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# Blueleaf

## Posts

- [Blog](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/)
- [What Proactive Client Marketing Actually Looks Like Inside Enterprise RIAs](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-proactive-client-marketing-actually-looks-like-inside-enterprise-rias/) - The concept is straightforward: stop waiting for clients to come to you and start bringing value to them. Here is what that actually looks like inside a $5B enterprise RIA and what it produces in organic growth. From Concept to Practice Most enterprise wealth management firms understand that their existing client base is their most
- [The Client Marketing Engine Your Enterprise RIA Is Missing (and Why It’s Not Your CRM)](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-client-marketing-engine-your-enterprise-ria-is-missing-and-why-its-not-your-crm/) - Enterprise RIAs have invested heavily in tools to manage client data. That includes CRM platforms, portfolio reporting systems, financial planning software, and custodial portals. The modern advisory technology stack is deep, well-integrated, and increasingly sophisticated. And yet, for most enterprise RIA platforms, the answer to a straightforward question remains unsatisfying: how are you proactively marketing
- [You Just Acquired 5 Firms. Do You Know How Their Advisors Are Communicating with Clients?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/you-just-acquired-5-firms-do-you-know-how-their-advisors-are-communicating-with-clients/) - Growth through acquisition is the defining strategy of the modern enterprise RIA. PE-backed platforms are acquiring firms at a pace unthinkable a decade ago, consolidating AUM, adding advisor headcount, and building toward the scale that drives valuation multiples. The deal pipeline is the growth engine. But every acquisition brings something the deal model doesn't fully
- [Off-Channel Communication Is a Billion-Dollar Problem. Is Your Firm Next?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/off-channel-communication-is-a-billion-dollar-problem-is-your-firm-next/) - Regulators have been sending a clear message to the wealth management industry for three years running. The question is whether enterprise RIAs are listening or whether they're assuming the risk belongs to someone else. The Fines That Changed Everything In 2022 and 2023, the SEC and CFTC executed the most significant record-keeping enforcement sweep in
- [Your PE Sponsors Want 20% Growth. Your Client Portal Isn’t Helping](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-pe-sponsors-want-20-growth-your-client-portal-isnt-helping/) - The PE thesis only works if scale unlocks organic growth. The portal at the center of your client experience was never designed to deliver it. When private equity backs an RIA, the investment thesis is rarely a mystery. Buy quality firms, integrate them at scale, drive organic growth, realize the multiple. The model has been
- [Why Your Best Clients Don’t Refer: The Engagement Gap That’s Killing Organic Growth](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-your-best-clients-dont-refer-the-engagement-gap-thats-killing-organic-growth/) - Ask any advisor at any enterprise RIA who their best source of new clients is, and the answer is almost always the same: referrals from existing clients. Then ask how systematically their firm pursues that channel. The silence that follows tells you everything. Referrals are the highest-quality, lowest-cost growth opportunity in wealth management. They convert
- [You’re Spending Millions to Acquire Clients. What Are You Spending to Keep Them?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/youre-spending-millions-to-acquire-clients-what-are-you-spending-to-keep-them/) - Acquiring a new client through M&A costs between 5 and 10 times as much as retaining and growing the one you already have. Their capital allocation tells a completely different story Most enterprise RIA leaders know this math, at least in the abstract. And yet, when you look at where capital actually flows inside a
- [#FinSci: Improving Financial Insight with Working Memory](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/finsci-improving-financial-insight-with-working-memory/) - If I told you that you can train your brain to be quicker, sharper, more insightful would you be interested? We've talked about how good listening skills can make you a better advisor, but strengthening your brain is a skill that is a bit harder to pinpoint. By learning about working memory, being conscious of
- [The Content Management System Built for Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-content-management-system-built-for-financial-advisors/) - I talk to a lot of advisors about their client communication process. The conversation usually goes something like this: "We know we should be creating more content for clients, but honestly? It's a nightmare. Our marketing director spends hours in Canva creating something. Then it sits in compliance for two weeks. By the time we
- [Multi-Channel Magic: How One Piece of Content Reaches Clients Everywhere](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/multi-channel-magic-how-one-piece-of-content-reaches-clients-everywhere/) - Here's a scenario I bet you've lived through: You spend two hours crafting the perfect client newsletter or market commentary. You write it, edit it, and get it compliance-approved. Then you copy-paste it into your email system, manually format it for your website, and try to figure out how to make it look decent on
- [Traditional Client Portals vs. Engagement Platforms: A Complete Comparison](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/traditional-client-portals-vs-engagement-platforms-a-complete-comparison/) - A client portal. You probably have one. Your clients probably ignore it. If you're like most advisors, you've seen the pattern: excited client onboarding, initial login, maybe a second visit to check their balance after a volatile market day, and then... silence. Crickets. The portal sits there, while you continue communicating with clients the old-fashioned
- [90% of Your Clients Never Log Into Your Portal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/90-of-your-clients-never-log-into-your-portal/) - Why 90% of Your Clients Never Log Into Your Portal (And What Actually Works) Here's an uncomfortable question: If you have a client portal and clients don't use it, do you actually have a client experience? I've had this conversation with hundreds of advisors over the past fifteen years. It usually starts the same way.
- [Introducing Blueleaf Engage: The Complete Client Experience Platform](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/introducing-blueleaf-engage-the-complete-client-experience-platform/) - For years, we've heard the same frustration from advisors: "My clients don't use our portal." It's a problem we know intimately. When we founded Blueleaf over a decade ago, we recognized that most client portals sit passively, waiting for clients to log in. And they seldom do. Industry data shows that traditional portal engagement hovers
- [I can run my advisory business from anywhere. Here's how I roll...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/i-can-run-my-advisory-business-from-anywhere-heres-how-i-roll/) - "I Can Work From Anywhere, Man!" My 3-year-old son loves that song Johnny Cash sang called “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man!”, even if he only catches the word “Man!” at the end of each line. I haven’t been everywhere, but I can work anywhere, Man! When my son begs to go to work with his Daddy
- [4 Ways You’re Losing Credibility With Bad Design](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/4-ways-youre-losing-credibility-with-bad-design/) - Advisors aren’t designers (well, most aren't). Yet some have joked with me that you kinda sorta wish you were. It’d be awesome to whip up a snazzy image for your website or format the content of your emails in a visually appealing way. After all, bad design isn’t just embarrassing, it's sending the wrong messages
- [Powerful Tools That Make You a Master at Effective Email](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/powerful-tools-that-make-you-a-master-at-effective-email/) - You send a ton of email. ...Daily correspondence. Client check-ins. Marketing campaigns. Company announcements. The list goes on. And the effectiveness of those emails directly impacts the success of your business. All in all, you'd be A LOT better off if you were an emailing master. Why You're Not an Emailing Master As we all know,
- [How Advisor Dave Grant Retained 100% of his New Clients with Blueleaf](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-advisor-dave-grant-retained-100-of-his-new-clients-with-blueleaf/) - I work hard to improve my growing RIA business. Attracting and retaining new clients is a vital part of this. I test everything I can making decisions based on facts, not just gut feeling. So, while I’m already a Blueleaf customer, I wanted to prove if the investment in Blueleaf was worth it. In other
- [How a Financial Advisor Closed 94% of Prospects](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-a-financial-advisor-closed-94-of-prospects/) - “94%? cough, cough (hand over my mouth) bulls*&t.” Whenever I read titles like this I’m skeptical. Is 94% really an accurate number? It turns out that this claim is true, at least for one Blueleaf user. One of the things I’ve grown to appreciate about the team at Blueleaf is their proactive nature. Every few
- [How High Growth Financial Advisors Attract and Win More Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-high-growth-financial-advisors-attract-and-win-more-clients/) - "What are you doing to grow so fast?" Our Customer Success team always ask high growth advisors this question when we see outsized growth results. A vital part of the Blueleaf service is coaching on how to get the most from the platform. This conversation often spills over into other growth strategies and tactics. We
- [How to Use Video to Make Client Onboarding Less Painful](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-use-video-to-make-client-onboarding-less-painful/) - Is your client onboarding process long and tedious? The chances are it is. Using video may be one way to help streamline things. A client onboarding reality check I just retained my family’s first financial advisor. Experiencing the client onboarding process first hand from a client's perspective was not fun. I’m not putting the advisor
- [Find Out How Blueleaf Automates AUM Growth](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/find-out-how-blueleaf-automates-aum-growth/) - A typical Thursday morning. It’s a typical Thursday morning in New York City as one experienced financial advisor begins his day. He logged into Blueleaf and notices one of his clients’ accounts had doubled. The Advisor sends a quick email to Blueleaf’s service team. “Double-counting of account today… Can you look into it?” He’s left the
- [How an Advisor Grew from $0 to $1.3B AUM](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-an-advisor-grew-from-0-to-1-3b-aum/) - Growing a financial advisory business for scratch is hard. It takes long hours and persistence. Creating a high growth advisory business is even harder. It takes new thinking and outstanding execution to create a service that is much better at meeting client needs than alternatives. Here's how one high growth advisor created his rocket ship. Jason
- [I love doing this...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/i-love-doing-this/) - I love doing this... Even though the management gurus say I shouldn't. They preach delegation. Time management. Strategic focus. But I can't stop reviewing support cases. It's not about micromanagement.It's about connection. With every case, I hear a customer's voice.- I feel their frustration.- I share their triumph. This hands-on approach keeps me grounded.- It
- [Making things simple is hard](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/making-things-simple-is-hard/) - Making things simple is hard. Many promise that they offer wealth managers easy-to-use reporting and client experience with great support. But that voice in your head is telling you to be careful. You know it's tough to do both well. Making something truly simple is much harder than it looks. Anyone who has tried knows
- [A silent killer is hurting your practice](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/a-silent-killer-is-hurting-your-practice/) - A silent killer is hurting your practice. Ignored advice, inconsistent referrals, panicked calls - same cure I spoke with Elizabeth, a seasoned advisor, last week. She reminded me of a problem she used to have. She delivered creative solutions for clients, delivered good returns, and excelled 1:1. She met with them 2x/yr and sent a
- [It's a seductive lie](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/its-a-seductive-lie/) - It's a seductive lie. Companies claiming to excel at everything. You've seen it before. Providers offering a tantalizing bundle:- Portfolio management (reporting, billing, rebalancing)- Client experience- CRM functionality- Even financial planning All wrapped up in one neat package, promising the best of everything. But what's the reality? You endure lengthy implementations, only to find yourself
- [The simple way to get more referrals](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-simple-way-to-get-more-referrals/) - The simple way to get more referrals: (without even having to ask) Almost every advisor, consultant, or coach I talk to wants more referrals more consistently. They grow the business but they are also a sign of strong client satisfaction. So how do you get more of them? Well, let’s start with the most common
- [We haven’t raised our prices since 2014](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/we-havent-raised-our-prices-since-2014/) - We haven’t raised our prices since 2014. And our competitors think we’re crazy… But there's a method to our ‘madness’. Predictable pricing = happier customers. And even though we’ve added mountains of functionality over the last decade… (70+ updates this year alone) We believe the only reason your cost should go up is if you’re
- [Silence...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/silence-2/) - Silence... That is what your clients experience most of the time. You meet with them but then they focus on other things. They are on your newsletter list but only open it sometimes. You are connected to a few on social media but even fewer see your posts. You worry they don't really appreciate what
- [What getting scalded by a hot shower taught me...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-getting-scalded-by-a-hot-shower-taught-me/) - What getting scalded by a hot shower taught me... That experience and 1 book I bought at an airport changed how I see the world. Years ago I got in a new shower and turned on the water. There were no fancy controls so I waited. Still too cold so I turned it up. You
- [I empowered my team but they completely failed](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/i-empowered-my-team-but-they-completely-failed/) - I empowered my team but they completely failed It was because I didn't understand one thing. Here's an example of what I missed. One guy had 20 years experience and 3 years with the company. He really knew how we worked. But he failed miserably on a project despite his "experience" since he had never
- [Want to know how to improve your service or product?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/want-to-know-how-to-improve-your-service-or-product/) - Want to know how to improve your service or product? Innovation is easier than you think… Ask your customers the RIGHT questions. See, if you just ask them "what they want"↳ You will NEVER innovate, ever. You might make tiny improvements to what you already have and sometimes that's ok. But it will never lead
- [How Devin Carroll Built a Thriving Advising Business via YouTube & Podcasts](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-devin-carroll-built-a-thriving-advising-business-via-youtube-podcasts/) - On this episode Join us on the Augmented Advisor as we chat with Devin Carroll of Carroll Advisory Group. With nearly 50 million views on YouTube @DevinCarroll and a successful podcast, Devin has transformed his business through a unique content creation strategy. Discover how a straightforward approach has connected him deeply with audiences and clients
- [Calm down, it's not what you think](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/calm-down-its-not-what-you-think/) - Calm down, it's not what you think. The financial world in a meltdown... No. This is a movie you've seen before. You know how it ends. So why are you focusing on the scary bits? Because the media is whipping you up and pushing your clients out on a ledge. Because if they focused on
- [She said "The way you communicate with clients is self-centered"](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/she-said-the-way-you-communicate-with-clients-is-self-centered/) - She said "The way you communicate with clients is self-centered" I couldn't believe she said it but she was right. → I was listening in on one of our→ Long-time customers talking to→ Someone in a mastermind group. She has a big, fast-growing practice and was sharing about how she did it. She said "As
- [I'm incredibly selfish and it's why...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/im-incredibly-selfish-and-its-why/) - I'm incredibly selfish and it's why... I do this as often as possible. Spend time mentoring. And IT IS selfish. Sure I help someone elseBut the way it makes me feelLike I matter in someone's life. It feels significant. So I did it again just last week.I met with a super smart computer science student.But
- [Corporate Culture is a Waste of Time](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/corporate-culture-is-a-waste-of-time/) - Corporate culture is a waste of time But not if you do this 1 thing → I used to think discussing culture was→ Enough to make it real→ Boy, was I wrong. → In my early days as a leader, I'd talk→ Endlessly about culture→ But nothing changed. I learned the hard way that... Discussing
- [Are you Wasting your Time on Corporate culture?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/are-you-wasting-your-time-on-corporate-culture/) - Are you wasting your time on Corporate culture? I did until I fixed this 1 thing. → I used to think discussing culture was→ Enough to make it real→ Boy, was I wrong. → In my early days as a leader, I'd talk→ Endlessly about culture→ But nothing changed. I learned the hard way that...
- [Silence...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/silence/) - Silence... That is what your clients experience most of the time. You meet with them but then they focus on other things. They are on your newsletter list but only open it sometimes. You are connected to a few on social media but even fewer see your posts. You worry they don't really appreciate what
- [You’re Wasting Time Learning from your Customers](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/youre-wasting-time-learning-from-your-customers/) - You’re wasting time learning from your customers… And it’s hurting your business. → I’m not saying don’t talk to customers.→ But I am saying you might be→ Wasting your opportunity. Does this sound like you? → You’re trying to innovate around your client experience.→ Maybe even create new services or products→ And you hop on
- [Your job as a business leader isn’t to empower your employees](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-job-as-a-business-leader-isnt-to-empower-your-employees/) - Your job as a business leader isn’t to empower your employees. Let me explain. Employees walk in the door with power. They want to:→ Have an impact.→ Improve their own skills.→ Help the company grow. (if they don’t, you’re making bad hires) So your job as a business leader isn’t to empower team members. It’s
- [Over the years as an entrepreneur, I've learned that while you are responsible for everything...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/over-the-years-as-an-entrepreneur-ive-learned-that-while-you-are-responsible-for-everything/) - Over the years as an entrepreneur, I've learned that while you are responsible for everything... You don’t KNOW everything. But if you build it well, your network does. Which is why I recently connected with my friend, Christian Heidelberger Chris really is a great guy and he’s another serial entrepreneur. We’ve known each other about 15
- [If you're an entrepreneur you have a secret weapon](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/if-youre-an-entrepreneur-you-have-a-secret-weapon/) - If you're an entrepreneur you have a secret weapon. And most of you never use it. Can you guess what it is? It’s YOU. → You are the secret weapon.→ People don't feel connected to businesses.→ They connect with people (or the person) who runs it. And people only buy from those they know, like
- [You ever hear these lies before?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/you-ever-hear-these-lies-before/) - You ever hear these lies before? "We've got the best support"... Or "Our onboarding is painless"... Yeah, that's the BS we're talking about.The vendor offers no proof.Just a promise. And worse they tell you that the support of their competitors is bad. That should set off alarm bells We think you should ask for DATA
- [A Burning Hatred for the Media](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/a-burning-hatred-for-the-media/) - "I have a burning hatred for the media." A customer told me last week. I mean most advisors have a burning hatred for the media. And I don’t blame them. You’ve probably been there… The media runs a wild story about how [insert investment] is about to nosedive. And 3 hours later you’ve got clients
- [Another media story, clients are out on a ledge](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/another-media-story-clients-are-out-on-a-ledge-2/) - Another media story, clients are out on a ledge You talk them down (want to stop it?) It pisses you off but you're doing nothing about it. → Look, no one's saying→ That you can stop→ The media. But telling clients to "ignore it" doesn't work and you know it. Week after week you have
- [How to make your team follow you](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-make-your-team-follow-you/) - How to make your team follow you: (Without acting like a tyrant) There’s a misconception in business that to command respect. You need to be a hard-ass. That’s simply not true. If you want your team to respect and follow you. Here’s what you should do: → Believe in and share the mission→ Check your
- [Harnessing Short-form Video - Lessons from a Viral Video Marketing Wizard](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/harnessing-short-form-video-lessons-from-a-viral-video-marketing-wizard/) - In This Episode: Want to learn how to create incredible growth using short-form video? Join John Prendergast and the most followed CFP® on the planet, Nick Meyer, as they dive deep into transformative strategies for mastering short-form video marketing. Nick’s wealth management and personal finance videos have been viewed over 350 million times so he
- [Imagine Clients are Panic-Resistant and Always Follow Your Advice](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/imagine-clients-are-panic-resistant-and-always-follow-your-advice/) - Imagine clients are panic-resistant and always follow your advice. Nice huh? I just spoke with THAT advisor (simple lesson). → BEFORE that I talked with another→ Advisor who was our prospect.→ What a contrast. → He talked about working hard to get→ Clients consistently follow his advice especially→ When the media puts out some bogus
- [You'll stay disappointed in others, without this one skill](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/youll-stay-disappointed-in-others-without-this-one-skill/) - You'll stay disappointed in others, without this one skill Entrepreneurs, Advisors, Side hustlers (works for all) You delegated a task to an employee, a contractor, a partner → And for→ The 100th time→ You're disappointed. You had to get involved, take over, or have them do it again. → Sometimes you→ Even do it→ Yourself.
