Wachovia Securities' takeover of 120-year-old A.G. Edwards is a big deal a surprising deal, even. But not just because with 14,784 FAs and $1.147 trillion in client assets it creates the third-largest brokerage after Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney...
Of the many tasks you manage, the toughest to master may be your face-to-face interactions with clients. The highlight of the day for some advisors, it is the most confusing and opaque of jobs for many others. Either way, poor client communication...
Remember when Chevy Chase used to wrap up the Weekend Update faux-news segment of Saturday Night Live with the line, I'm Chevy Chase and you're not? David Swensen, the manager of the Yale University endowment, has posted such consistently strong...
What does integrity have to do with superior portfolio performance? A lot, say researchers in a study released in May, which found that advisors who demonstrate high levels of moral and emotional competency outperformed the S&P 500 by 73 percent...
Registered Rep.: Best business move? Matthew MacMichael: Buying the company I worked for. It put me in the driver's seat to make sensible decisions for our corporate future. RR: The longest day you ever worked? MM: September 11th. I got in early...
Even smart investors make foolish choices. In their search for hot returns, mutual fund shareholders often buy near the market peak. Then after experiencing big losses, the same shareholders sell near the trough. One of the most notable examples...
Before you start a new b/d or RIA before you sign a lease or write a check you must consider the Dreaded Ds: Death, Disability, Disqualification and Divorce. Here are some important things to keep in mind. DEATH No one likes to contemplate his or...
Tampa: I feel that we're continually asked to cull the bottom of our book, says Sean. But what do you consider to be the ideal number of clients for a 21st Century financial advisor? Sean was honing into the heart of what has become an essential...
My client has money with me, refers clients to me, and quite frankly, is a great friend of mine. His wife has given me a million to invest for her. Only, she has kept this money separate from him; it was an inheritance from her mother. He keeps...
There are always a couple of snags when you're switching firms. Fortunately, most obstacles are not as intractable as they might seem. Here are a few cases where patience, negotiation and creativity paid off: Problem-Client Ownership: Brad, a...
