Planning and Advice

Odd lots

Failure, it is said, is of uncertain paternity, while victory has many parents. In the midst of a severe financial crisis, blame seeks a ready target. And yet, every financial crisis has a pattern that unfolds with predictable excesses, villains and scapegoats. If you canvass people who are distant from financial services, invariably they will […]

By Scot Blythe |April 29, 2009

3 min read

Dealing with client complaints

There’s a particular advisor I’ll always remember. He said to me: “Keith, I tell every client the same story, and I want to share it with you.” He held up his right hand and asked me to pick a finger. Confused, I looked at him but decided to play along, hoping he wouldn’t ask me […]

By Keith Pangretitsch |April 16, 2009

4 min read

The “new” wealth advisor — from transaction to transition

An advisor friend of mine decided not long ago that he was no longer going to sit back and feel paralyzed by the markets. His firm put out a “buy” list of companies that were trading at exceptional values, and he felt that he could generate some activity by phoning all of his clients to […]

By Barry LaValley |April 16, 2009

5 min read

Avoiding liability (Part 3): Your KYC process and other tools

The Know Your Client (KYC) process is commonly misunderstood. In general, the misunderstanding is born of the financial advisory and planning services’ history of being purely sales driven before it turned into a true profession. The misunderstanding is easily corrected, and should be, since correction is likely to result in more effective client communications, improved […]

By Harold Geller |April 7, 2009

6 min read