- [Sometimes Clients Throw You A Bone and Don't Realize It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/sometimes-clients-throw-you-a-bone-and-dont-realize-it/) - Sometimes clients throw you bone and don't realize it In this case free research (and a twist) No one loves competition but sometimes active competition can help you. → In this case, a competitor did→ Research and announced it→ At an industry conference With the president of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), James Lee, CFP®,
- [7 Things No One Tells You About Keeping Clients Engaged](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/7-things-no-one-tells-you-about-keeping-clients-engaged/) - 7 things no one tells you about keeping clients engaged: My best tips from hundreds of calls with advisors (1) The Panic-Free Portfolio↳ Clients don't panic when they know their portfolio is stable. (2) Automation Isn’t Impersonal↳ Used right, it strengthens client relationships. (3) Frequent Updates, Less Fear↳ Keeping clients updated makes them media resistant.
- [Your compliance excuses are bu!!$h!t](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-compliance-excuses-are-buht/) - Your compliance excuses are bu!!$h!t A former SEC examiner told me so. He said at most firms compliance is eithera) An excuse orb) Control If you're an independent it's a) → If you're working for a→ Firm that blocks you→ At every turn, it's b). But if you don't move firms, it's back to a).
- [Want high performance? You need to do these 4 steps publicly](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/want-high-performance-you-need-to-do-these-4-steps-publicly-2/) - Want high performance? You need to do these 4 steps publicly And build a culture around it, even if you're solo It doesn't matter if you're a↳ Financial Advisor.↳ Solopreneur.↳ Or CEO. → We all want high performance.→ We all work with others.→ We all get let down. But I'm not let down very often
- [Why we don’t raise prices even when competitors do?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-we-dont-raise-prices-even-when-competitors-do/) - Why we don’t raise prices even when competitors do. Neither should you (3 pt. strategy for any biz) → It's been in the news→ Recently that a number of→ Our competitors have raised prices. A lot. We haven't raised prices since 2014. It's a strategy. → That is a decade of holding the line.→ And
- [Build a Business on LinkedIn: Tips from a Rising LinkedIn Star and Advisor Marketing Wizard](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/build-a-business-on-linkedin-tips-from-a-rising-linkedin-star-and-advisor-marketing-wizard/) - Are you looking to revolutionize your LinkedIn presence? Join John Prendergast and rising LinkedIn star Mando Sallavanti III, CFP®, CEPA, CLTC® as they dive deep into transformative strategies for mastering LinkedIn. This conversation is packed with actionable advice for anyone aiming to enhance their professional networking and build their business online. Discover the key insights
- [This advisor completely changed her approach to communication](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/this-advisor-completely-changed-her-approach-to-communication/) - This advisor completely changed her approach to communication. Her epiphany wasn't something I've heard before (big shift) She said "As an advisor, we're often taught to focus on the big moments:↳ Tax time↳ Plan reviews↳ Annual meetings↳ Quarterly reporting" Reflecting on that, she said something that really stuck with me. "I realized these moments are
- [Want high performance? You need to do these 4 steps publicly](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/want-high-performance-you-need-to-do-these-4-steps-publicly/) - Want high performance? You need to do these 4 steps publicly And build a culture around it, even if you're solo It doesn't matter if you're a↳ Financial Advisor.↳ Solopreneur.↳ Or CEO. → We all want high performance.→ We all work with others.→ We all get let down. But I'm not let down very often
- [Before I knew it, I was at the top skiing alone in the sun](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/before-i-knew-it-i-was-at-the-top-skiing-alone-in-the-sun/) - Before I knew it, I was at the top skiing alone in the sun. It didn't start out that way (entrepreneur's life) It's been a weird year for skiing in the US Northeast. But we were determined↳ To have a family vacation while↳ My daughter was home↳ For spring break. My wife came up but
- [Another media story, clients are out on a ledge](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/another-media-story-clients-are-out-on-a-ledge/) - Another media story, clients are out on a ledge You talk them down (want to stop it?) It pisses you off but you're doing nothing about it. → Look, no one's saying→ That you can stop→ The media. But telling clients to "ignore it" doesn't work and you know it. Week after week you have
- [Are you or your team feeling a little stagnant?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/are-you-or-your-team-feeling-a-little-stagnant/) - Are you or your team feeling a little stagnant? Team of 1 or 100, no learning (3-step fix) → People are stuck.→ They aren't getting better.→ They seem ok but they're restless. → No budget or time for formal training.→ No one says anything.→ But you know it. There is so much to learn in
- [How to turn long-form video into shorts that will crush](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-turn-long-form-video-into-shorts-that-will-crush/) - 3 easy steps plus a bonus hack (save this post) → I know. I've been there.→ You've got hours of footage.→ You've guested on podcasts and killed. → Then you share a clip and crickets.Or→ 10-second average watch time.→ With no engagement. Whether you're an advisor, solopreneur or just wonder what your team has been
- [How Content Lands this Small Town Advisor Big Clients from over 300 Leads Per Year](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-content-lands-this-small-town-advisor-big-clients-from-over-300-leads-per-year/) - In This Episode Pete Matthew isn’t your typical advisor. He’s cracked the code on two marketing channels. He’s netted almost 7 million video views and 4.5 million podcast downloads. And with over 300 leads per year and growing, his biggest problem is keeping up with the demand he’s created. Oh and the big clients he’s
- [Advisors Need to Break Through the Noise to Engage Clients, Says John Prendergast on the Bridging the Gap Podcast](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisors-need-to-break-through-the-noise-to-engage-clients-says-john-prendergast-on-the-bridging-the-gap-podcast/) - Fierce competition for client attention is forcing advisors to be more creative in engaging clients, says Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast on the Bridging the Gap podcast. John sees a cultural shift in wealth management, with more advisors willing to experiment with new ways to market their services and prove their value. Traditional advisors should move
- [Your clients need more from you](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-clients-need-more-from-you/) - Your clients need more from you. But you'll be happier and they'll be better off. I spoke to an advisor the other day, looking at our platform. He was talking aboutA few concerned calls heGot when the Dow dropped 500 points. He spent a bunch of time talking those clients off a ledge.Honestly, the recent
- [Don't Let Risk Stop Your Innovation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/dont-let-risk-stop-your-innovation/) - The stakes of failure holding up your innovation? But as an advisor, it's innovate or ... No worries, I've got you. If you want business progress, You must innovate.You must make change.And change has consequences. But, those consequencesDon't need to beAll or none. → A shift in perspective.→ A change in approach.→ And you can
- [Ever Felt Like a Moron recording video?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/ever-felt-like-a-moron-recording-video/) - Ever feel like a moron recording video? Me too, but I fixed it (here's how) You've heard that video is THE THING And you:↳ Committed to video.↳ But still feel like you suck↳ After your 30-day challenge. Good news. → In this video, I show you a quick hack.→ If you're good with clients.→ It
- [If Your Firm is More Than You, You Have a Culture](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/if-your-firm-is-more-than-you-you-have-a-culture/) - If your firm is more than you, you have a culture. Most of your cultures will create misery ... No matter if You are a financial advisor with a part-time assistantOr you are a tech founder with 100 employees.Your own culture is happening to you. Some of us will recognize it.But few of us are
- [Your Clients Spend 300+ Hours on Social Media](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-clients-spend-300-hours-on-social-media/) - Americans 65+ spend 285 hours on social media every year My 1st reaction was Bu$h!t, but what I found worried me... I didn't believe it. So I researched. I googled.I ChatGPT'd.I (age alert) Lexis-Nexus'd. It's true. Pew research and even the NYPost agreed.↳ I thought hell might freeze over↳ But that's another post. Then I
- ["Quality" Doesn't Make A Video Viral](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/quality-doesnt-make-a-video-viral/) - 3 counterintuitive strategies for viral marketing for advisors Bypass traditional advice (this video had 7 million views) I always thought thatquality matters.And it does. Just not how I expected. The topic doesn't need to be exciting.↳ This one is about a Tax deduction. The production value can be crap. Look at 17 and 35 seconds
- [Does Video Actually Work?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/does-video-actually-work/) - Most of your content probably shouldn't be video. But it's a power tool used the right way ... See our video stats have been meh. I took a hard look at what we were doing.Our content should be better.But better, how? Based on researching skilled creators.I noticed 3 things great videos do.But I wasn't doing
- [Dave Ramsey Is Better Than You But ...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/dave-ramsey-is-better-than-you-but/) - Dave Ramsey is better than most financial advisors, but not in the way you think. He's a financial hack, a charlatan, morally questionable, and he's NOT better than you at: Financial planning Investment management Any other aspect of money BUT he has a huge audience and business because he crushes you on communication with his
- [The Problem with Advice Engagment](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-problem-with-advice-engagment/) - I have a problem with "Advice Engagement" But it's probably not what you think ... The problem isOur perspective limits usWhen we talk about advice engagement. It ensures we miss the bigger picture. How have you tried to engage clients more?
- [You Deserved Better](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/you-deserved-better/) - I think you deserve better. Financial advisors are owed more ... Until recently, industry podcasts didn't impress me.Some nailed the content but lacked in production.Or they weren't in video form, which I sometimes prefer. You deserve:- Stellar content.- Amazing guests.- Supreme production quality. I want the standards of the best podcasts in the world.I want
- [Want to Elevate your Client Convos to TED talk Level](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/want-to-elevate-your-client-convos-to-ted-talk-level/) - Want to elevate your client convos to TED talk level Learning this key certainly surprised me ... Ever wonder why some TED Talks go viral and others don't? Neither did I. But I do want to get better on video,And when I speak live.So I did the research. What I learned surprised me. All TED
- [Every Advisor's Biggest Fear](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/every-advisors-biggest-fear/) - I heard this and it stopped me in my tracks. To me, it's every advisor's secret fear. I recently had a conversation with a friend about his advisor who said And what he said got me to pause. It made me wonder how we show up in our clients' lives.Do they get what they need
- [Financial Advisors, are you Creating Experiences or just Delivering Services?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/financial-advisors-are-you-creating-experiences-or-just-delivering-services/) - Financial advisors, are you creating experiences or just delivering services? It's not a fluffy question and In my recent conversation with David DeCelle on the Model FA podcast, we stumbled on a realization... While financial advisors often excel in service models, David observed that most fall short in client experience models. Reality check:The service modelis
- [Winning the Internet](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/winning-the-internet/) - I couldn't believe it when I got this photo. As a founder I got a little choked up... A customer put their grandchild in our gear!This picture speaks volumes.It's a mix of ... Pride, joy, and a hint of"Are we baby fashion icons now?" Huge thanks to our customers who are really our community.You make
- [Your Biggest Competitor as a Financial Advisor isn't who you think it is.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-biggest-competitor-as-a-financial-advisor-isnt-who-you-think-it-is/) - Your biggest competitor as a financial advisor isn't who you think it is. → It's not other advisors. → It's not the Robos. Your real obstacle to growth is [pause] the media. → The media pushes negative news. → It plays on clients' fears. → And worse, social media creeps into grandma's Facebook feed. Media
- [Treat Generative AI Like a Lazy Intern, Says Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast on The Flexible Advisor Podcast](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/treat-generative-ai-like-a-lazy-intern-says-blueleaf-ceo-john-prendergast-on-the-flexible-advisor-podcast/) - “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” said Arthur C. Clarke. In this podcast, John deconstructs the magic of AI and explains how we got here, where we’re going, and how you can use AI to your advantage now. AI is impacting business worldwide and it will transform wealth management, says John. Currently, however,
- [How This Financial Advisor ACTUALLY Makes Boring Topics Viral - A Marketing Whiz](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-this-financial-advisor-actually-makes-boring-topics-viral-a-marketing-whiz/) - In This Episode If you want to learn financial advisor marketing, you'll want to learn from Nate. Nate Hoskin is the 3rd most followed CFP in the world across social media. He dares you to come take his title and he'll even help you do it. How do you make a boring topic like Tax
- [How to Get Clients to Appreciate You: Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast on the Model FA Podcast](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-get-clients-to-appreciate-you-blueleaf-ceo-john-prendergast-on-the-model-fa-podcast/) - Automation is the key to personalized communication with clients without an unscalable amount of work for the advisor, says Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast on the latest episode of the popular Model FA podcast. Through automation, you’re creating an opportunity for many small touchpoints with your clients to educate them about their money, and the way
- [Don’t Be Afraid to Innovate, Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast Tells Advisors on the Advisor Lab Podcast](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/dont-be-afraid-to-innovate-blueleaf-ceo-john-prendergast-tells-advisors-on-the-advisor-lab-podcast/) - Find the time, energy, and courage to innovate. It'll benefit you, no matter what your goals are. - John Prendergast “The beauty of serving financial advisory businesses is that we’re all entrepreneurs running our own businesses. We have the freedom to innovate,” said Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast recently on the Advisor Lab podcast. “The nature
- [You Don't Need AI to Effectively Engage Your Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/you-dont-need-ai-to-effectively-engage-your-clients/) - “The foundation of digital engagement is automated reporting and multi-channel client communications. Automation is essential due to the frequency and customization required for successful digital client engagement,” writes Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast in his latest Advisor Perspectives article. In this article, John outlines the strategy and tactics to engage with clients so they will appreciate
- [Getting Leads by Filming a Cooking Show in Barcelona on an iPhone?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/getting-leads-by-filming-a-cooking-show-in-barcelona-on-an-iphone/) - Shot live in Barcelona And the Kosher Chicken Pot Pie recipe that started it all. Shelley suggests you substitute fresh green beans and celery and fresh carrots for the frozen stuff and she adds twice the chicken. https://www.thespruceeats.com/kosher-chicken-pot-pie-2121934 Our Guest Shelley Leavitt Nadel, CFP®, CLTC®, LUTCF,is an independent Financial Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™practitioner affiliated
- [Embrace the Obvious to Counter Confusing Technology, Writes Blueleaf CEO in Advisor Perspectives](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/embrace-the-obvious-to-counter-confusing-technology-writes-blueleaf-ceo-in-advisor-perspectives/) - “Be bold and innovate with your clients, and it will favor you,” writes Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast in his latest article in Advisor Perspectives called “Embracing the Obvious.” “My team interacts with advisors’ clients all day long,” writes John. “When experimenting with new solutions, we often present a choice, A or B. The key isn't
- [Growing Your Practice Through Media, Mission, and Client Experience](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/growing-your-practice-through-media-mission-and-client-experience/) - To powerhouse speaker
- [Introducing Clients to New Technology](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/introducing-clients-to-new-technology/) - Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast has helped thousands of advisors integrate new technology into their practice. In this article for Advisor Perspectives, John shares his tips for introducing new technology to clients. “Too often, advisors don’t think through the stages of introducing new technology. Either they assume it will be a nightmare and never start. Or
- [John Prendergast on WealthTech Today: AI Tools to Use Now, the Future of Holistic Advice, and Data Aggregation to Streamline Wealth Management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/john-prendergast-on-wealthtech-today-ai-tools-to-use-now-the-future-of-holistic-advice-and-data-aggregation-to-streamline-wealth-management/) - Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast and WealthTech Today podcast host Craig Iskowitz had an enlightening thirty-minute conversation about the most pressing issues in wealth management. In this episode of WealthTech Today, John discusses: AI tools that advisors can use right now. Continuing the discussion about the benefits and limitations of AI integration into wealth management. Streamlining
- [International Podcast Day 2023: Top 10 Unforgettable Augmented Advisor Episodes](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/international-podcast-day-2023-top-10-unforgettable-augmented-advisor-episodes/) - In honor of International Podcast Day, we've curated a selection of 10 standout episodes from The Augment Advisor Podcast. Within each, we've captured a noteworthy quote that resonated with us. Join hosts John Prendergast and Mike Langford in their insightful conversations with a diverse range of experts, each offering distinct perspectives. Enjoy! #10 Ep 18:
- [Leveraging Technology & AI to Amplify Client Experience](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/leveraging-technology-ai-to-amplify-client-experience/) - Leveraging Technology & AI to Amplify Client Experience – Blueleaf CEO on The Efficient Advisor Podcast Listen to Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast’s engaging and informative interview on “The Efficient Advisor,” a popular podcast hosted by Libby Greiwe. John offers guidance for advisors who want to run a more efficient practice. Four top takeaways: #1. The
- [Blueleaf Wins 2023 "Wealthie" for Aggregation Service](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-wins-2023-wealthie-for-aggregation-service/) - Blueleaf Wins Prestigious Industry Award for Innovative Technology Blueleaf won a 2023 WealthManagement.com industry award in the technology category. Blueleaf was recognized for developing wealth management’s first aggregation-as-a-service with direct client support. A panel of industry experts chose Blueleaf from a pool of more than 1,000 nominees across all award categories. Blueleaf received the award
