Planning and Advice

Labour links, labour laws and HR advice

(June 2007) Creating a set of human resources policies for your practice is no mean feat but the task is not impossible. A methodical approach and knowledge of a few basic ground rules can help. To get started, click here to read Advisor.ca’s Strategic Coach column by Shannon Waller and Alexandra McLean on developing an […]

By Kate McCaffery, Sarah Murphy |June 25, 2007

2 min read

Planning and Advice

Add value — educate your clients

(June 2007) It doesn’t take a psychologist to interpret the look in your client’s face but that nod of agreement could be coming from a client with a CFA who understands the topic just as well as you do, or it could be coming from a client who barely understands what you are talking about. […]

By Tom Hamza |June 15, 2007

4 min read

Planning and Advice

Exit planning: How much is your practice worth?

There is no hard rule of thumb or magic formula that can be used to value a practice and typical valuation guidelines can be simplistic and fail to produce a realistic market value for the average financial services practice. Understanding the factors that drive the value of a financial services practice, however, is an important part of increasing short-term and long-term profitability.

By Cindy Jenner Cowan |June 14, 2007

5 min read

Planning and Advice

Information advantages

(June 2007) Most financial professionals don’t think too much about the information that crosses their desks. Sometimes it’s useful. Often it’s distracting. But it’s always there. And that’s about as much time as we ever spend thinking about it. Truth be told, however, information is a key component of the successful wealth management practice. Professionals […]

By Thane Stenner, Rod Bower, Rory O'Connor |June 7, 2007

5 min read

Making referrals work

(May 2007) Referrals are the gold standard when it comes to finding new clients, but most advisors are missing the mark — trust is paramount, and advisors have a long way to go before they earn it. This is the message Dan Richards, president of Strategic Imperatives, brought to those gathered at the Mackenzie University […]

By Mark Noble |May 7, 2007

4 min read

Legally speaking: TPAs — helpful product or potential nightmare?

(May 2007) For many insurance advisors who cater to business owners, third-party administrative, self-insured employee benefits (TPAs) are becoming an increasingly attractive product to add to the lineup or arsenal of suggestions. In this evolving area of client service, TPAs, using an administrative services only (ASO) model with stop-loss provisions, are often presented as an […]

6 min read

Exit planning: Knowing what you want

It’s true that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The trouble is you can journey in the wrong direction entirely if you don’t know where you are going. Successful exit planning begins with careful consideration of what you want and what's possible. First there is a list of practical and emotional questions to consider.

5 min read

Understanding the boomer mindset

(April 2007) Baby boomers know precisely how to secure their retirement: save more (way more!), invest wisely, and perhaps consult a professional advisor. The problem is 31% of U.S. boomers would rather scrub their bathrooms than work on their financial plans, says Lee Eisenberg, author of The Number, a current bestseller about retirement planning. Eisenberg, […]

By Deanne Gage |April 27, 2007

3 min read

Court report: Advisor Inc. pitfalls

(April 2007) Financial advisors who use a personal corporation to run their practice need to ensure that they are meticulous when structuring their business affairs, to make sure that the corporation, not the advisor in his or her own personal capacity, is actually in the business of providing financial advice. This issue was highlighted by […]

April 25, 2007

3 min read