Investment Advisor January 2010
Cover Story
Cover Story: Reinvention Time
The formula for success offered to investment advisors by a wide range of consultants and experts is to find a small group of high-net-worth, or...
Features
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Delivering Diversification
Despite the widespread acceptance of diversification as an investment benefit, the fact remains that there's never existed a genuine way to actually quantify either its...
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Advisor Exceptionalism
The stress testing endured by advisory firms over the last 18 months yielded an uncomfortable, and at times overwhelming, level of pressure for advisory firm...
Beginnings
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Asset Allocation
Behind the Numbers, with Mark Balasa For Mark Balasa and his colleagues in The Alpha Group the new year rolls in with a combination of positives...
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The ETF Advisor: China ETFs
It's rare that a consensus forms across a wide cross-section of investors. One market view, however, seems indisputable for bulls and bears alike: China will...
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Congress Reaches Year-End Goal
Congress made a mad dash at year-end 2009 to achieve two of its top goals: passing healthcare and financial services reform legislation. As we enter...
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SEC Proposes Two-Year Stay on Rule 151A
The Securities and Exchange Commission on December 8 agreed to a two-year delay of the effective date of Rule 151A, which would require that equity...
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Estate Tax Extended
The House of Representatives passed on December 3 by a vote of 225-200 an estate tax bill, H.R. 4154, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief for...
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Catching Up With...Mike Durbin
There's no doubt that the names of some of the largest firms on Wall Street no longer have the cachet with the investing public that...
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GroupThink
?The Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) has released its 2009 membership profile, produced in collaboration with Cerulli Associates. One notable change is that an increase...
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Changes
? Vanguard President and CEO F. William McNabb, III will succeed John J. Brennan as Chairman of the $1.3 trillion investment management company and the...
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Upgrades
Fidelity said it had helped a record number of brokers 185 individuals and teams--transition to some form of independence through November 2009 ...Research Affiliates, whose founder...
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Numerology: Bright Future for Advisor M&A Activity
While merger and acquisitions of RIA firms slowed during the economic downturn, M&A activity among RIA firms is "poised for resurgence, as a new market...
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Editor's Note: The Small Print
You're no doubt familiar with the not-so-funny joke that goes like this: You never want to see sausage, or legislation, being made. As I write...
Columns
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The Affluentialist: The Next Case of Madoff Disease
Even shrewd clients and professionals are susceptible to Madoff disease--that seemingly inexplicable investment flu that stuns its victims into becoming non-questioning believers despite the warning...
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Formulas for Success: Ten Things to Do Now
Each year I identify 10 Big Things that advisors should consider as they develop their long- and short-range assumptions for strategic planning purposes. In the...
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Clark at Large: The Riddle of the CFP Board
With Thanksgiving past and the new year approaching as I write this, it's a perfect time to kick back and contemplate the year that was...
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The Psychology of Advice: The Gift to Be Simple
Remember the early days of your career when you didn't earn as much, own as much, or spend as much as you do now? Were...
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The Fast Track: Where Credit Is Due
It's been quite a year, but it looks like the worst may be over: AUMs are back up to at least healthy levels, you've kept...
Conclusions
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Retirement Planning: Retirement Income a Riddle
Post the economic downturn, one thing is certain: the need for retirement income planning is more important than ever, but building retirement income portfolios for...
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Retirement News
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro said in an early December speech that the Commission will present early next year its recommendations on target date funds. Investors,...
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B/D Briefing: Alignment Time
In late September 2009, Patrick McEvoy changed jobs, moving from the presidency of Multi-Financial Securities, part of the ING broker/dealer network, to become president and...
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BAIS Moves Reps to Merrill
In a surprise move, Banc of America Investment Services (BAIS), Inc., transitioned its registered representatives to Merrill Lynch on October 23, 2009, and then requested...
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Broker/Dealer News
The Insured Retirement Institute, the variable annuity trade group formerly known as NAVA, praised on December 4 SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro's public call for a...