- [Digital Engagement Lessons from Netflix & Facebook to Connect With Your Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/digital-engagement-lessons-from-netflix-facebook-to-connect-with-your-clients/) - Become like Netflix, TikTok & Amazon w/ Advice Engagement Says Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast on AFO| Wealth Management Forward Podcast In this AFO|Wealth Management Forward podcast, John Prendergast, CEO of Blueleaf, talks about the latest in wealth management, behavioral finance, and the future of advice. John talks about the importance of understanding clients' behavior and
- [How to Engage Clients Like Major Media: Blueleaf CEO in Advisor Perspectives](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-engage-clients-like-major-media-blueleaf-ceo-in-advisor-perspectives/) - The most recent article by Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast in Advisor Perspectives discusses how wealth managers can benefit from engaging clients by stealing the playbook from major digital media companies. Highlights: “Wealth managers must understand their clients' online behavior. Though we know them in some ways, we cannot assume their online behavior mimics what we
- [How Financial Advisors Can Grow Faster and Provide Better Service By Looking Beyond Their Local Networks](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-financial-advisors-can-grow-faster-and-provide-better-service-by-looking-beyond-their-local-networks/) - In This Episode Julie Pinkerton, CEO and Founder of ClientFirst by Evozen noticed a couple of trends that have likely affected your business in the recent years. First, clients are moving to other parts of the country well before their retirement years. This wave of movement has created interesting challenges for financial advisors looking to
- [FusionIQ Chooses Blueleaf For Enhanced Advisor and Client Experience](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/fusioniq-chooses-blueleaf-for-enhanced-advisor-and-client-experience/) - The integration of Blueleaf into FusionIQ will empower financial advisors and their clients with comprehensive tools for seamless digital transformation and enhanced user experience (UX). FusionIQ chose Blueleaf for its automated reporting and communication platform, which serves as a versatile tool for advisors when they report on investments and financial planning. The Blueleaf platform features
- [Engaging Clients By Building An Innovative Experience Using Purposeful Design](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/engaging-clients-by-building-an-innovative-experience-using-purposeful-design/) - In This Episode H. Adam Holt, CEO and Founder of Asset-Map is not the first financial advisor to have had an epiphany that led to a revamped approach to how we worked with his clients. But, he just might be the guy who's quest to design a client experience that led to the most meaningful
- [Blueleaf Announces Wealth Management’s First Aggregation-as-a-Service with Direct Client Support](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-announces-wealth-managements-first-aggregation-as-a-service-with-direct-client-support/) - Blueleaf advanced its leadership position in account aggregation with its new system that accesses more than 25,000 institutions from multiple aggregators, the most in the industry. The system is accessible via Blueleaf's leading multi-channel client experience. It is also available stand-alone for large enterprises to integrate into their own applications. Blueleaf's aggregation-as-a-service eliminates the tech
- [Blueleaf’s Aggregation System is a Finalist for a 2023 Wealth Management Industry Award](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleafs-aggregation-system-is-a-finalist-for-a-2023-wealth-management-industry-award/) - Blueleaf’s aggregation-as-a-service is a finalist for the prestigious 2023 Wealth Management Industry Award, honoring outstanding achievements that support financial advisor success. Blueleaf is on a mission to make aggregation a better experience for advisors and their clients. Account aggregation can be one of the easiest and fastest ways for an advisor to demonstrate value for
- [Defending “Financial Planner”s and Building the 4th Great Profession](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/defending-financial-planners-and-building-the-4th-great-profession/) - In This Episode James Lee, the new President of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) explains why financial planners are the 4th great profession alongside doctors, lawyers, and clergy. James talks about his advocacy for of financial planning and specifically mounting a legal defense of the term “financial planner”. He talks about his own values and
- [How Financial Advisors Can Leverage Technology To Remove Complexity From Their Clients Lives](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-financial-advisors-can-leverage-technology-to-remove-complexity-from-their-clients-lives/) - In This Episode Ryan George, CMO of Docupace made an astute observation that "the industry has let the complications of the wealth management experience flow down to the client experience unnecessarily" and in this episode John Prendergast and Mike Langford joined him in-person for a conversation to unpack that assertion. The trio also dove into
- [How AI Will Change the Way You Experience Wealth Management Software](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-ai-will-change-the-way-you-experience-wealth-management-software/) - Wealth management involves complex financial concepts and terminology that can be overwhelming for clients. That combined with even an ‘easy to use’ software can be a challenge for both advisors and clients. An AI-powered natural language software interface simplifies these concepts allowing users to just ask a question. Software is finally ready to deliver on
- [How to Design a Great Client Experience - Part I](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-design-a-great-client-experience-part-i/) - As we discussed in a recent article, Client experience has become a critical factor in a financial advisory firm's success. In that article we focused on the digital aspects of client experience and how measuring engagement is crucial in understanding how well you’re doing. However, as every financial advisor knows, client experience is much bigger
- [A New Critical Metric for Financial Advisors: Client Engagement](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/a-new-critical-metric-for-financial-advisors-client-engagement/) - The Pandemic accelerated digital change The pandemic shook the world in unprecedented ways, impacting global economies and altering the way businesses operate. It also changed clients' lives and preferences in permanent ways. Clients are much more digital and have much higher expectations compared to pre-pandemic. However, most advisory firms are still catching up, with client
- [John DeVincent Joins Blueleaf Advisory Board](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/john-devincent-joins-blueleaf-advisory-board/) - Former eMoney Advisor EVP John DeVincent has joined the Blueleaf Advisory Board. Charles Clark, former SVP at eMoney Advisor, also recently joined the Board. Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs and host of Breaking Banks, the world’s largest financial services podcast, has been a long-time member of the Board. “I’ve been impressed with Blueleaf for
- [SVB Hot Takes and Why Banking as a Service is the Next Frontier for Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/svb-hot-takes-and-why-banking-as-a-service-is-the-next-frontier-for-financial-advisors/) - In This Episode Scott Wetzel, CEO of SkyView Partners and SKYVIEW 1 and Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs Alliance and host of the Breaking Banks podcast share how RIAs and independent financial advisors are gaining access to banking solutions for their clients that were previously only available via wirehouse advisors. The rise of banking
- [Blueleaf CEO in Advisor Perspectives - Can technology Make Advisors Happy?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-ceo-in-advisor-perspectives-can-technology-make-advisors-happy/) - In his Advisor Perspectives article titled “Can Technology Make You Happy?” Blueleaf CEO John Prendergast asks a provocative question: Do advisors need to accept that technology will forever be a drag or can the right approach to technology lead to personal happiness and a more productive practice? Advisors who offer an elegant digital client experience
- [Blueleaf Expands Executive Ranks with Appointment of EVP of Business Development](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-expands-executive-ranks-with-appointment-of-evp-of-business-development/) - WealthTech leader Tim Minert joins the Blueleaf team as EVP of Business Development. Minert has 30+ years in wealth management and technology. He served as Chief Revenue Officer at AdvisorPeak, and for ten years as Executive Vice President of National Sales with Redtail Technology. "I've been aware of the innovation and industry leadership of Blueleaf
- [How Broker-Dealers Can Create The Best Wealth Management Experience For Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-broker-dealers-can-create-the-best-wealth-management-experience-for-financial-advisors/) - In This Episode Tammy Robbins, EVP and Chief Business Development Officer at Cambridge Investment Research shares how the landscape has changed for independent broker-dealers and the financial advisors they serve. The needs of today’s advisors and their clients have evolved dramatically in the past decade requiring broker-dealers to become more flexible and nimble in their approach
- [How Financial Advisors Are Leveraging Outsourcing And What The SEC Has To Say About It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-financial-advisors-are-leveraging-outsourcing-and-what-the-sec-has-to-say-about-it/) - In This Episode Just about every independent financial advisors and RIA outsources some of their business activities. For instance, very few serve as their own custodian or brokerage. But as Laura Gregg and her team at FlexShares ETFs outline in their latest survey titled "The Race to Scalability 2022 - Current Insights from 12 years
- [Avoiding Compliance Headaches The New SEC Rule Changes Will Create For Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/avoiding-compliance-headaches-the-new-sec-rule-changes-will-create-for-financial-advisors/) - In This Episode Ivan Barretto, Founder and Managing Director of RIA Compliance Concepts shares how financial advisors and RIA firms should adapt to the new SEC rules on "Outsourcing By Investment Advisors" and "Cybersecurity Risk Management". As a former regulator, Ivan explains what to expect should the SEC or a state regulator decide to audit
- [Carl Richards Lessons From Deep Thinking About Financial Planning, Wealth Management and Working With Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/carl-richards-lessons-from-deep-thinking-about-financial-planning-wealth-management-and-working-with-clients/) - In This Episode This is a fascinating conversational journey that ranges from using Michael Kitces as a verb to leveraging deep empathy and the “righteous tricks” to help clients. Carl Richards shares some of his deep thinking about real financial planning, wealth management and working with human beings and their money to help them accomplish
- [Behind The Creation Of A Digital Investing Platform For RIAs](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/behind-the-creation-of-a-digital-investing-platform-for-rias/) - In this Episode Live From RIA Summit 2022 with John Guthery, CFA and Peter Brittain of FusionIQ. Today's clients demand a digital experience from their RIAs that rivals that of the largest retail wealth management firms while offering the while glove approach the expect of a boutique shop. Hear how FusionIQ was born out of
- [How RIAs Can Use Technology To Leverage Their Strengths And Mitigate Their Weaknesses](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-rias-can-use-technology-to-leverage-their-strengths-and-mitigate-their-weaknesses/) - In this Episode Live From RIA Summit 2022 with Aaron Klein, Co-Founder and CEO of Riskalyze. Aaron joined John Prendergast and Mike Langford for an expansive conversation about the inflection points that lead to the innovations advisors rely on today and those that are set to propel the innovations of the future. Aaron also shared
- [Why RIAs Need To Protect, Preserve and Defend The Fiduciary Standard](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-rias-need-to-protect-preserve-and-defend-the-fiduciary-standard/) - In This Episode Live From RIA Summit 2022 with Knut Rostad, Co-founder and President of The Institute For The Fiduciary Standard. The Fiduciary Standard is the bedrock of the RIA business model. Yet as Knut shared with John Prendergast and Mike Langford, the very concept of a fiduciary is under attack and at risk of
- [The Trend Toward The Personalization Of Investing At Scale](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-trend-toward-the-personalization-of-investing-at-scale/) - In This Episode Katie Hendrix and Shawn Jaberzadeh talk about how historically, it has been incredibly labor intensive for financial advisors to deliver bespoke investment management to their clients. Until recently, even large companies like Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) required a minimum account balance of $20 million for their separate managed account (SMA) offering. However,
- [Live From RIA Summit 2022 With Jeff Benjamin and Chuck Failla](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/live-from-ria-summit-2022-with-jeff-benjamin-and-chuck-failla/) - In this Episode Jeff Benjamin, Senior Columnist at Investment News and Chuck Failla, Founder and CEO Sovereign Financial Group joined John Prendergast and Mike Langford from RIA Summit 2022 in Boston for a fascinating conversation about the current state and future of the RIA business. This is the first in a series of bonus episode recorded at RIA
- [International Podcast Day: 10 Memorable Augmented Advisor Episodes](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/international-podcast-day-10-memorable-augmented-advisor-episodes/) - To celebrate International Podcast Day, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite episodes from The Augment Advisor Podcast and highlighted a memorable quote from each. Hosts John Prendergast and Mike Langford have had the opportunity to interview a wide array of experts, all with such unique perspectives. Enjoy! #10 Ep 4: The Future of Financial
- [Investing During A Period Of Volatility And Disruption](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/investing-during-a-period-of-volatility-and-disruption/) - In This Episode Michael Lane, Head of US Wealth Advisory at iShares by BlackRock shares his unique perspective and insights on how financial advisors can better serve their clients during this time of high inflation, increased market volatility, and what many feel is an environment of great uncertainty. The core of Michael’s approach sounds simple…
- [How Financial Advisors Can Leverage Self Directed IRAs to Deliver True Holistic Advice And Get Paid](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-financial-advisors-can-leverage-self-directed-iras-to-deliver-true-holistic-advice-and-get-paid/) - In This Episode Henry Yoshida, CEO of Rocket Dollar shares the untapped potential of self directed IRAs for today’s financial advisor. While most advisors are aware that self directed IRAs exist, relatively few are leveraging them to help their clients invest in the growing universe of alternative assets such as crypto, NFTs, angel investments in
- [Serving the Family: How Financial Advisors Can Attract Extended Family and Retain Heirs as Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/serving-the-family-how-financial-advisors-can-attract-extended-family-and-retain-heirs-as-clients/) - In This Episode Andrew Crowell, Vice Chairman, Wealth Management, D.A. Davidson & Co explains that the path to growth and long-term success for most financial advisors is sitting right in front of them. The children, grandchildren, and other members of the extended families of your clients are the surest path to growing a thriving business.
- [New Account Aggregation Approaches Are Creating Fantastic Opportunities For Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/new-account-aggregation-approaches-are-creating-fantastic-opportunities-for-financial-advisors/) - In This Episode Your ability to deliver high quality financial advice to your clients depends greatly on the completeness and quality of the information you have about their financial lives. As Jason O’Shaughnessy, Head of International Business at Envestnet | Yodlee explains, the Open Finance movement is creating new opportunities for financial advisors and clients
- [How Delivering Services Beyond Financial Advice Can Help You Grow and Retain Your Client Base](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-delivering-services-beyond-financial-advice-can-help-you-grow-and-retain-your-client-base/) - In This Episode Lacy Garcia, Founder and CEO of Willow offers a brilliantly simple idea for financial advisors looking to grow their business while securing the legacy of the firm they have built to date. By going beyond financial advice and creating new, interactive opportunities for your clients, prospects, and referral partners Lacy says you
- [Understanding The Economic Impacts of The Pandemic](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/understanding-the-economic-impacts-of-the-pandemic/) - In this Episode John Merante, Chief Economist at SkyView Partners offers a deep dive into the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. What happened? How the U.S. Government responded? And what does this all mean for financial advisors and their clients? Our Guest John Merante, Chief Economist, SkyView Partners John is a global macro strategist and economist
- [How Personalized Portfolios Powered By A.I. and Machine Learning Are Helping Advisors Attract Millennial and Gen-Z Investors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-personalized-portfolios-powered-by-a-i-and-machine-learning-are-helping-advisors-attract-millennial-and-gen-z-investors/) - In this Episode Younger investors are critical to the future of your business as a financial advisor. According to our guests, Runik Mehrotra and Samir Vasavada, Co-Founders of Vise, members of the Millennial and Gen-Z generations are set to inherit $68 trillion in the coming years while they also build their own wealth. Yet, these
- [Threats That Are Actually Growing Wealth Management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/threats-that-are-actually-growing-wealth-management/) - OPINION POST NOTE: The opinions expressed in this post belong to the author and are for general informational purposes only. These opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Blueleaf Wealth, Inc. the publisher, or its executives. The opinions are not intended to provide specific recommendations or advice for any individual or on any specific investment
- [How Financial Advisors Can Use Behavioral Finance To Grow Their Business And Better Serve Their Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-financial-advisors-can-use-behavioral-finance-to-grow-their-business-and-better-serve-their-clients/) - In this Episode Dan Egan, Director of Behavioral Finance and Investing at Betterment explains how financial advisors can leverage new strategies to grow their business. John, Mike, and Dan tackle things like the Impact of free financial products and services on the wealth management industry and how it affects the end client. They also attempt to answer the
- [How To Drive High Quality Investment Returns By Aligning Client Values And ESG Investing Strategies](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-drive-high-quality-investment-returns-by-aligning-client-values-and-esg-investing-strategies/) - In this episode ESG investing isn't just for Hippies and Gen-Z. It's about driving returns and growing your practice. James Katz, CEO of Humankind Investments and Nick Cantrell, Founder of Green Future Wealth Management discuss all things ESG. Studies indicate that ESG investing themes are growing in importance to your clients, even if they haven't
- [4 Strategic Ways to Virtually Enhance the Advisor-Client Relationship](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/4-strategic-ways-to-virtually-enhance-the-advisor-client-relationship/) - Most of us were unfamiliar with the term “social distancing” before the 2020 pandemic. In a relationship business, words like that are taboo. Financial advisors thrive on social interaction. Eliminating face-to-face meetings was a major disruptor last year. Fast forward to 2021. The fear of Covid-19 still lingers, but folks are beginning to venture out.
