Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” – this week’s edition kicks off with the news that a recent survey indicates that 70% of affluent financial advisory clients who believe their advisor is always obligated to act as a fiduciary indicated they are satisfied with their relationship and aren’t seeking out a new advisor, while only 41% of clients who believe their advisor may put their own interests first indicated they are satisfied with their relationship. Which suggests that, amidst ongoing debate over fiduciary-related regulations, an advisor’s status as a fiduciary could both lead to greater client trust (both in their individual advisor relationship and perhaps in the financial advice industry as a whole) and, ultimately, higher client retention rates.
Also in industry news this week:
A recent survey indicates that younger “DIY” investors are more likely to be interested in working with a human advisor than their older counterparts, suggesting an opportunity for advisors to tap into this demographic (perhaps by setting minimum planning fees that ensure these clients can be served profitably today while they grow their assets over time)
While a full repeal of the estate tax has the support of key Republicans in Congress, a (more limited) extension of the current exemption level could end up being part of major tax legislation expected this year, given the budgetary tradeoffs involved
From there, we have several articles on retirement planning:
Research into how “sequence of return risk” tends to decline over time, particularly for clients who make it through their first five years of retirement with investment gains in their portfolio
How using a “bucket” approach to building a retirement portfolio can help manage sequence risk and give clients greater confidence that their retirement spending needs will be met
Why rebalancing is a key element of ensuring sustainable retirement income, whether an advisor uses a ‘total return’ or ‘bucketing’ approach to portfolio management
We also have a number of articles on advisor marketing:
How advisors can use images, audio, and text found online in their own content without running afoul of copyright laws
Why video content can be particularly effective in helping advisors connect with their ideal target clients and best practices for creating videos that will attract viewers
A six-step process to creating and distributing blog content to maximize its reach
We wrap up with three final articles, all about getting better sleep:
A recent study provides an additional data point connecting low-quality sleep to potential negative health effects
How to arrange a bedroom to promote better sleep throughout the night, from bed positioning to managing the amount of light that enters the room
Seven common assumptions about sleep and why they might be counterproductive to a good night’s rest
Enjoy the ‘light’ reading!
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