Understanding and Communicating an Advisor’s Value

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” —H. P. Lovecraft (1927) The studies have it wrong There are two types of studies that explore the value that advisors provide to their clients. The first examines the various tasks an advisor … Read More

Work With Your Clients, Not Your Portfolios

You only have so many hours in the day. How are you going to spend them? Here are some facts that might help you decide: Shown below are the returns of the S&P 500 Index for the last 25 years, over various time periods ending June 30, 2023. Both cumulative and annualized returns are presented. … Read More

What Not to Do When Clients Freak Out

I can tell what the investment environment is just by looking at the emails that get caught in my “junk” file. The detritus there lately tells me it’s grim.

Understanding Direct Indexing

Direct indexing portfolios are broadly diversified portfolios of individual stocks that are personalized to meet the needs, values, and preferences of an investor.

Helping Clients Understand Inflation

Experts disagree about whether the current rise in inflation is temporary or will be with us for an extended period. Either way, your clients have questions that need answers.

Ignore the Gurus and Educate Your Clients

It’s guru season again. Every year we drown in predictions from the so-called gurus about how the markets and the economy will perform in the coming year.

The Ticking TAMP Timebomb

Soon – within the next two years – the SEC will wake up and start holding financial advisors who use TAMPs to the same fiduciary standards they hold them to in selecting mutual funds, ETFs, and other investment products. When it does, many advisors will be in trouble.

When You Buy Cryptocurrency, You Own Nothing

Cryptocurrency is being repositioned to be more palatable to financial advisors and their clients. If you believe it is in your clients’ best interest to make an allocation to cryptocurrency, make sure they understand the nature of the asset they are buying.