- [Your Financial Advisory Business Is Undervalued - Here's Why! And How To Fix It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-financial-advisory-business-is-undervalued-heres-why-and-how-to-fix-it/) - In this Episode Ian Karnell from Truelytics shares how financial advisors and RIAs can discover hundreds of thousands of dollars of unrealized value in their business by taking a few simple steps. Our Guest Ian Karnell, Chief Revenue Officer of Truelytics Ian Karnell is the Chief Revenue Officer for Truelytics. He oversees Truelytics sales, marketing
- [The $20 Trillion Opportunity in Wealth Management - The Rise of Women as The Primary Controllers of Wealth.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-20-trillion-opportunity-in-wealth-management-the-rise-of-women-as-the-primary-controllers-of-wealth/) - In This Episode Laura Gregg, Senior Vice President, and Director of Practice Management & Advisor Research at Northern Trust’s FlexShares ETFs for a deep dive on the rising importance of women for the wealth management industry. About Our Guest Laura Gregg is Director of Practice Management and Advisor Research at FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds, managed by Northern
- [Is your wealth firm ready for the future? It begins now](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/is-your-wealth-firm-ready-for-the-future-it-begins-now/) - "The future is already here. It's just not evenly distributed yet" William Gibson's oft-attributed quote is a warning for those of us who wait until we see a pattern everywhere before we deal with it. So let's start by considering what's happening right now. The Client of the Future (Next Week) The pandemic changed the
- [How Artificial Intelligence Has Uncovered New Investing Signals - And How You and Your Clients Can Take Advantage Of Them](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-artificial-intelligence-has-uncovered-new-investing-signals-and-how-you-and-your-clients-can-take-advantage-of-them/) - In This Episode Jamie Wise, Founder of BUZZ Holdings breaks down how he and his team are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze investor sentiment shared on Twitter, StockTwits, and other online forums for the creation of a new large-cap, stock index that has outperformed the S&P 500 since inception. Our Guest Jamie Wise is
- [The Great Reset: How the Pandemic Changed the Wealth Management Landscape](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-great-reset-how-the-pandemic-changed-the-wealth-management-landscape/) - The wealth management industry was forced to reset itself in 2020, and that is not a bad thing. The pain and suffering the world endured during the pandemic should not be minimized, but many of the changes we made have been positive for our industry. The Emergence of Virtual Advisory Services A brief trip back
- [5 ways Rebalancing Software Should be Creating Value for You and Your Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/5-ways-rebalancing-software-should-be-creating-value-for-you-and-your-clients/) - Recently we wrote about why Rebalancing software is still terrible after all these years. Usability is so bad most wealth management firms still don’t use the tool. Those that do use it are sinking too much time and/or money into rebalancing and often getting less out of it than they should. So let’s talk about
- [How To Build a Flexible Wealth Management Business That Supports Your Lifestyle and Unlocks Growth](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-build-a-flexible-wealth-management-business-that-supports-your-lifestyle-and-unlocks-growth/) - In This Episode Derek Notman from Conneqtor talks about how the pandemic unlocked new business models like remote, virtual, and distributed practices that can both make your life better and turbocharge your ability to grow. Our Guest Derek Notman is a Financial Advisor turned Fintech CEO. He entered the financial services industry in 2006 and experienced a high
- ['Beyond Good' Wealth Management: How Being Mission Driven and Tech Forward Can Dramatically Grow Your Business](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/beyond-good-wealth-management-how-being-mission-driven-and-tech-forward-can-dramatically-grow-your-business/) - In This Episode Theodora Lau (Theo) and Bradley Leimer, authors of the book "Beyond Good - How Technology Is Leading A Purpose-Driven Business Revolution" share how wealth managers can grow our industry by widening and deepening our pool of potential clients through the use of technology and thinking more broadly. Theo and Bradley are also the co-founders
- [Buying or Selling a Wealth Management Business: You Have More Options Than You May Think](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/buying-or-selling-a-wealth-management-business-you-have-more-options-than-you-may-think/) - In This Episode Aaron Hasler and Scott Wetzel, from SkyView Partners, join John and Mike to explore the current landscape for mergers and acquisitions for RIAs and independent financial advisory businesses.Aaron Hasler and Scott Wetzel, from SkyView Partners, join John and Mike to explore the current landscape for mergers and acquisitions for RIAs and independent financial advisory businesses. Our Guests Scott
- [Wealth Management Through the Pandemic: The Surprising Value of Personal Advice](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/wealth-management-through-the-pandemic-the-surprising-value-of-personal-advice/) - In this Episode Kieran Bol, Head of Platform Operations at PriceMetrix by McKinsey shares lessons from the company's data on 70,000 advisors. Learn how our industry has fared through the pandemic. How advisors are growing (or not) and where value is actually being created for clients. Read a summary of the firm's 2020 State of North
- [The One Rebalancing Trick That Creates Real Client Value & Could Expand Your Business](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-one-rebalancing-trick-that-creates-real-client-value-could-expand-your-business/) - For most advisors, rebalancing is an area of wealth management that doesn’t seem to fit with everything else they do. Clients are advised to look at their finances holistically. Rebalancers mostly work with single-managed accounts. It’s a systemic disconnect that we’ve all had to deal with. Fixing that disconnect could be key to expanding the
- [The (Good) Robots Are Coming! How AI and Automation Are Helping Wealth Management Businesses Like Yours Today](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-good-robots-are-coming-how-ai-and-automation-are-helping-wealth-management-businesses-like-yours-today/) - In this episode Matt Reiner, CEO of Benjamin joins John Prendergast and Mike Langford to explore how financial advisors can leverage AI-powered tools and automated solutions to save time and expand their ability to serve clients. Advisors and their staff spend so much time on repetitive tasks that can easily be automated today. Seemingly simple things scheduling
- [The Future of Rebalancing: Rebalance in the Blink of An Eye, Click of a Button](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-future-of-rebalancing-rebalance-in-the-blink-of-an-eye-click-of-a-button/) - In an age where automation can be applied to almost any administrative function, a manual process mostly done by hand in excel — like rebalancing — simply doesn’t fit. We covered this in our “rebalancing sucks” article a few weeks ago. Visualize the rebalancing process for a moment. Advisors are required to initiate all the
- [Why Rebalancing Still Sucks 10 Years into the Robo-Advisor Revolution](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-rebalancing-still-sucks-10-years-into-the-robo-advisor-revolution/) - The Problem with Rebalancing You’d think by now we’d be further ahead. With all our technical advancement, why is rebalancing still missing the mark? We’re ten years into the “robo revolution” and this critical technology is still leaving most financial advisors unautomated, unable to manage at the household level, and still making manual entries and
- [The Future of Financial Advice: A bird's eye view with the NAPFA CEO](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-future-of-financial-advice-a-birds-eye-view-with-the-napfa-ceo/) - In this Episode Changes in business models, technology, and demographics are shaping the future of wealth management right now. Hear from Geof Brown, CEO of NAPFA on how these 3 forces are combining to shape the future of the wealth management business and create new opportunities. Our Guest Geoffrey E. Brown, CAE, is the chief executive officer of
- [How Capital Gains Tax Rate Increase May Affect Business Owners (Including Financial Advisors)](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-capital-gains-tax-rate-increase-may-affect-business-owners-including-financial-advisors/) - In this Episode Dave Hinnenkamp, CEO of BerganKDV joins John Prendergast and Mike Langford to explore the proposed changes to the Federal capital gains tax rate and how these changes might affect your clients and the climate for mergers and acquisitions for RIAs and independent financial advisors. Our Guest Dave Hinnenkamp began his career at BerganKDV in
- [Managing Client Expectations in the Digital Era](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/managing-client-expectations-in-the-digital-era/) - Clients in the digital age have more choices when it comes to financial services. Market research and investment trends are available on Google and Yahoo Finance. Robo-advisors are plentiful and cheap to use. Trading platforms like Robinhood are open to everyone. This is what financial advisors are up against. Client expectations are high because they
- [How Financial Advisors can Explain Cryptocurrency and Blockchain to their Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-financial-advisors-can-explain-cryptocurrency-and-blockchain-to-their-clients/) - In this Episode Chances are your clients have asked you what you think about Bitcoin, Ethereum, NFTs, or the blockchain at one point in the past few years. And if they haven't... they will soon. Ambre Soubiran, CEO of Kaiko and one of the world's leading authorities on cryptocurrency markets joins Mike Langford and John
- [Virtual Wealth Management Can Improve Client Relationships](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/virtual-wealth-management-can-improve-client-relationships/) - The shift from doing business in person to operating virtually has been underway for some time. Some industries have embraced it, resulting in global economies of scale that set the blueprint for others to follow. Wealth management still has some catching up to do. Prior to 2020, financial advisory firms viewed virtual client service as
- [Robo Advisors are Going Hybrid. Should You?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/robo-advisors-are-going-hybrid-should-you/) - What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, human financial advisors were scrambling to compete with robo advisors. Today, FAs are using robo technology to better service their clients. A new breed has arisen. It’s called the “hybrid advisory firm.” To avoid confusion, the term “hybrid” has historically been used to describe Registered Investment
- [Banking on Simplicity: Why Blueleaf is Everything You Need And Nothing You Don't](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/banking-on-simplicity-why-blueleaf-is-everything-you-need-and-nothing-you-dont/) - The message should be clear by now: complexity is holding wealth management back. No matter how you spin it — fintech disruption, competitive landscape, quickly-evolving regulations — there is no reason wealth management should be this complex. It hurts the business as a whole, makes advisors’ lives more difficult, and inhibits great service for clients.
- [Why Automation is Critical for Wealth Management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-automation-is-critical-for-wealth-management/) - Learning something new is a conscious decision. Implementing what we learn, particularly when it overrides cultural bias, is something else entirely. Willingness is only part of the equation. It needs to be combined with hard work to effect real change. Automation is a topic we’ve been learning about for decades. Science fiction authors have written
- [Why Simplicity is the Key to Weathering the Wealth Management Storm](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-simplicity-is-the-key-to-weathering-the-wealth-management-storm/) - Our last piece [LINK], talked about the storm of disruption wealth management is weathering — and how it has added complexity across the board. The unfortunate thing is that advisors have been unnecessarily also adding complexity to communications, operations, and client service. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it can be undone.
- [Future-Proofing Your Firm with Strategic Simplicity](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/future-proofing-your-firm-with-strategic-simplicity/) - Unwinding the complexity that’s historically been embedded in wealth management begins by taking a few basic steps to simplify your operations. Keep in mind, we did this to ourselves. For decades, complexity was our justification for management fees. Modern-day clients aren’t buying that anymore. Transparency is the key to success in this era. Robo-advisors figured
- [Designing Great Wealth Management Experiences Leveraging Mobile](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/designing-great-wealth-management-experiences-leveraging-mobile/) - The wealth management industry has often struggled when it comes to general software design, and mobile is no different. The stakes are really high for both the advisor and the client, and turning complex and abstract information into simple, understandable terms remains a top challenge. A mobile app must be able to do that while
- [Complexity is Wealth Management’s Favorite — and Most Costly — Vice](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/complexity-is-wealth-managements-favorite-and-most-costly-vice/) - The wealth management industry is in the midst of disruption. Between a new generation of investors, the continued emergence of automated advisors and fintechs upending traditional models, more firms and advisors competing for the same clients, and a heavier regulatory burden, the industry has become enveloped in complexity. The dirty little secret? We did it
- [Blueleaf Has Launched Its Mobile App...Upgrade to Beautiful](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-has-launched-its-mobile-app-upgrade-to-beautiful/) - If you’ve been dragging your feet when it comes to improving the customer experience in your wealth management software or mobile app, we get it. If you’ve fallen behind the curve and don’t have a mobile app to speak of yet, we get that, too. Mobile is tricky and most advisors are hesitant to get
- [Top Trends in Wealth Management in 2021](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/top-trends-in-wealth-management-in-2021/) - Last year was like a chapter from a science fiction novel. The global pandemic, economic shutdowns, and the 2020 US election season are all events we’re happy to put in our rearview. The new year is underway, and change is happening. Some of what we have already experienced in wealth management this year is a
- [Financial Advisor versus Robo Advisors: What Are Your Clients Looking For?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/financial-advisor-versus-robo-advisors-what-are-your-clients-looking-for/) - The automation versus human dilemma is not unique to wealth management. It’s been a popular theme for sci-fi authors since the middle of the last century. Asimov published “I, Robot” in 1950 as a cautionary tale about the dangers of intelligent machines. For a more contemporary example, imagine robo-advisors as the minions of the evil
- [How Fintech Can Help Drive Down Compliance Costs in Wealth Management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-fintech-can-help-drive-down-compliance-costs-in-wealth-management/) - There’s no disputing it anymore. The use of online technology for practice management has changed the landscape of financial services. Virtual advisors are on the rise. Existing wealth management firms are scaling faster. Client service has improved. With great power comes great responsibility. The wide-spread use of data technology has resulted in increased regulation. Compliance
- [How Blueleaf Supports Your Firm's Evolving Value Proposition](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-blueleaf-supports-your-firms-evolving-value-proposition/) - Why is wealth management viewed as a “rapidly-changing” landscape? The term seems to have caught fire in recent years, but many advisors don’t see it. Managing money hasn’t changed all that much. What’s different? Reflect back on how your firm did business ten or fifteen years ago. Back then, many “advisors” were commissioned sales people
- [How Fintech is Disrupting Wealth Management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-fintech-is-disrupting-wealth-management/) - *OPINION POST Evolution is inevitable. Subjected to challenging circumstances, a living organism will either grow or meet its demise. In business, evolution is catalyzed by disruption. There are few industries where this has been more apparent than wealth management. Think back to the financial crash of 2008. In 189 days, the S&P 500 lost 47.5%
- [The Blueleaf Advantage: Keeping Value Top of Mind](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-blueleaf-advantage-keeping-value-top-of-mind/) - The current competitive landscape is daunting. We’ve been harping on the proliferation of digital platforms and other factors, and the resulting downward pressure on fees. We also pointed out the solution for advisors is to differentiate by looking for new ways to demonstrate communicate value. The bottom line is that advisors need to identify where
- [Think Your Firm’s Growth is Tied to Price? Think Again.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/think-your-firms-growth-is-tied-to-price-think-again/) - According to most scholars, it was Heraclitus who first coined the phrase, “The only constant in life is change.” Ironically, he is also known as the “weeping philosopher,” due to his melancholy nature and contrarian attitude. Ponder that for a moment. Constant change in an industry requires regular adjustments from those who operate within that
- [4 Big Ways Advisors Add Value - And How to Tell that to Your Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/4-big-ways-advisors-add-value-and-how-to-tell-that-to-your-clients/) - Last time, we talked about the fierce competitive landscape advisors face, especially as digital platforms exacerbate the downward pressure on fees. Differentiation is the only way forward, despite the fact that many advisors struggle to stand out from the pack. Even those that do tend to have a hard time communicating how they’re different —
- [If Pricing is Your Differentiator, Your Wealth Management Firm is in Trouble](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/if-pricing-is-your-differentiator-your-wealth-management-firm-is-in-trouble/) - Competition in the wealth management space is heating up. More accurately speaking, it’s been piping hot for awhile. Traditional advisors are grappling with how to attract the next generation as a crowded marketplace and digital platforms (“robo advisors”) worsen downward pressure on fees. Creating and maintaining a strong pipeline of clients is essential, especially amid
- [How a Beautifully-Designed Mobile App Attracts and Retains Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-a-beautifully-designed-mobile-app-attracts-and-retains-clients/) - By 2022 annual mobile app downloads are projected to reach 258 billion — a 45 percent increase from 178 billion downloads in 2017. In our last piece, we noted that pandemic-related pressure to go digital has accelerated new client expectations and behaviors for advisors and firms. Wealth management needs a new playbook for 2021, and
- [Your Customers Hate Your Wealth Management Software — And We Don’t Blame Them](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-customers-hate-your-wealth-management-software-and-we-dont-blame-them/) - Wealth management, along with just about every other industry, is in flux as pandemic-related pressure to go digital accelerates new client expectations and behaviors. In short, what has worked in the past does not necessarily work now. While client expectations always follow an upward trajectory, expectations around mobile are especially steep. What’s more, digital platform
- [From Cyber-Conniption to Coffee and Chill: How to Use Blueleaf’s Client Portal to Make Onboarding a Breeze](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/from-cyber-conniption-to-coffee-and-chill-how-to-use-blueleafs-client-portal-to-make-onboarding-a-breeze/) - Does your technology frustrate you? Advisors who’ve been in this game for a while may chuckle a bit when they see the question. Seasoned veterans in our industry remember the days of DB Cams and BAA CI boxes. Today’s tech is child’s play when compared to those. Of course, there’s always a learning curve. Financial
- [How One Advisor Used Blueleaf to Make the Transition to Remote Client Services Seamless](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-one-advisor-used-blueleaf-to-make-the-transition-to-remote-client-services-seamless/) - There are few experiences in business that rival the reception of positive feedback from a satisfied customer. We never get tired of it, especially when that input confirms we’re on the right track. As Hannibal Smith used to say, we “love it when a plan comes together.” Jason Park, a long-time Blueleaf customer, graciously agreed
- [The Secret to Seamless Scalability in the New Digital World](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-secret-to-seamless-scalability-in-the-new-digital-world/) - Our journey has just begun. The glimpse of the future that wealth managers were exposed to in 2020 was merely a taste of what we can expect in the years to come. We’re living in a new normal, an unprecedented digital era. Is your firm equipped for that? The digital realm is very different from
- [Using Blueleaf’s Client Portal to Become Your Clients’ Favorite Video Conferencing Meeting](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/using-blueleafs-client-portal-to-become-your-clients-favorite-video-conferencing-meeting/) - Asking new clients for their preferred method of communication has been part of the initial discovery process since the invention of the telephone. We’re all taught to do it when we intern on our first summer job. The responses vary, but the question has never changed. As we progress through our professional journey, most of
- [Your Wealth Management Firm is Built to Fail - Here’s How to Fix It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-wealth-management-firm-is-built-to-fail-heres-how-to-fix-it/) - What was once deemed disruption in wealth management has now become the new normal. As the world’s population continues to work and play in the digital realm, the demand for remote advisory firms is increasing. Like it or not, virtual interaction is our future. Enabling virtual client service is not just table stakes in the
- [How to Turbocharge Your Wealth Management Business in the Digital Era](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-turbocharge-your-wealth-management-business-in-the-digital-era/) - "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." -Lao Tzu Change, in and of itself, is not difficult. One simply needs to embrace it. Resistance to change can stall the evolutionary process, but it won’t stop it. This is prevalent in life and an immutable truth in business. When
- [Digital-First Disorientation: The New Wealth Management Problem](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/digital-first-disorientation-the-new-wealth-management-problem/) - One of my fondest memories from 2019 is an afternoon playing eighteen holes at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla. I had wrapped up a successful conference (SSG) that week and decided to do something nice for myself before flying home the following day. That was then. This is now. The SSG conference didn’t
- [Blueleaf Tells All: Why Account Aggregation Isn’t Perfect & How We’re Fixing It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-tells-all-why-account-aggregation-isnt-perfect-how-were-fixing-it/) - There’s no such thing as flawless technology. Software providers who tell you otherwise are selling you a bill of goods. Data aggregation, though vastly improved from what it once was, is definitely not perfect. Our team at Blueleaf has been working on fixing that. When we first launched our platform, data aggregators were charging exorbitant
- [Find Out How Blueleaf Makes AUM Growth Just Happen](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/find-out-how-blueleaf-makes-aum-growth-just-happen/) - Chances are, you got into the wealth management game because you love working with clients. Unfortunately, many financial advisors are relegated to managing a single account or only part of the client’s assets. A limited role paired with operational challenges makes it difficult to engage with clients in a way that adds the most value.
