A lot of professionals feel like they have to keep their work life completely separate from their personal life. If you’re one of those professionals, you’re not alone! And for a long time, that was true. But now the truth is that more and more professionals are choosing to do business with people they have a personal relationship with. People want to work with people they know, like, and trust. This has never been more true than it is today. And the best way to help people get to know you … [Read more...]
Becoming Your CPAs Best Quarterback
John Elway. Brett Favre. Peyton Manning. Tom Brady. Even if you've never watched a game of football in your life, you've probably heard at least one of those names (after all, who hasn’t seen one of Peyton’s commercials?) These are 4 of the best quarterbacks to play the game, ever. But what makes them great quarterbacks? And what the heck does this have to do with you, a financial advisor? I’m so glad you asked. Today we’re going to take a few pointers from the pros and help you become … [Read more...]
How To Make More Money Through Continuing Education
As a tax professional, you know you’re required to take continuing education classes. License renewal requirements vary by state and all of them call for a certain number of technical study hours. The problem is, while those technical study hours may help you keep up to date on tax-related issues, very few (if any), actually help you make more money. I’m going to take a leap here and assume you didn’t start your tax practice simply because you love numbers and you think the IRS is all that. … [Read more...]
7 Tips From The NFL For Building Strategic Alliances
Every year, before stepping foot on the field, every NFL team spends hours (yes, really) going over their playbook. Each team member studies and studies each play until they know every single one by heart. When the team huddles and the quarterback calls the play, every player immediately knows exactly where he’s supposed to be and which direction he needs to move after the ball is snapped. The quarterback knows when to pass left and when to throw long and every receiver knows exactly … [Read more...]
5 Technology Trends You Need To Be Aware Of
It’s the most wonderful time of the year... Anybody else remember that commercial? If you’re a parent, you know what Staples was talking about. It’s August. Summer is coming to an end. You’re shopping for new clothes, shoes, and supplies, and you’re counting the days until your kids get on that bus and go back to school. As important as this time of year is for your kids - meeting new teachers, reuniting with friends they haven’t seen since June, getting back into “learning” mode - it’s just … [Read more...]
Financial Planning for Lawyers
As a financial advisor, you probably work with people across a ton of different professions, right? From lawyers and doctors to business owners and CEOs, your title and your reputation can get you in the door with just about anyone. But once you’re in the door, what are you bringing to the table that they couldn’t get from another financial advisor? A lawyer may need different services than a doctor, who may need different services than a business owner. Are you catering your … [Read more...]
Financial Planning For The Medical Profession
This month we’re taking a closer look at a few types of people who frequently hire financial advisors, and how to take their unique needs into consideration when working on their financial planning. Today we’re going to talk about financial planning for medical professionals. Just like with lawyers and those planning for business succession, there are a lot of things to consider. First, you’ll need to keep in mind that the annual salary of doctors varies a lot depending on their specialty. … [Read more...]
3 Ways To Get More CPAs To Refer You
Financial advisors tend to see the relationship between advisors and CPAs as strategic, well-balanced and win-win. From your vantage point, you’re bringing value to the relationship by providing your services. And the CPA is bringing value to it when they refer you to their clients. Unfortunately, CPAs don’t usually see things the same way. The reality is, CPAs often view forming a professional relationship with a financial advisor to have little to no benefit to them. From their perspective, … [Read more...]
How To Make Your Relationships With CPAs Stronger
The average CPA firm services over 800 clients each year. Typically, advisors want to build relationships with a CPA with the hope of being introduced to those clients. But the reality is, most of these relationships produce less than 10 introductions each year (yes, really). Is it worth the time you invest into that relationship for just a handful of introductions each year? What if you could get more than that? It’s possible. You just have to get a little creative. Typically, the … [Read more...]
How To Eliminate The Rivalry With CPAs
Financial services companies have been competing with CPAs in the accounting and tax business for years. Many CPAs are or are in the process of becoming licensed investment advisors. As a Financial Advisor, you may find yourself avoiding a CPA who list financial services or specialty insurance licenses on their websites. It's easy to assume that the “most trusted advisor” badge automatically goes to those whose title includes those 3 little letters. This week I’d like to focus on why things … [Read more...]