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Insurance Update: Dead to Rights
If clients want to get a settlement for their life insurance policies, or invest in securitization of life insurance settlements, what should you tell them? Jeff...
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Expert's Corner: Acing Financial Aid Planning
Financial aid can make the difference between attending college or not for hundreds of thousands of students. Given these high stakes, it's no wonder that...
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Soapbox: Your Best Resolution for Growth in 2010
Here's an achievable New Year's resolution for advisors who want to build an affluent practice: revamp your marketing. Even as advisors worry about falling profits,...
Sidebar Stories
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It's Just Business
When Scott Hanson talks about Hanson McClain's new venture to serve the middle class, he puts it into a business perspective, and explains why he...
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Ten for 2010
Take these ten digestible steps this year to regain control of your practices and get back on the road to growth. 1. Assess pricing strategy 2. Determine...
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About the Firm
Hanson McClain 3620 Fair Oaks Boulevard Suite 300 Sacramento, California 95864 Phone: 916.979.4077 Fax: 916.483.9661 E-mail: info@hansonmcclain.com Web site: www.moneymatters.com Scott Hanson, CFP, CFS, ChFC Senior partner, founding principal Pat McClain, ChFC Senior partner, founding principal Year...
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The Power of Radio
In the modern world just about every business has a Web site and uses e-mail. Hanson McClain is no different, but the firm also utilizes...
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Who Owns Whom?
Eric Park, an advisor with Steamboat Financial Group in Washington, Missouri, reminded me in a recent e-mail that as we go through life, we accumulate...
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How a Firm Works Best
In my December 2008 column, I talked about how to create real-world job descriptions based on the various tasks that are performed in your firm,...
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The Power of Empathy
The fraud perpetrated by Bernie Madoff and abetted by Ezra Merkin, a money manager and financier, could succeed in part because the "weapons of influence"...
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Evaluating Financial Aid Consultants
There's nothing wrong with charging a fee for providing information and analysis, even if people could find the information on their own. We do it...
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Too Good to Be True
Stuart Egrin, director of regulatory affairs at Invescor, which provides life settlement back office and brokerage services to B/Ds and insurance companies, says that advisors...
Sponsor
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Event Spotlight
Think Retirement Income
October 10-11, 2013
Hyatt Regency, Boston, MA
The Retirement Income Symposium has a fresh, new look…welcome to the new and improved RIA Think Retirement Conference. We’re offering the same top-notch educational and networking opportunities to all RIAs, while still paying special attention to the challenges, and opportunities, of offering retirement incomes advice.
For more information, visit www.thinkretirementincome.com.
Resource Library
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Onward and upward: moving for greater potential opportunity
Our latest research, the 2013 Fidelity Insights on Independence Study, examines trends and experiences among...
Working Smarter: Building and Growing Your Independent Practice
This paper offers the basics of structuring a business, insights into industry best practices, and...
How Investing in an ECM System is Proven to Increase...
This white paper analyzes the ROI that emerging, established, and enterprise RIAs could get from...
Complete Your CFP(R) Certification Education in Only 12 Months
A 2012 survey to determine the earnings growth of CFP® professionals found that advisors with...
Move to a Better Career Opportunity with More Independence
Thinking about switching firms, whether it's for the potential to earn more money or to...
Understand the #1 Alternative Asset for Self-Directed Investors - Real...
Are you prepared to offer innovative alternative investment solutions to your clients and explain the...
Sales & Onboarding - Your Last Chance to Make a...
Start building long-term, loyal clients and advocates today by utilizing the latest research and our...
Complimentary White Paper: "Strategies on Advising Couples"
Grow your practice by rethinking how you view, interact and approach investment decisions when working...
Breaking up is hard to do
Love being a financial advisor? Not getting what you need from your current firm? Hear...
The Best of Both Worlds with Century Securities
Our independent affiliates enjoy the freedom to make important choices and the professional resources of...
Advisor Tools
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