- [14 Ways Blueleaf’s Account Aggregation Enables Proactive Insights and Helps You Add Differentiated Value](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/14-ways-blueleafs-account-aggregation-enables-proactive-insights-and-helps-you-add-differentiated-value/) - Financial advisors struggle with data aggregation. It’s been described as everything from an intolerable headache to a saving grace, but most wealth management professionals don’t fully understand how much value held-away data brings to the advisor/client relationship. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of uses for our account aggregation that can help you offer
- [How to Keep Your Edge in a Wealth Management World That Won’t Slow Down](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-keep-your-edge-in-a-wealth-management-world-that-wont-slow-down/) - Modern wealth management is a hyper-competitive profession that regularly presents new challenges for financial advisors. Adapting to the ongoing evolution of our industry is the key to long-term profitability, but many firms are still significantly behind the curve. A few days ago, we published an article about the demise of the BlackBerry. It was an
- [Blueleaf on the Breaking Banks Podcast: The Art of Innovation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-on-the-breaking-banks-podcast-the-art-of-innovation/) - Blueleaf CEO, John Prendergast joins Jason Henrichs, host of Provoke FM's Breaking Banks podcast for a conversation with April J. Rudin, innovator, change-maker, and Founder of The Rudin Group. They discuss pain-points wealth management is facing and to explore what’s next for the industry. Breaking Banks is the the #1 global fintech radio show and podcast.
- [How a 360-Degree View Prevents Clients from Doing a 180](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-a-360-degree-view-prevents-clients-from-doing-a-180/) - It’s easy for clients to become overwhelmed by the complexities of their finances, especially in a fast-changing market. Media distractions add to the overwhelm, getting noisier when clarity is needed most. Clients need more than advice on their managed investment portfolio. Focusing only on the gains and losses of managed accounts leaves your clients without
- [Wealth Advisors Have a BlackBerry Problem...and Digital is Making it Worse](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/wealth-advisors-have-a-blackberry-problem-and-digital-is-making-it-worse/) - Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin hit a home run in 1999. The original BlackBerry disrupted the consumer electronics space and launched a new era in hand-held communication devices. At one point, the Canadian company had control of 50% of the US smartphone market. Today, you won’t find a BlackBerry device in any consumer retail electronics
- [How one advisor mastered client communication, got featured in the Wall Street Journal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-one-advisor-mastered-client-communication-got-featured-in-the-wall-street-journal/) - Disruption is never popular at the outset. Traditionalists express disdain towards it. Moderates view it as a curiosity. Pioneers take a chance and are sometimes rewarded for it. This is rare in financial services, where tradition all too often wins over innovation. Not in this case. CFP Katie Stokes is a pioneer. Katie initially shied
- [The On-Demand Antidote to Media Mayhem that Keeps Clients on Track](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-on-demand-antidote-to-media-mayhem-that-keeps-clients-on-track/) - Jim Cramer just blew his horn! I can hear the scurry of little feet scrambling to buy and sell positions, fueled by the hyper-activity of a stock promoter. Emotion is driving them. Data is not necessary. The media mayhem they just witnessed is all the motivation needed. This is the world we live in. What
- [Katie Stokes Chats About Virtual Client Service](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/katie-stokes-chats-about-virtual-client-service/) - Katie Stokes, financial analyst for Core Advisors, recently sat down with us for a chat about virtual client services and how to implement them. Due to COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, many business are switching to digital/virtual services to assist customers and clients with the high-quality service they deserve. Here's what Katie had to say on the
- [The Ultimate Communication Strategy that Keeps Clients Calm and Confident](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-ultimate-communication-strategy-that-keeps-clients-calm-and-confident/) - Clients are looking for guidance. If you don’t provide it, they will find it elsewhere. Here’s the thing: most advisors believe that a steady stream of information only drives more fear. The truth is that receiving clear, simple, consolidated information about one’s money on a regular basis makes people feel better, calmer and more in
- [Communicating your value to clients in a down market](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/communicating-your-value-to-clients-in-a-down-market/) - Suggested email template This email assumes your client is in a properly diversified portfolio and that you replace the content in the [brackets] We did have our friends in compliance review this. However, your compliance team should review before you send. For each client you'll need to choose:[time frame and index for performance] - We
- [Deciding what to automate is as simple as 1 2 3.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/deciding-what-to-automate-is-as-simple-as-1-2-3/) - Personal automation doesn’t always give you more free time. You need to be intentional in deciding what to automate to avoid creating more work. To start thinking critically about automation, ask yourself these simple questions: Does the task require your personal attention to get done? Does the task consume lots of time? Can you avoid
- [Automate Your Daily Routines](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/automate-your-daily-routines/) - The most successful businesses outsource or automate everything possible so they can spend time where it creates the most value for them. As wealth managers, we all know this intuitively yet we still do things by hand that could be automated. Often it's because we just don't know how to automate the task. We're here
- [Defeating The Silent Advisor Killer](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/defeating-the-silent-advisor-killer/) - Is this viewpoint nuts? Some time ago, I wrote about the Silent Advisor Killer - Cost of Acquiring Clients (CAC). In the discussion that followed, there were a number of advisors that disagreed with worrying about the relationship between CAC and the first year margin (FYM) earned from a client. An argument against the importance
- [How To Introduce New Technology To Your Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-introduce-new-technology-to-your-clients/) - Introducing new technology to clients is a challenge. Let's face it, whether you are a technophile with all the latest gadgets or someone who has just started to hear about a new company called Instagram, most of us are not experts at consumer behavior with technology. So rolling out new systems for your clients may
- [The Augmented Advisor: Scaling Efficiency and Margins](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-augmented-advisor-scaling-efficiency-and-margins/) - This interview was originally published on WealthTech Club An Interview with John Prendergast, Blueleaf CEO The wealth management world has changed, and it makes us queasy. According to the KPMG report “Forging the Future,” the top source of disruption in the financial industry is emerging financial technology (FinTech). Historically, there has been a human layer
- [How the DOL Rule Change Creates Massive Hidden Threats to RIAs](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-the-dol-rule-change-creates-massive-hidden-threats-to-rias/) - After years of debate and public comment the DOL issued its final rule earlier this year. In fact, the discussion has dragged on so long that this article essentially started 5 years ago based on a 2011 post by Michael Kitces here. On April 10, 2017 all financial professionals will be obligated to provide advice
- [3 Strategies for Thriving After the DOL Rule](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-strategies-for-thriving-after-the-dol-rule/) - In our previous post on the upcoming DOL rule we presented massive new threats for RIAs. You will have thousands of new competitors and your best sales pitch - unbiased advice - will no longer be differentiated. We suggested you start communicating with existing clients to get ahead of these competitive threats. We’re begging you
- [Why You Should Start a Financial Advisor Blog and How to Do It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-you-should-start-a-financial-advisor-blog-and-how-to-do-it/) - Have you heard of Blueleaf Advisor Jeff Rose or his main blog Good Financial Cents? If you haven't of Jeff or his blog then you are probably one of the few. The blog gets over 400,000 visitors per month and it is one on the leading personal finance websites in the United States. Watch Jeff's
- [Double Your Growth With This Financial Advisor Marketing System](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/double-your-growth-with-this-financial-advisor-marketing-system/) - You are probably very skeptical about that headline. What financial advisor marketing system could deliver this kind of growth? We have other posts with big claims. They include advisors who achieved a 94% close rate, received no calls during a major market downturn, and grew their AUM with no effort. Here's some research to back the headline
- [Why Email is the King of Financial Advisor Marketing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-email-is-the-king-of-financial-advisor-marketing/) - Financial advisor marketing is hard. There are endless options but which strategies work? The answer is simple. Focus on email for the best return on investment. Email might seem old-fashioned, but it still works better than any other channel. Just why is that? Email is personal While there is a lot of buzz around social
- [Apps to Help Financial Advisors Onboard New Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/apps-to-help-financial-advisors-onboard-new-clients/) - Back in the old days, getting (and then onboarding) clients from faraway places meant phone calls, emails, faxes argh. Not anymore. There are plenty of easy to use apps to make the process a breeze for you and for your clients. Blueleaf client ScholarFi, a husband and wife team, have the process to onboard new
- [How To Make Panicked Client Calls History](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-make-panicked-client-calls-history/) - We got a call from one of our customers early last week. Feedback from our users - whether it is positive or negative - is vital to help us make Blueleaf better. This feedback was decidedly negative. Here’s how the call went. *************** Customer: Hey, I got a lot of angry calls from clients because
- [How to Handle Hostile Client Meetings](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-handle-hostile-client-meetings/) - Recently a client asked me to attend a meeting between her, her recent ex-husband and an insurance broker we have been talking to. The reason for the meeting was to explore getting life insurance coverage on the husband, to insure the alimony he was obligated to pay. Her attorney had missed this during the divorce
- [3 Steps to Turn Your Advisor Website into a Prospect Magnet](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-steps-to-turn-your-advisor-website-into-a-prospect-magnet/) - One of our recent blog posts demonstrated how high growth financial advisors are growing their businesses by making a prospect feel like a client and delivering value even before they are signed up. The challenge that remains is how to attract the right prospects and get them to make the initial contact. After referrals, the
- [Getting an F on Growth? Here's How Superstar Financial Advisors Do It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/getting-an-f-on-growth-heres-how-superstar-financial-advisors-do-it/) - Blueleaf has a team dedicated to customer success, creatively called the Customer Success team. As part of what we do, we look for customers that are crushing their business objectives [by using Blueleaf] so we can teach other advisors how to do it too. Our Customer Success team talks with these advisors often to find out
- [Designing the Review Meeting of Your Client's Dreams](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/designing-the-review-meeting-of-your-clients-dreams/) - Throughout my career as a financial planner, I’ve tried many approaches at streamlining the task of setting up and getting data for client review meetings. This has been as simple as a brief phone call, but this can sometimes lead to a lack of data. On the other end, it has been as in-depth as
- [5 Simple Advisor Tips from Rising Star Chris Hatfield](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/5-simple-advisor-tips-from-rising-star-chris-hatfield/) - Want to be as much as a star as Chris Hatfield, a founding member of the Opsahl Group at True Private Wealth Advisors in Portland, Oregon? Here he shares five simple advisor tips that have helped make him a rising star in the industry. 1. Focus on listening. Everyone likes to talk and mostly they
- [Financial Planning Software that Makes Plan Operations Pain Free](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/financial-planning-software-that-makes-plan-operations-pain-free/) - I’m going to vocalize a secret that I’m sure many financial planners have: I love finding new clients and designing their plans with them, but I find the implementation of these plans tedious. If you’re reading this by yourself and feel this way, throw a fist pump in the air, “Yes! It’s not just me.”
- [Stephen Rhodes On His Champion Client Strategy](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/stephen-rhodes-on-his-champion-client-strategy/) - You want to help your clients feel like champions, right? Of course! Coaching and advising your clients so that they are financial superstars? Definitely, yes. And when those clients recommend you to their friends ... You can all be champions, and create some serious growth for your business as well. Stephen Rhodes, successful advisor and
- [How Automation Can Win New Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-automation-can-win-new-clients/) - So the phrase “Content is King” rings true for many industries looking to attract customers. It’s the same with financial advisors. Showcasing your knowledge and personality goes a long way to winning over prospective clients. But you could be playing the game all wrong. Do people visit your website and then leave? Is it completely up to
- [Shake up the Holiday Gifts](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/shake-up-the-holiday-gifts/) - When I was an employee of a larger firm, this was my favorite time of year. Vendors who we worked with, or were vying for our business, would send overflowing baskets of holiday treats to show their gratitude. Harry David pears, endless flavors of popcorn, Lindt chocolate truffles - the list of waist bulging items
- [Can you relate? "We throw marketing stuff out there, but engagement is low..."](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/can-you-relate-we-throw-marketing-stuff-out-there-but-engagement-is-low/) - Last week's marketing session addressed a big, overwhelming challenge: "We're throwing content out there, but not getting any response back. We're getting 'Likes' on Facebook... but we have ZERO engagement with those people. I feel like our strategy right now is throwing content out there, but not knowing what to do." - Aaron Britz, RIA, CEO and
- [How I Turbocharged Engagement w/ My Website Viewers - One advisor's success story](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-i-turbocharged-engagement-w-my-website-viewers-one-advisors-success-story/) - I could sense she was crying. But I didn’t know her name, what she looked like, and we’d only been talking for 20 minutes. Let me back up for a second. For the past 18 months, I’ve been running my niche-RIA, Finance for Teachers. During those first 12 months, I have heavily researched marketing techniques,
- [Can you explain 'Derivatives' in simple terms?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/can-you-explain-derivatives-in-simple-terms/) - Marvin emailed me. I had to pause. He was responding to the Explain Jargon to Clients Tool I shared with him. The tool helps advisors explain common financial jargon in 'human words' people can actually understand. What about 'derivatives'? After some thought (and consulting some of the Blueleaf team), I replied with this idea: A financial derivative is just
- [Your 3-Month Plan for Attracting Clients From Scratch](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-3-month-plan-for-attracting-clients-from-scratch/) - I recently had a marketing coaching session with newly independent CFP Scott Davison. He needed help understanding how to go about attracting new clients - from scratch. Listen in for a 3-month plan to start TODAY and drive trackable results to your advisory business. 0:00 Introduction 0:35 Scott’s Introduction 1:30 Approachable, Transparent Advisors 2:55 “Going Fishing”
- [Dear Advisor: Why haven't I heard from you?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/dear-advisor-why-havent-i-heard-from-you/) - The following is part of Blueleaf's The "Dear Advisor" Campaign, encouraging open collaboration and service innovation in the financial industry like never before. Letters are submitted by members of the general public who, at all stages of life, have an honest message to share with you. Let's redefine what "value to my client" means. Adam Sigel
- [RIA Registration: The Nuts, Bolts, and Must-Knows](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/ria-registration-the-nuts-bolts-and-must-knows/) - Today's guest post is by RIA in a Box. RIA in a Box is a leading provider of registration and compliance services to registered investment adviser firms. They’ve helped over 2,000 fellow entrepreneurs establish their own RIA firms and remain in constant compliance with regulatory guidelines by pairing our team of former regulators with cutting-edge compliance software.
- [How To Introduce Account Aggregation to Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-introduce-account-aggregation-to-clients/) - It's time to calm your nerves. Rolling out account aggregation can be very straight forward. The amount of work needed per client depends on the complexity of the system and that, in turn, governs how quickly you can roll out without an overwhelming amount of support requests. (Step #1 helps you avoid this.) Ultimately a good roll
- [Be Different: Help Clients Invest In Their Happiness (Really. It’s science.)](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/be-different-help-clients-invest-in-their-happiness-really-its-science/) - Money can buy happiness. Really. It's science. Michael Norton, social science researcher and professor at Harvard Business school, shared fascinating research about the relationship between money and happiness at a TEDx conference in Cambridge. Here's what he found... ... but since it's 11 minutes long, and some of us are "too busy" for that, we
- [[Advisor Forum] If you have questions after marketing course "Get More Leads w/ Low Maintenance Strategies"](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisor-forum-if-you-have-questions-after-marketing-course-get-more-leads-w-low-maintenance-strategies/) - This is an open forum for Financial Advisors who attended the Blueleaf Online Marketing Course "Get More Leads w/ Low Maintenance Strategies" to ask follow-up questions and engage with other attendees. Post questions (or drop a note) in the Comments below. I'm happy to help. -Carolyn Ask questions. Get answers. Share stories. Learn from peers. This is YOUR space to connect. @blueleafadvisor Great
- [“I hope he NEVER pays us,” admits CEO of software company](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/i-hope-he-never-pays-us-admits-ceo-of-software-company/) - It happened yesterday. During a 10:30am meeting in downtown Boston, the CEO of a financial services software company exclaimed, “I hope he NEVER pays us,” to a room full of employees. Everyone nodded. While most CEOs - and other top executives - focus their teams on how to funnel more and more customers through their
- [Don't get caught off guard. Deal with the unpredictable.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/dont-get-caught-off-guard-deal-with-the-unpredictable/) - Today's guest post is by Don Connelly, a seasoned coach to financial advisors with 45+ years experience in the financial services industry. What does "thinking on your feet" really mean for financial advisors? Idioms aren't meant to be taken literally. For anyone learning English, it must be disconcerting to hear that it’s raining cats and dogs
- [15 Essential Steps to Meeting Your Fiduciary Duty](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/15-essential-steps-to-meeting-your-fiduciary-duty/) - Fiduciary responsibilities are integral to your work as a financial advisor. It’s your job to not only act with a high fiduciary standard of care, but it’s also your job to communicate this with your clients. Your clients, both current and prospective, have grown increasingly anxious about the state of their savings and investments. Most advisors feel
- [Here's what the financial industry REALLY thinks about Twitter...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/heres-what-the-financial-industry-really-thinks-about-twitter/) - Our industry loves to talk about Twitter. (Ironic how this article is yet another example.) But the opinions of REAL users have been hard to find. Until now. Last month I set out to find out what real, human users in the financial industry think about Twitter - Is it worth using? Would you encourage a non-user to join? If yes, what
- [Do Less, Deliver More: Lessons from the Tortoise and the Hare](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/do-less-deliver-more-lessons-from-the-tortoise-and-the-hare/) - In today’s society, we all want things done quickly. We want webpages to load in the blink of the eye. We want the waitress to bring our dinners minutes after we order. We want to go on a diet and be at our goal weight the next week. We want immediate gratification. We want to
- [I've Acquired Many New Clients with LinkedIn. Here's how.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/ive-acquired-many-new-clients-with-linkedin-heres-how/) - I've acquired many new clients with LinkedIn. By the end of this article you'll know how to begin the process of using LinkedIn to expand your network and meet new clients. LinkedIn is the simplest referral system. People join LinkedIn to network - all you have to do is help them. First, it's important to
- [Your clients aren’t reading your emails. Fix it in 5 steps](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-clients-arent-reading-your-emails-fix-it-in-5-steps/) - Your average client’s inbox is buried in 416 commercial emails per month, and some clients in certain professions may get 100-200 per day! No wonder 30% or less are ever even opened. Where are your emails winding up? Do you know? How can you avoid the spam filter and the delete button whether you’re marketing
- [16 Quotes to Help You Inspire Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/16-quotes-to-help-you-inspire-clients/) - When trying to inspire your audience about finance, sometimes your own words feel inadequate. It's frustrating trying to come up with the perfect way to say something, especially when the truth is that it may have already been perfectly said. When sending an email (either in the body, or as part of your signature), updating your
- [501 Blog Topic Ideas for Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/501-blog-topic-ideas-for-financial-advisors/) - You heard right. You're about to get 501 topics for your blog. That's nearly 2 years worth of blog articles if you're blogging at a rate of 4 times per week. (Pretty awesome.) And best of all, getting the exact topic you want as easy as 1, 2, 3. Here's what to do: 1.) Think of a word or phrase.
