Fidelity Charitable, the custodian and discount brokerage’s donor advised fund, has launched a new program to teach advisors how to develop philanthropic strategies for clients. The firm's new Charitable Planning Practice Management program will be offered through the Fidelity Charitable University.
At the start of the program, experts will help identify the needs of participating advisors and place advisors into appropriate workshops and webinars, where they may be able to earn continuing education credits. To help advisors put into practice what they learn, Fidelity Charitable makes available an advisor council, which acts like a charitable planning consultant, as well as additional resources, such as client guides, advisor guides, case studies and charitable planning calculators.
One goal of the program is to make charitable giving more accessible.
“As financial advisors, we should be focused on how to give our clients holistic advice that covers all their financial objectives, including philanthropy,” said Jon Jones, CEO of Brighton Jones, a wealth management firm based in Seattle that has participated in the program. “I’ve found that some of the most important conversations I have with clients are about how they can provide support for the causes they care most about.”
Charitable planning can also help advisors engage with the next generation of clients, Fidelity says.
“With up to 27 percent of the $30 trillion [of wealth owned by North American baby boomers] expected to transfer from the boomer generation to their heirs by 2026, charitable planning, as part of holistic wealth management, is a significant client need,” said Krystal Kiley, vice president of relationship and practice management at Fidelity Charitable. “Advisors who incorporate this into their client conversations will differentiate themselves and earn the trust of the next generation.”
