ameritrade Institutional, Georgetown University finance professor James J. Angel proposed that RIAs should pay for their own periodic compliance examinations conducted by an outside third party. There’s merit to this idea, as RIAs who take custody of client assets today must subject themselves to (and pay for) a surprise audit by an independent public accountant that is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).] Instead of the Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) examining RIA firms, the firms themselves should foot the bill for their own periodic compliance examination by using an outside body.

 

Live from IMPACT® 2011: What sets Schwab IMPACT Award winners apart?

Firms selected for growth, technology innovations, and dedication to the profession.

Bernie Clark, Executive Vice President of Schwab Advisor Services, greeted a crowd of nearly 4,000 in the Moscone Center this morning to announce the 2011 Schwab IMPACT Award winners.

Click here to view each video of award winners on the ImpactAwards website.

2011 Pacesetter Award

This year’s winner is Green Square Capital of Memphis, TN. They were cited for their 30%+ annual growth rate, successes in linking workflow to their service platform, and commitment to strategic planning

In a highlight video, Co-CEOs Steven Sansom and Darrell Horn discussed their use of employee scorecards, posted on each employee’s desk that can be reviewed anytime for progress and updates on personal and professional development.

In addition, Sansom and Horn talked about their “Client Delights” service, which represent a variety of non-financial “wow factors” the firm strives to deliver to clients to reach beyond traditional investment and financial planning services.

2011 Best-in-Business award

This year, there is no separated award given for technology innovation. Now, the award is wrapped inside the Best-in-Business award, and this year’s winner is Brudros, Ruhlin & Roe, Inc. of Columbus, OH. Peggy Ruhlin, James Budros, and Dan Roe offered one takeaway on what their firm is doing to manage its back office infrastructure and technology.

Brudros, Ruhlin & Roe decided to make technology a client, citing that technology previously didn’t get the attention it deserved. So treating technology as if it were a client of the firm, advisors treated every meeting, every dollar, and every idea as being just as important as the work the firm does for clients.

2011 Leadership award

This year’s Leadership award was presented to Richard Stone, CEO of Private Ocean. Stone was part of the first graduating class of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(TM) certificants in the early 70’s and authored the young organization’s first Code of Ethics.

Stone’s commitment to the education of young professionals and service on local education boards, including San Jose State University and UC Berkeley, exemplifies his dedication to the future of the profession and demonstrates his role as a leader in the industry.

Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners, and later on in the conference, I hope to deliver some of the best practices they highlight that helped each of them achieve such distinguished recognition.

Schwab IMPACT Award® Nomination Deadline Approaching

ImpactIn the event that you have not been contacted by Schwab, 2008 IMPACT Award® nominations can be made through June 13.

Nominations for firms can be submitted by visiting the following link: http://www.impactawards.schwab.com/

IMPACT Awards are available for three categories: Best-in-Business, Best-in-Tech, and Pacesetter Award.

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