- [How I Announced a Move Across the Country With Only Positive Feedback from Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-i-announced-a-move-across-the-country-with-only-positive-feedback-from-clients/) - I love the west, and my wife and I have always dreamed to live and grow our family there. Shortly after we married, we moved to Colorado Springs for a short stint before transferring to Georgia where I've since built a wealth management business with my business partner, Brian Pierce. Over the past two years,
- [How Blueleaf Put Advisor Katie Stokes in the WSJ](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-blueleaf-put-advisor-katie-stokes-in-the-wsj/) - New software can be thrilling to learn about, fun to try, turn out to be “exactly what you’ve been waiting for” and change your business for the better. This is NOT how Katie’s story started. I called Katie Stokes, CFP®, Director of Financial Planning at J.E. Wilson Advisors, to say thanks after she raved to
- [The Top 5 Ways Advisors Use Their Tablet](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-top-5-ways-advisors-use-their-tablet/) - In an advisor technology survey last year, 46% of respondents reported using an iPad or other tablet technology in their firm. When asked how they use their tablet, five noticeable trends emerged. Here are the Top 5 Ways Advisors Use Their Tablets: 1. In-Person Client Presentations Some advisors do entire presentations on a tablet, while
- [Referral Strategies From Today's Hot Startups and What Advisors Can Do](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/referral-strategies-from-todays-hot-startups-and-what-advisors-can-do/) - Ah, referrals. Marketing gold for companies of all shapes and sizes. When a client makes a referral, the profitability of the relationship increases, and so does the clients LTV (lifetime value). But referrals are tricky. In a perfect world, clients who love you and trust you would feel implicitly compelled to praise your services at
- [How To Speak The Language of a Prospect](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-speak-the-language-of-a-prospect/) - Everyone wants financial advice. It’s just the truth. Even you, a person in the business of giving financial advice, go out looking for information and guidance from others in the industry. It really is indisputable - everyone could use what you’re selling. So why do some of your conversations with prospects feel… hard? If they
- [Explain Like I'm Six: Account Aggregation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/explain-like-im-six-account-aggregation/) - Account aggregation. It was a daunting term the first time you saw it. While most people in the industry are familiar with account aggregation technology at this point, you now face the challenge of explaining it to your clients. You’ve invested in account aggregation, are excited about the capability to aggregate their accounts, and know
- [Scariest. Client Email. Ever.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/scariest-client-email-ever/) - Pause. You’re comfortable right now, sitting down, reading the words on your screen. You have your clients, you’re helping them manage their assets and you have a plan for their future. But in a few minutes you get an email. And suddenly your business is at risk. There’s been an unexpected change in your client's
- [The Information Journey That Makes Prospects Want to Reach Out](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-information-journey-that-makes-prospects-want-to-reach-out/) - This post in the first in a series to help you better understand how digital marketing is creating new opportunities to drive growth through referrals. Traditional referrals are under threat. ... and we all feel it. Financial advisor thought-leader Michael Kitches argues that digital search may end tradition referrals as a major lead source. Supporting this,
- [What To Say [and NOT say] To A Grieving Widowed Client](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-to-say-and-not-say-to-a-grieving-widowed-client/) - The phone rings and it's your client, Sue. "Frank's gone. Died in his sleep last night. We knew he was living on borrowed time . . . but I can't believe he's really dead. Oh, my . . . I just wanted you to know”. . . and she breaks into sobbing tears. WHAT DO
- [Wealth Manager Wins New Clients with his Hobby](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/wealth-manager-wins-new-clients-with-his-hobby/) - Honey, I'm going sailing. For work. Too good to be true? It's not. David Edwards, President of Heron Financial Group, found a way to leverage his sailing hobby for successful client prospecting. According to David, "What you need to do is create opportunities for prospects to get to know you in a non-salesy environment." And sailing is
- [How To Get Quick Ideas For Your Next Blog Post and Proof It Works](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-get-quick-ideas-for-your-next-blog-post-and-proof-it-works/) - At the end of my blog post last week, I pointed out that Twitter is a great place to find inspiration when blogging. If you sit down to write, tap into your creative mind and hear crickets where creativity used to be, browse Twitter. To help you realize just how easy this can be, I probed
- [Why People Are Uninspired By Retirement Planning](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-people-are-uninspired-by-retirement-planning/) - We all know saving for retirement is important. We’ve been taught this. Our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, friends, coworkers (and financial advisors) all chat about saving for retirement. We’ve seen the research… the charts and graphs that prove what a monthly contribution to our retirement savings account will look like in X years. But it’s
- [Invaluable Prospecting Skill I Learned After Getting “Choked Out” by a Grown Man](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/invaluable-prospecting-skill-i-learned-after-getting-choked-out-by-a-grown-man/) - If you’ve never been “choked out” by the principal of your Alma Mater, I highly recommend it… This happened to me. And it had me see why I was ineffective in my prospecting conversations over the past 2 months and what I needed to do to change that. Just a few months ago, my "great"
- [5 Types of Emails that are Clogging Your Inbox](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/5-types-of-emails-that-are-clogging-your-inbox/) - Your inbox is your life. You write a LOT of emails, and you receive at least twice as many. It's one of your strongest tools for client communication, and it's almost always connected to you through your smartphone. But with hundreds of messages sitting in it, read but lingering, it's impossible to find the information
- [6 Insider Tips for Working with Widows](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/6-insider-tips-for-working-with-widows/) - I'm a financial planner. I'm also a member of a group that I do not like — I'm a widow. We widows are one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population. Indeed, half of all married women experience widowhood before age 60. Our ranks are growing at the rate of nearly 1 million a year,
- [Uncommon Strategy Drives 50% Annual Growth for This Independent Advisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/uncommon-strategy-drives-50-annual-growth-for-this-independent-advisor/) - Most advisors hear "annual growth strategy" and think marketing ads, networking events, social media, client referrals, and other forms of actively pursuing new prospects. But one midsize advisor found a not-so-typical marketing strategy that's helping him maintain 50+% annual growth: Routine engagement with his current clients. And frequently. Who would've thought increasing the contact you have with current clients would
- [Is Texting a Client Okay? The Truth for Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/is-texting-a-client-okay-the-truth-for-advisors/) - Yes. Any form of client communication is compliant as long as it is archived and can be produced during an audit, lawsuit, or any mediation or litigation. There’s plenty of help online for backing up text messages on an Android, and similarly, for iMessages on the iPhone. Just be sure the messages are archived where they can't
- [7 Tips to Increase 'Contact Us' Form Submissions](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/7-tips-to-increase-contact-us-form-submissions/) - You have a contact form on your website. There may even be link to it from your blog and email signature. “Schedule a call” “Contact Us” “Book an Appointment” “Get a Free Consultation” It helps you start a real conversation with web visitors, automate the process of setting up meetings, and proactively offer support to
- [Two Words That’ll Make You Stand Out from other Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/two-words-thatll-make-you-stand-out-from-other-financial-advisors/) - It seems like every coffee meeting I have with financial advisors finds its way to the topic of "standing out”. How can I stand out How can I set myself apart How will people know I'm different How are other advisors doing it The answer I give is always the same. And it's only two words.
- [Defeat Robo-Advisors: Where Algorithms Can’t Replace The Human](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/defeat-robo-advisors-where-algorithms-cant-replace-the-human/) - The robots are coming, the robots are coming! The financial planning industry is shaken up once again, but in a completely new way. This isn’t like 2008 when the entire world was glaring at investment managers, blaming them for all the world’s problems. This time around it’s an all-out crackdown on high priced products and
- [14 Quotes About Financial Planning to Share With Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/14-quotes-about-financial-planning-to-share-with-clients/) - Here are 15 quotes to help you educate, inspire and keep clients engaged. From financial stress to financial planning, from investing to saving, there's something for everyone. How To Save One To Your Computer: Right-click on a square, choose "Save Image As", give it a name, and decide where to save it. Easy. Use These Images
- [Do you own a job or a REAL business? The difference for financial advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/do-you-own-a-job-or-a-real-business-the-difference-for-financial-advisors/) - Do you own a business, or a job? Most financial advisors either want a business they can "grow old with", OR a business they will be able to eventually sell. Most advisors have merely created a job -- not a business. The line between owning a job and owning a business is relatively defined, but many
- [The Ultimate Lesson for Effective Client Meetings](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-ultimate-lesson-for-effective-client-meetings/) - Wonder if your meetings could be more effective? More helpful? Informative? Engaging? Inspiring? More valuable? Regardless of how many meetings you’ve run (or how comfortable you’ve grown with your process), the answer is always yes. There’s always a chance to improve the way you interact with clients. This is part of the reason the topic
- [The Most Effective Schedule I’ve Had In Two Years and Why There's Nothing Like It](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-most-effective-schedule-ive-had-in-two-years-and-why-theres-nothing-like-it/) - 10:00am Parrot talk. Swim, snorkel, kayak. 3:30pm Popsicles by the pool. Walk the beach. Check out the sea turtles. That was the extent of my ‘schedule’ for the past week. I just returned from a vacation with my husband and two children on the beautiful island of Kaua’i. What a phenomenal place to spend quality time
- [19 Ways To Describe Aggregation Without Saying The Word](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/19-ways-to-describe-aggregation-without-saying-the-word/) - “I’m giving you Tursipank. It’s awesome, trust me.” Uh, okay. I hear you, and I may trust that ‘Tursipank’ is as awesome as you say, but I doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t feel excited or helped. I actually feel confused and disconnected. Our industry is polluted with jargon. And jargon is ineffective to an
- [NPR Exposes How These Americans Really Feel About Retirement Planning and Why](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/npr-exposes-how-these-americans-really-feel-about-retirement-planning-and-why/) - Like most advisors, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how the general public was feeling about retirement until I read the 85+ comments spurred by this post on NPR’s Facebook fan page. Here's what NPR asked: Post by NPR. One might think the comments would be split evenly between (i) those
- [Advisors Told Me What The Perfect Meeting Looks Like and It's F***](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisors-told-me-what-the-perfect-meeting-looks-like-and-its-f/) - The Blueleaf Team recently polled a group of 386 financial advisors who were interested in improving their client meetings. We simply asked: What would an "ideal" meeting be like for you? It was open-ended, not multiple choice. The idea was to give participants the freedom to say whatever came to mind, without the influence of
- [7 Truths Advisors Can't Ever Admit To Clients Turned Into Questions They'll Love To Answer](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/7-truths-advisors-cant-ever-admit-to-clients-turned-into-questions-theyll-love-to-answer/) - You can’t admit it. But want to. Saying it out loud sounds so bad, even though your intentions are good and the outcome would be great. So the truth goes unsaid, makes a permanent home in your churning thoughts. You'll just wait until "the perfect moment" finally comes along when you can naturally bring 'It'
- [The Two Emails That Save Me Hours Of Work And Build Client Relationships Right](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-two-emails-that-save-me-hours-of-work-and-build-client-relationships-right/) - They say the best hockey referees are the ones you don’t notice. The fewer whistles blown, the more flow there is to the game. Fewer disruptions means the players have space to focus on what’s important, like getting that little black piece of rubber into the opposing team’s net. As financial planners, we can apply
- [Saying You're Transparent Can Actually Kill Client Trust If You Fall Into This Trap](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/saying-youre-transparent-can-actually-kill-client-trust-if-you-fall-into-this-trap/) - Do you claim to be "transparent"? Several years ago, while serving on a charitable organization investment committee, I was involved in the process of interviewing firms to manage funds that were being accumulated for construction of a building a few years away. One of the other committee members wanted us to talk with a wealth
- [Delight Clients and Increase Referrals With 4 Lessons From Walt Disney](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/delight-clients-and-increase-referrals-with-4-lessons-from-walt-disney/) - Walt Disney was a business mastermind. He built a multi-billion dollar company with the simple goal to “create happiness” and always strived to deliver a Disney experience that would leave customers feeling better than they did before. With that vision, he turned a mouse named Mickey into an entertainment empire. One of Walt’s many talents
- [If You Could Teach A Client To Brush Their Teeth, You Can Keep Them Calm About Finances. Here's Why.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/if-you-could-teach-a-client-to-brush-their-teeth-you-can-keep-them-calm-about-finances-heres-why/) - When was the last time you walked up to the sink to brush your teeth and felt overwhelmed? It probably hasn’t EVER happened, but let’s think about what brushing your teeth really entails: Go into the bathroom Open the medicine cabinet door Pick up your tooth brush Turn on the cold water Hold the brush
- [Video for Beginners: There's No Need To Feel Intimidated, Starting Now](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/video-for-beginners-theres-no-need-to-feel-intimidated-starting-now/) - “I don’t think video is important for my business,” said no one ever. Video is on the rise. More than 1 billion people visit YouTube every month and watch over 6 billion hours of video (Source). That’s right, we're talking BILLIONS… In fact, YouTube is now considered a ‘search engine’ due to the sheer amount
- [When You Stop Sending Paper Reports, You Deprive Clients Of 15 Things](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/when-you-stop-sending-paper-reports-you-deprive-clients-of-15-things/) - Paperless reporting is becoming incredibly popular. It's an epidemic, really. I've spoken with advisors who've completely "stopped generating performance reports" in exchange for online tools that automatically generate them. Crazy. Some advisors told me they're actually enjoying the end of Q1. Heck, advisors are even transitioning their office to paperless altogether as a way to "be more efficient".
- [7 Terms Advisors Use That Make Clients Go "Huh?"](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/7-terms-advisors-use-that-make-clients-go-huh/) - You speak. Clients nod. Sometimes they nod with a twinkle in their eye, thinking “Wow, it all makes perfect sense. I feel great about this.” Sometimes they nod with a blank stare and polite smile, wondering “What the heck does THAT mean...” Don't leave your clients in the dark. Here are 7 financial terms you
- [My Client Died and One Simple Question From His Family Changed My Business](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/my-client-died-and-one-simple-question-from-his-family-changed-my-business/) - The first time one of my clients died was July 2008. He was my “most difficult” client. He asked the difficult and time consuming questions. He wanted to learn and understand the deepest details about what we did. Despite his attention and mine, neither of us expected what happened next. The phone call I received that
- [The 'Unpopular' Sharing Method That Gets More Eyes On My Blog](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-unpopular-sharing-method-that-gets-more-eyes-on-my-blog/) - We’ve all heard it before. Blogging is a powerful way to maintain your online brand and increase client engagement. You can write timely content in your tone, about any topic you choose. But blogging isn’t a field of dreams in which “if you build it, they will come.” No. To get the most out of
- ["I'm not your father's financial planner" and other ways Sophia stands out](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/im-not-your-fathers-financial-planner-and-other-ways-sophia-stands-out/) - Sophia Bera, CFP®, is a Gen Y advisor for Gen Y clients, promising "I'm not your father's financial planner". While building a businesses to provide affordable financial advice to her own generation, Sophia is also leading the way for advisors who want a strong, consistent online presence. Her well-designed website, incredibly personal blog posts, and
- [A Huge Pool of Investors Won't Trust Financial Advisors Until We Do This](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/a-huge-pool-of-investors-wont-trust-financial-advisors-until-we-do-this/) - The Baby Boomer generation is happy with their financial advisors; they trust us and value our work. They grade their "service satisfaction" in the B+/A- neighborhood. Not shabby. But this generation of investors isn't growing. There's a huge new pool of prospects we're about to fish in - and it's a pool that's growing with
- [How Speaking To A Group of Pilots Made My Teachers-Only Business Take Off](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-speaking-to-a-group-of-pilots-made-my-teachers-only-business-take-off/) - Many niche advisors design their practices to service a targeted demographic. Regardless of what that is, most advisor marketing material is worded and branded to speak to this segment and, by nature, excludes those who don’t fit into said category. But is this focus making us close-minded? What about marketing-by-association? Could you market to a
- [Getting Clients to Go "All In" with Held-Away Assets](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/getting-clients-to-go-all-in-with-held-away-assets/) - “I’m all in,” said Mr. Jones. Hold on a minute people. I see all you poker players reaching for your chips… this isn’t a game of Hold’em. These are the words of a client when he’s found the advisor he can trust to manage ALL of his assets. When used in this context, these three
- [3 Elements of Highly Effective Virtual Meetings](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-elements-of-highly-effective-virtual-meetings/) - Virtual meetings continue to gain widespread popularity among financial advisors as a proxy for face-to-face meetings and a way to expand geographical reach. It's a powerful shift. The ability to meet with clients virtually means the ability to serve clients from anywhere. (Tweet this.) As with any new strategy, virtual meetings come with their own set of
- [Getting ROI from Account Aggregation in Two Basic Steps](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/getting-roi-from-account-aggregation-in-two-basic-steps/) - Account aggregation costs money. And is not "necessary" to run a basic financial advisory business. So why do advisors bother with it? For the same reason that anyone takes action: the pros outweigh the cons. There's a positive ROI. Let’s look at how advisors are making the cost of account aggregation "worth it" and how
- [15 Things to Consider When Shopping for Account Aggregation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/15-things-to-consider-when-shopping-for-account-aggregation/) - Shopping for account aggregation can feel overwhelming. There's a lot to consider. What can you expect? What should you ask about? What's acceptable and what's not? Dare we say, what do you deserve? It's important to think about these things. Some advisors fall into "aggregation aggravation" and wind up feeling stuck with a system that's too expensive,
- [Two Client Meeting Mistakes You Might Be Making](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/two-client-meeting-mistakes-you-might-be-making/) - Today, a guest blogger… The Blueleaf Blog would like to welcome Barbara Kotlyar as today’s guest blogger! Barbara works to help financial advisors like you "bridge the gap" between you and your clients. Today she’s stopping by to explain two client meeting mistakes you may be making. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many advisors are starting the New Year by meeting
- [Study Finds Office Atmosphere Influences Client Stress Levels](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/study-finds-office-atmosphere-influences-client-stress-levels/) - Making specific changes to your office atmosphere has been proven to create an environment that fosters more open client interactions. The changes we are talking about are non-verbal cues that will help set the tone for your meeting and put your clients at ease. What's the 'feeling' of your office space? Is the atmosphere welcoming
- [Independent RIA Says Filling Out Paperwork By Hand 'Seems Silly'](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/independent-ria-says-filling-out-paperwork-by-hand-seems-silly/) - "When it comes to technology, financial adviser Jim Koch is truly a pioneer." InvestmentNews When a 'technology pioneer' says filling out paperwork by hand seems silly, people listen. Founder and Principal of Koch Capital Management LLC, Jim Koch is an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a unique blend of
- [Bernie Clark Calls on RIAs to Embrace New Technology](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/bernie-clark-calls-on-rias-to-embrace-new-technology/) - “Think beyond the demands of now, remove the distractions and act with the future in mind.” This was the idea championed by Schwab’s Bernie Clark in last month’s IMPACT conference. Besides the regular PR mumbo jumbo in his speech, Bernie encouraged RIAs to embrace new technology in the increasingly competitive landscape. He laid out several
- [3 Financial Advisors Who Are Going Paperless and Why](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-financial-advisors-who-are-going-paperless-and-why/) - People have been talking about the idea of a 'paperless office' for almost 40 years now. For decades, businesses have been transitioning processes to rely less on physical paper, and more on technology. For financial advisors, 'going paperless' is a viable strategy, and it's driving real results for offices of all sizes, in all stages
- [It's Time To Rethink The Standard "Out of Office" Email](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/its-time-to-rethink-the-standard-out-of-office-email/) - Sometimes we’re offline. Whether it’s once, twice, or twelve times per year, there are moments when you can’t be responsive to work emails, and it’s totally acceptable. In fact, research suggests it’s good for our health to leave email behind while on vacation. To fill the gap in service, we’ve been trained to set up
- [Bill Gross Suggests Our Flaws Instill a Sense of Trust](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/bill-gross-suggests-our-flaws-instill-a-sense-of-trust/) - Bill Gross, founder of PIMCO, is widely regarded as a trusted voice on the bond market. He’s part of a league of legendary investors that all financial advisors aspire to be. Question is, what can financial advisors do to experience success like Bill Gross? What should advisors learn from the way he does business? "The
- [6 Tips for an Email Signature Your Clients Will Love](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/6-tips-for-an-email-signature-your-clients-will-love/) - You write a lot of emails. Most advisors use a standard vanilla email signature, and very few use it to engage with clients and deliver consistent value. Until now. As we all know, the most valuable client communication tools in your business are the ones that are automated, client-friendly and scalable. When advisors think about this,
- [A “Data Problem” Grew This Advisor's AUM by $1.5M](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/a-data-problem-grew-this-advisors-aum-by-1-5m/) - Certain “data problems” are actually growing advisory businesses. A typical Thursday morning. It’s a typical Thursday morning in New York City as one experienced financial advisor begins his day. Logging into his new portfolio monitoring dashboard, the advisor notices one of his clients' accounts is reporting a doubled value. Sigh... a data problem. He sends
- [3 Ways to Spend 10 Minutes on LinkedIn](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-ways-to-spend-10-minutes-on-linkedin/) - You have a LinkedIn account (if not, read 'How To'). You made a handful of “Connections”, joined a few discussion groups, and log in when an email alerts you about a 'request to connect'. That's it? Lame. Sure, you have an account, but you’re not really using LinkedIn. The truth of the matter is, if
- [Advisor Marketing, Part 2: Don't write a plan](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisor-marketing-part-2-dont-write-a-plan/) - Before we get started on Part 2, let’s do a quick re-cap of Advisor Marketing, Part 1: a. The ultimate purpose of your marketing is to get people to DO something. (Right, simple.) b. It’s our human nature to take action and DO something when we see a solution to the problems we feel. (Right, it’s
- [The Software Opportunity Missed by 93% of Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-software-opportunity-missed-by-93-of-advisors/) - Endemic problem, or missed opportunity? Advisors need software. It allows you to service your clients in new and exciting ways. Over the years, you have built your own technology toolkit to help you guide clients to a brighter financial future. Portfolio monitoring, account aggregation and CRM software are all tools in your toolkit. Whilst the individual
- [Why Your Next Client Will Demand "On-Demand"](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-your-next-client-will-demand-on-demand/) - Twitter has exploded over the past couple of years. If you’re not using it, chances are you've heard a lot about it. But what’s so fascinating about a stream of short 140-character posts? Think about it- Twitter’s advantage is its ability to deliver up-to-the-minute and on-demand information. Major corporations and personalities now use this platform to
- [Advisors: Beware The Rise of the "Franken-Product"](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisors-beware-the-rise-of-the-franken-product/) - The Advisor Technology Dilemma Software, you have. You have a CRM system to manage your communications and tasks. You have a financial planning system to create the long-term analysis that clients depend on. You have a performance reporting system to show clients how they’re doing. You have account aggregation to see a complete view of
- [Advisor Marketing, Part 1: Don't forget clients were cavemen](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisor-marketing-part-1-dont-forget-clients-were-cavemen/) - The way people interact with businesses has changed. There’s been a fundamental shift in how we receive, absorb and react to marketing. Marketing strategies that used to be effective are no longer relevant. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of advisors haven’t caught on to this shift yet. Sure, there are resources out
- [What is an API? Invitation to the Blueleaf Block Party](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-is-an-api-invitation-to-the-blueleaf-block-party/) - Many of you know that Blueleaf has an open API. What you may not know is how an API benefits your business. Today we're going to fix that. What's an API? API stands for 'application program interface'. You can read more about it around the web, but to simplify things, just think about an API like a
- [NextGen Investors Demand Advisors Use a Client Portal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/nextgen-investors-demand-advisors-use-a-client-portal/) - Pierre Bossaert, Vice President of Product at Fiserv, recently wrote an article entitled, "Advisors Must Expand Product Offerings and Approach". In the piece, Bossaert addresses one of the most imminent challenges faced by the financial services industry today: How can advisors remain relevant to "NextGen" investors? NextGen (Gen X + Gen Y) investors are a vastly different breed
- [Two Efficient Advisors who Don't Hate April](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/two-efficient-advisors-who-dont-hate-april/) - April is notoriously painful for advisors. There's a myriad of reasons to dread the 4th month of the year. It's tax season, time for billing, Q1 reports (if you're still doing them), schools are on vacation... the list goes on and on. Naturally, busy times of the year come with a piqued interest in ways to
- [Think Your Clients Aren't Tech Savvy? Think Again...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/think-your-clients-arent-tech-savvy-think-again/) - “My clients aren’t online” Many advisors still say “My clients aren’t online” as if it is a fact. If you find yourself saying this, know that while that may have been true, now, not so much. Regardless of how confident you feel or how much you think you know your clients, this statement has not
- [Quarterly Reports are like Ford Pintos - How to Fix it](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/quarterly-reports-are-like-ford-pintos-how-to-fix-it/) - Emotionally attached to your Ford Pinto? Humans are creatures of habit and habits are hard to change. Whether we realize it or not, we become emotionally attached to them and tend to shy away from better ways of doing things. Quarterly reports fall into this bucket - they're an unnecessary client communication vehicle that's only
- [Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/free-at-last-thank-god-almighty-we-are-free-at-last/) - 03/28/2013, 9:06am EST - Breaking News from J.E. Wilson Advisors, LLC This morning we received an email from a Blueleaf customer that generated some hubbub around the office. With the customer's permission, we'd like to share his firm's good news: "John- We are looking forward to our first "non-quarterly report" quarter. Should make the first week
- [How to Save A Month of Time by Doing Less](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-save-a-month-of-time-by-doing-less/) - Shocking statistic. Blueleaf's 2013 Advisor Tech Survey found that 34% of advisors spend up to 240 hours per year on reporting. You may be thinking, “That's not bad, I probably spend a similar amount of time on client reporting. After all, an important part of my job as an advisor is showing clients how their accounts are
- [Want a Breakthrough Strategy for Advisors? It's simple ...](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/want-a-breakthrough-strategy-for-advisors-its-simple/) - From eliminating needless client reports to adding account aggregation and client portal capabilities, it’s all about simplifying your business. Look at your business. Complexity is everywhere. Alpha, beta, lambda, it's literally Greek. As an advisor, you operate in a world that for many, is difficult to decipher. Beyond the asset management issues, you must deal
- [Making Centers of Influence Work: Conversation with an experienced advisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/making-centers-of-influence-work-conversation-with-an-experienced-advisor/) - "I send clients to them and nothing comes back" This week, we got a question from an advisor (initials "RD") who read our whitepaper on "Why Referral Marketing Failed You and How to Fix It". I expect lots of advisors have the same question on finding centers or influence to work with. If you've ever thought, 'How do I
- [Blueleaf's Integration with Redtail](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleafs-integration-with-redtail/) - Just in time for Valentine's Day... Blueleaf partners with Redtail! We're very excited to announce our integration with Redtail Technology. It's never been this EASY to sync your data with Redtail. Copy, paste, done. This integration brings users a complete package: Custodial account feeds, account aggregation (held-away accounts), and manual / offline assets are automatically updated every day
- [Two must-have client communication elements you might be missing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/two-must-have-client-communication-elements-you-might-be-missing/) - Similar numbers, different meaning Client reporting is tricky. Reporting tools, client portals, your own presentation formats - they all present information in different ways and spur different reactions from clients. Some good, some not so much. How information is presented (how it's organized, what is highlighted, what is absent) has a huge impact on how
- [3 Steps Critical to Reaching Your Goal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-steps-critical-to-reaching-your-goal/) - The calendar has turned to February. We've survived another month of winter, V-Day is coming up, and many people have ditched their New Year's resolutions. People quickly give up on resolutions because they don't properly define the goal. Resolutions often sound like this: Go to the gym. Quit smoking. Volunteer. Spend more time with family.
- [How to Get More Referrals](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-get-more-referrals/) - Referrals are invaluable to your growing practice. Trouble is, most advisors struggle to build a profitable referral network. There are tips and tricks you can do today to increase your referrals tomorrow. What's the secret sauce, you ask? "Engineering strong referral value doesn’t require a magic wand. It does, however, require putting yourself into the
- [Integration With MoneyGuidePro!](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/integration-with-moneyguidepro/) - We made a new friend! We're very excited to announce our new integration with leading financial planning software, MoneyGuidePro! Combining our secure, hassle-free, single-source data connection with MGP's powerful planning tools, the life of a financial planner in the digital age has never been better. With all of your client data in one place, including
- [#FinSci: How We Talk When We Talk About Finance](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/finsci-how-we-talk-when-we-talk-about-finance/) - "Even I went down a path of reckless spending before finally waking up." Fiscal Cliff The Economy's Trajectory in 2013 Metaphors are... How do we talk when we talk about finance? In metaphors. Metaphors are so ingrained in our language that it's hard to recognize when we're using them or even do something about it when
- [3 Essential Communications Skills Every Advisor Should Master](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-essential-communications-skills-every-advisor-should-master/) - 1. Brevity We're all busy. The same questions are always being asked. Every business person, financial advisors included, has a specific canon of questions they're (incessantly) asked, and it's likely that your questioner is aware of this fact. Have your answers ready. Craft them thoughtfully and honestly, but have them (loosely) memorized. Be brief. When
- [#Advisorhack: Leave Your Assets At The Office](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-leave-your-assets-at-the-office/) - It's hard out here for an advisor... Perhaps the biggest contradiction inherent to financial advisors is that the job itself requires two very different skill sets: People skills (for earning, engaging, learning about, and managing clients) and Analytical skills (to make sound suggestions regarding a clients assets) These skills are often siloed in other businesses
- [Telling Stories Part II: Know Your Story](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/telling-stories-part-ii-know-your-story/) - Everyone wants your story... Facebook was probably the first social network to figure out that humans crave a good story. And thus Timeline was born, giving us context (in the form of cover photo and timeline) over which to lay all of our little plot-points (statuses, pictures, notes, new friends, etc.) so that our digital stories are
- [Center of Influence Marketing for Advisors Made Simple](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/center-of-influence-marketing-for-advisors-made-simple/) - Here is the latest idea from the field: Use the Blueleaf Sharing feature to drive your center of influence marketing strategy. You know all about center of influence marketing and how working with other professionals like accountants and attorneys can drive great referrals. You also know it can be a huge waste of time with
- [Treat Your Clients Like Gods... Or Don't (The Ideal State of Client-Advisor Relationships)](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/treat-your-clients-like-gods-or-dont-the-ideal-state-of-client-advisor-relationships/) - Author's note: I received a response from the author of The Customer As A God: The Future of Shopping, Doc Searls. You can find that response in the comments, but what you need to know is that the content of his article in the Journal is not completely in line with the title of the piece. Sure,
- [Parsing the Fears of the Wealthy](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/parsing-the-fears-of-the-wealthy/) - Eat The Rich? Did we all catch The Atlantic's feature, Secret Fears of the Super-Rich? Forgive me for the lengthy quotes--"feature" means 4 pages on TheAtlantic.com--but here's the gist of the piece in short: Taken together, the survey responses make a compelling case that being fantastically wealthy—especially when the wealth is inherited rather than earned—is not
- [How To Survive The Advisor Apocalypse](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-survive-the-advisor-apocalypse/) - The End of Days Is it real? Yes. When will it happen? Could be months, maybe even years. But to survive, you've got to prepare. And the first step in preparation is to understand the virus that is the root of the apocalypse: internet technology. I got early warning of the End Of Days from
- [Advisors in the Mainstream (Infographic and Excerpt)](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisors-in-the-mainstream-infographic-and-excerpt/) - I browse the internet a lot less than you probably think I do, but somehow I managed to come across two advisor-relative pieces of content without even looking for them. This is a rare and frankly quite bizarre occurrence given my internet tendencies, so their relevance to you should be twofold. One, that practical financial advice
- [#Advisorhack: Get In Over Your Head](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-get-in-over-your-head/) - Sink Or Swim... It's The Fastest Way To Learn. The idiom "in over your head" has a very literal translation, that of being in over your head in water. And what happens when you're in over your head? Ultimately, you sink or swim. But really, it's not so black and white. What about that fleeting
- [Telling Stories Can Lead To More Referrals, Better Blogs](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/telling-stories-can-lead-to-more-referrals-better-blogs/) - The Power of A Good Story Stories are powerful things. They are the most effective way to transfer ideas and information. In other words, stories are easy to remember, which makes them quite powerful. They burrow deep in our minds when we connect with them, and the best ones inspire us to change. Client referrals
- [What Advisors Can Learn From A Children's Books Author's Legacy](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-advisors-can-learn-from-a-childrens-books-authors-legacy/) - Maurice Sendak, author of Where The Wild Things Are, passed away last Tuesday. He was 83 years old.. Maurice frequently delivered dead-honest, thoughtful remarks in interviews, appearing on NPR's Fresh Air, The Atlantic, and The Colbert Report, and was equally famous for his curmudgeonly profanity as his essential profundity. Here are a few things that
- [12 Tips For Getting The Most Out of a Blog Post [Infographic]](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/12-tips-for-getting-the-most-out-of-a-blog-post-infographic/) - I've written blogging guides just like this one, and I have to admit, the folks at Divvy did a nice job with this infographic. I really enjoy how they've designed the infographic as an actual checklist, something you might print out and use--nice call to action. Divvy HQ, by the way, is a spreadsheet-free editorial
- [Give Me Something To Share! Thoughts and an Infographic for Advisors Audiences](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/give-me-something-to-share-thoughts-and-an-infographic-for-advisors-audiences/) - The Interplay Between Audience and Channel You've got to get outside of yourself, your business, and your industry, and into the minds of your audience in order to be as effective as possible on social media. Understanding the types of content that your audience relates to is going to take some trial and error, but
- [#Advisorhack: Time Is On Your Side](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-time-is-on-your-side/) - Time Is On Your Side... It’s not what we say is a priority, but what we actually DO that’s a priority. - J.D. Roth, founder of Get Rich Slowly In other words, "I don't have time" is an excuse, a lie. That's why Nerd Fitness recommends replacing the common refrain, "I don't have time," with a different
- [#Advisorhack: The Numbers That Highly Productive People Love](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-the-numbers-that-highly-productive-people-love/) - 0 You don't have to get to Inbox Zero every day, week, or month. You don't have to get there ever. You don't have to read every tweet in your feed, nor do you have to respond to every mention. Select fewer things to respond to, be more mindful of the ones you do, and read
- [Waiting to Save – Behavioral Economics at Work](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/waiting-to-save-behavioral-economics-at-work/) - This is an amazing TED talk on the power of default choices, decisions for today vs tomorrow and loss aversion. It's also about how we can use the power of these effects to radically alter people's financial outcomes. The main example if of a 401k program that is not only set up as opt-out but
- [What Are Financial Services Lacking In The Digital Revolution?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-are-financial-services-lacking-in-the-digital-revolution/) - We're always preaching the efficiency of digital, but what have we lost in our abandonment of analog? What can we learn from the advisors who carried briefcases, not iPads--back when Starbucks was just a coffee shop in Seattle? This post was inspired by The Atlantic's excellent feature this week, Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?, that raises
- [Permission to Experiment Fearlessly? Granted.](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/permission-to-experiment-fearlessly-granted/) - Have you ever wondered why it takes you so long to do some of the things on your to-do list? You know, those new ideas that you think could radically improve your business? You probably think that you don't have time. I think you struggle with courage. I know I do. See, as humans we
- [The Future Is Here, Now For Financial Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/the-future-is-here-now-for-financial-advisors/) - Think about these two quotes: The first from science fiction novelist and cyberculture futurist, William Gibson*, and the second from the opening paragraph of Michael Kitces excellent blog post, 3 Ways The Digital Age Will Change Financial Planning In The Next 10 Years: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the past two decades, the world has begun its transition
- [3 Steps to Help Clients Sail Through Trouble](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/3-steps-to-help-clients-sail-through-trouble/) - The following is a guest post from Vince Esposito and Peter J Nagle who populate Spruce Hill Capital, LLC, Guilford, CT. They partner to give timely and sensible advice to people who have money, and would like it to procreate. The January 2012 cover of Barron’s said what we were all thinking as the new
- [#Advisorhack: Hack To The Future](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-hack-to-the-future/) - "And it don't take money, don't take fame, don't need no credit card to ride this train ... " Sure, we live in the information age. We have the tools, we have the technology! We can do more, faster, better! But not everything is simpler because it runs on battery. In fact, often the
- [Advisor Superpowers: The Science of Changing Client Habits (And Your Own) #FinSci](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisor-superpowers-the-science-of-changing-client-habits-and-your-own-finsci/) - I read this awesome New York Times piece, How Companies Learn Your Secrets, and it got me really interested in peoples habits. Specifically, the science and psychology of how they form and change over time. So I did a little digging, and--surprise!--I learned a few things. Eureka! A new #finsci post is born! The habit creation process, a
- [#Advisorhack: The Complete Guide To Better Finance Writing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-the-complete-guide-to-better-finance-writing/) - Why We Write Before you learn to hack your way into better finance writing, let me ask you a question, why do we write (or for most of us, blog)? I've talked about this several times on The Scalable Advisor, and it may be worth going back to Content Strategy, How Not To Have a
- [5 Ways To Improve The Business of Financial Advice](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/5-ways-to-improve-the-business-of-financial-advice/) - The current state of the business of financial advice: Meh... Despite all of the advances in technology, products and tools, the current state of financial advice is just meh. We need to do better. The marketing, the compensation models, the tools - everything needs to be better. The ground is shifting under our feet and
- [Finance Marketing and The Path Of Least Resistance](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/finance-marketing-and-the-path-of-least-resistance/) - The Path of Least Resistance The Path of Least Resistance describes the simplest path from point A to point B (physical or metaphorical). It's the easiest route forward among a given set of alternatives. Water is the bell weather example for seeking the lowest ground by the simplest route. People are like water. We take The
- [Inbound Marketing Part 3: Measure, Analyze, Optimize, Repeat](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/inbound-marketing-part-3-measure-analyze-optimize-repeat/) - The Rundown If you're implementing the tactics of inbound marketing, you are doing two core activities: (note: I don't consider getting found an activity, per se, unless it's paid search.) Creating content Engaging with your community All that writing, sharing and tweaking your doing, all the conversations, questions and answers you've had - they're all working
- [#AdvisorHack no. 2: Get Your Faxination](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisorhack-no-2-get-your-faxination/) - Editor's Note: The following is a guest post from Tim Meisenheimer of Streamline Financial Services. Streamline is a Chicago-based next generation financial advisory firm that Tim's elder, but shorter brother Toby founded 13 years ago. Both being former math teachers, they run a young, growing firm using tech hacks to streamline their business processes and in turn, the
- [Why Advisors Need To Adopt Hacker Culture](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-advisors-need-to-adopt-hacker-culture/) - Are you a Hacker? An individual capable of solving complex non-intuitive problems in a seemingly intuitive way. Hackers are self-motivated, and learn through experimentation and persistence, as opposed to through "traditional" means. - Excerpted from Urban Dictionary "Hacker" is a loaded term with connotations ranging from rogue to criminal that began in the world of computers.
- [What Dolly Parton Can Teach Advisors About Marketing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-dolly-parton-can-teach-advisors-about-marketing/) - "Figure out who you are, and then do it on purpose." Dolly Parton is a brash, blonde, busty, broad from the boondocks. She's also a business genius worth nearly $500 million. Whoa, how'd that happen. It's no accident. See, she had a simple insight that eludes most advisors and even most profesional marketers. Success comes
- [Advisors: Are You Amazon or Borders?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisors-are-you-amazon-or-borders/) - What happened to Borders? Failure to adapt Once upon a time in 2005 the literary mega-retailer Borders had more than 1,200 stores. As of September, they've disappeared in a poof. Borders was founded in 1971 by Tom and Louis Borders, University of Michigan graduates who took over an 800-sq foot used bookstore. Publisher Peter Osnos
- [Inbound Marketing for Advisors Part 2: How To Get Found](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/inbound-marketing-for-advisors-part-2-how-to-get-found/) - Quick recap of our definition of Inbound Marketing from part 1 of our series, Stop Selling: Inbound Marketing works on the principle that brands ought to earn their way into customers lives by letting customers find them. Inbound Marketing focuses on digital marketing efforts like search engine optimization, digital content creation (ebooks, blogs, how-to videos), and social media (Twitter, Facebook,
- [Competing Against Robo-Advisors - Opportunities and Risks for Advisors Pt. 1](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/competing-against-robo-advisors-opportunities-and-risks-for-advisors-pt-1/) - For part 2 of this panel discussion, check out Competing Against Robo-Advisors Pt. 2. For John's original blog post, check out Godzilla's spawn is targeting your clients – What will you do?
- [Competing Against Robo-Advisors – Opportunities and Risks for Advisors Pt. 2](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/competing-against-robo-advisors-opportunities-and-risks-for-advisors-pt-2/) - If you missed the first half of this panel discussion, head back to Competing Against Robo-Advisors Pt. 1. For John's original blog post, check out Godzilla's spawn is targeting your clients – What will you do?
- [Advisor Forecast: The Client Of The Future](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advisor-forecast-the-client-of-the-future/) - We're approaching a major shift in wealth management. Consider the following, tweeted live from The Tiburon CEO Summit XXI: 1/2 of financial advisors plan to retire within the next 15 years, setting off a generational power shift to Gen X and Gen Y advisors #in — Adam Verchinski (@EverydTenacity) November 18, 2011 That's interesting but it doesn't
- [Trust Fall: What Do You REALLY Know About Client Trust?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/trust-fall-what-do-you-really-know-about-client-trust/) - Why do your clients trust you? How can you can tell? The chances are that your clients trust you. They told you intimate details about their lives that they share with very few people and they gave you their money, after all. But what do you REALLY know about how they came to trust you?
- [What Yoda Knows That Financial Advisors Need To Learn](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/what-yoda-knows-that-financial-advisors-need-to-learn/) - You're an Independent Financial Advisor. This means something. What it means is that you aren't employed by a larger financial institution. Well that, and you're not a giant man-eating robot advisor. What it means is that you are your own boss. You create a business model. You decide whether or not to hire an assistant. You pick
- [How To Fix Free Financial Consultations](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/how-to-fix-free-financial-consultations/) - Why are free face-to-face consultations the standard opening gambit for so many financial advisors? I guess they seem like a great idea - the chance to interact and engage with potential customers on a personal level, the ability to demonstrate your expertise and, plus, it's just good marketing. Right? Ehhh. The Truth about Free Consultations
- [Advanced Free Consultations for Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/advanced-free-consultations-for-advisors/) - OK, so we've established that Traditional Free Consultations Suck. And we learned they don't make sense as a TOFU tool. But they are effective as a MOFU tool to increase conversion rates. Even though they can work, you're paying a pretty high overhead for these consultations: your time, money and resources all for ONE potential
- [A Simple Strategy for Financial Content That Works](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/a-simple-strategy-for-financial-content-that-works/) - Thinking through these 4 simple steps will put you in a position to create content that can make a real impact on your business. Thanks to the bloggers at Helium for the brilliant graphic. 1.) PURPOSE - Write down why your business exists An internal point-of-view about your advisory business and how it relates to
- [Is Your "Focus Long-term" Message to Clients Footnoted?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/is-your-focus-long-term-message-to-clients-footnoted/) - Your advice is sound. You tell clients to focus on their goals, keep their eyes on the prize, it's the long-term that matters. You remind them to forget the day-to-day gyrations of the market; it doesn't much matter and they have no control over it anyway. It's reaching their goals that matters, not investment returns.
- [Clients want great service. Does your financial advisory firm leave them hungry?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/clients-want-great-service-does-your-financial-advisory-firm-leave-them-hungry/) - I'm spoiled. Yes, I'm willing to admit it. You probably are, too. When I need to buy things like groceries, stamps, socks, and memory cards for my camera, I don't need to go to the grocery store, post office, department store, and electronics outlet. Today I have my choice of big-box stores where everything I
- [Godzilla's spawn is targeting your clients - What will you do?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/godzillas-spawn-is-targeting-your-clients-what-will-you-do/) - The invasion has begun. The assault on your Financial Advisory business has started in earnest. Godzilla's baby wants to play in your market. What will you do about it? News of the invasion of a new kind of VC funded super advisor - a theme we've discussed here on this blog before - came to
- [Is financial planning a set it and forget it process?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/is-financial-planning-a-set-it-and-forget-it-process/) - Staying in touch with friends, no matter how dear, is talked about more often than it’s tackled. Once convenience and opportunity finally merge, though, the hours enjoyed catching up simply fly by. The feeling can be bittersweet when the time comes to say goodbye. We realize while we may have caught up on the broad
- [Why Advisor Software Feels so Outdated](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-advisor-software-feels-so-outdated/) - Walk into an average advisor's office today and you might see technology that reminds you of a set from a 1960′s science-fiction show – incomprehensible blinking lights and systems that don’t really seem to do anything. It's not because advisors are nostalgic about the 1960's view of the future. It's because, for the most part, their
- [Are You an Advisor or IT Specialist?](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/are-you-an-advisor-or-it-specialist/) - The Dream Being an independent advisor can be a rewarding experience. You arrive in the office in the morning to review your business metrics and check for any unresolved items needed for clients. After checking email and voicemail messages, you meet with your investment team to discuss recent economic trends, review client portfolios, and submit trades
- [Your Clients are Leaving You in the Dust!](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/your-clients-are-leaving-you-in-the-dust/) - When I ask advisors about communicating with clients using new technology, I hear the same responses all the time: "My clients are older, they prefer the phone", "My clients don't use email", or my favorite, "My clients like to have something on paper." These statements pretty much say the same thing: advisors assume clients are
- [Blueleaf Advisor - The Evolution](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/blueleaf-advisor-the-evolution/) - The reason I believe in Blueleaf — and the reason we started the company — is to help people in the middle, people like our Blueleaf team, with their long-term finances. We want to give them transparency and a complete view of their money that helps make everything clear and simple to understand. It started as
- [Why CNBC is Your Biggest Competitor in the Wealth Management Space](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-cnbc-is-your-biggest-competitor-in-the-wealth-management-space/) - It may seem counterintuitive, but the media may be any wealth advisor’s biggest competitor. No, CNBC isn’t going to steal your clients per se, but the media can significantly edge in on clients’ attention spans, leaving little room for anything else (like sound advice, for example). The media has the power to spur panic, discord,
- [Why Jerry Maguire is Wrong](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/why-jerry-maguire-is-wrong/) - "And suddenly it was all pretty clear. The answer was fewer clients." -- Jerry Maguire Translation: "I'm abandoning the people who need me the most for the clients who can afford to pay a lot for my time." Some advisors would agree, finding the logic simple and obvious: My business is dependent on heavy personal

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- [Diversification: Think Twice Before Investing In Individual Stocks (Content for Financial Advisors)](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/investing-in-individual-stocks/) - Investing in individual stocks is almost always a loser as compared to sticking with index funds. If you do choose to invest in individual stocks, use a stock screener.
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- [Funding Your Retirement: The Elements of Retirement Income](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/funding-retirement/) - By: Eva Sadej There are five standard vehicles from which you can draw an income after retirement: an IRA, a 401(k), a pension, an annuity (or other life insurance product), and Social Security. The rule of thumb is that you will need a retirement income of 75-85% of pre-retirement income every year that you live
- [Always Know When You're Going To Sell Before You Even Buy A Stock](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/selling-strategy-for-stocks/) - Creating and sticking to a coherent selling strategy can ensure that you lock in gains and minimize losses. It's important to know your exit plan - be it account rebalancing or an eye on company fundamentals - for every position in your portfolio so you don't get left behind
- [Why Index ETFs Are Better Than Traditional Index Mutual Funds](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/index-etf-traditional-index-fund/) - By: Eva Sadej Blueleaf's position: Index funds are the best way to invest in the stock market. Index ETFs usually have lower fees, lower investment minimums, and more flexibility than traditional index mutual funds, so Index ETFs are the better choice for most investors. Index funds are mutual funds that attempt to mimic the performance
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- [What Type Of Investor Are You?](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/what-type-of-investor-are-you/) - By: Ashley Ma The importance of understanding your goals and attitudes towards savings and investing can never be overstated. Three basic questions can frame this assessment – how much do you have to invest, how long are you investing for, and what type of risk taker are you? How much you have to invest should,
- [The Miracle Of Compounding](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/the-miracle-of-compounding/) - Start saving and investing as soon as you can so you can benefit from the miracle of compounding. You can put aside less cash and still earn more money as long as you start early.
- [The Differences Between Bond Funds And Individual Bonds](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/bond-different-bond-fund/) - A basket of individual bonds is better than bond funds - but requires active management on the part of the individual investor. If you want to use bond funds, go with bond ETFs.
- [Why Married People Are Financially Happier](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/married-people-happier/) - By: Eva Sadej Whenever you read financial advice that purports to calculate how much you should contribute to your retirement plans, how much you should save for your children’s education, and so on, the focus has been on you as a single person. But people have been buddying up to handle living expenses and major
- [Why Your Broker Wants You To Trade More](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/why-your-broker-wants-you-to-trade-more/) - By: Christopher Thorpe, Ph.D. Your broker has what economists call “incentive problems.” Brokers, like all professionals, want to serve their own best interests (i.e., making money). Brokers make money from a number of activities, most notably trading commissions, asset management fees, and lending your liquid assets to others at a price higher than they pay
- [The Difference Between A Traditional And Roth 401(k)](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/the-difference-between-a-traditional-and-roth-401k/) - By: Eva Sadej As much as you may want to spend your starting salary on your kids, your family, a new home, vacations, or maybe even just food, rent, and utilities, you will be significantly worse off in retirement if you do not plan effectively. If you are twenty-something, with the miracle of compounding, you
- [The Differences Between 529s And Coverdell ESAs](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/the-differences-between-529s-and-coverdell-esas/) - By: Eva Sadej The cost of college has risen 8% every year since 1970 [1]. If we assume this same rate of increase over the next ten years, then a college education that costs $30,000 per year in tuition today would cost $62,991 in. The rapid increase in the price of college education makes it
- [Diversification: You're Doing It Wrong](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/wrong-kind-of-diversification/) - Diversification across asset classes is significantly more important than diversification of holdings in mutual funds and individual stocks. A single S&P 500 index fund provides all the stock diversification you really need.
- [Aim Carefully With Target-Date Funds](https://www.blueleaf.com/articles/target-date-funds-drawbacks/) - By Andrew Farrell Don’t be fooled by the booming popularity of target-date funds. Poor performance, improper asset allocation and high fees have marred many of these mutual funds. They’re more likely to bring you headaches than outsized investment returns. Their Pitch For Target-Date Funds The pitch for target-date funds is straightforward: “How would you like
- [Thank you - Demo videos emailed, partnership promos](https://www.blueleaf.com/thank-you-demo-requested/) - Check your email! Thanks. We just sent you the demo videos, so what are you waiting for? Check your email! We're really excited that you're interested in learning more about Blueleaf Advisor. The email we just sent has links to our product videos and also a video about our company. If you don't receive it
- [TD Ameritrade Advisors Get 2 FREE Months of Blueleaf](https://www.blueleaf.com/partners/td-savings/) - Priority Savings from your TD Rep Fill out this form (takes < 30 seconds) to lock in your 2 FREE months. We'll be happy to assist you.
- [Nice to meet you.](https://www.blueleaf.com/nice-to-meet-you/) - Thanks for reaching out! A Blueleaf Coach will contact you shortly.
- [Live Financial Data in Google Spreadsheet [How To]](https://www.blueleaf.com/live-financial-reports-with-client-account-data-in-google-spreadsheet/) - THE RECIPE Ingredients: - basic understanding of how spreadsheets work - a Google account, or willingness to create one - a Blueleaf account (optional) Directions: 1.) Go to drive.google.com and 'Create' a new spreadsheet 2.) Pull in LIVE market data -Use the GoogleFinance() functions to reference live market data. Jim demonstrated these: =GoogleFinance("VBR") =SPARKLINE(GoogleFinance("VBR","price",TODAY()-90,TODAY())) See list
- [Here's your Marketing Essentials Ebook!](https://www.blueleaf.com/thank-you-advisor-marketing-essentials-ebook/) - Click the ebook to start reading » *It's a large file, so may take a minute to load! We hope you enjoy all the great advice and insight you're about to uncover inside. Once you've learned ALL you need to know about effective marketing, we invite you to learn more about how Blueleaf
- [deliver Money In Motion ebook](https://www.blueleaf.com/thank-you-money-in-motion-ebook/) - Here You Go! Click here to start reading. We hope you enjoy it. *Note: The ebook is a large file. Please allow ~30 seconds for the page to load.
- [Customer Testimonials](https://www.blueleaf.com/customer-testimonials/) - When it comes to choosing new software, the proof is in the pudding. We could talk with you about our platform all day, but the real magic happens when you put Blueleaf to work in your business. Check out what real users think about Blueleaf and start to get a hint for what happens once you're
- [Blueleaf Client Tour](https://www.blueleaf.com/demo-video-client-tour/) - The following videos provide a tour of Blueleaf for Clients.
- [Blueleaf and GDPR Compliance](https://www.blueleaf.com/gdpr/) - Blueleaf has aligned our policies and procedures with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This page provides a high-level summary. We are aware of our obligations as a sub-processor under the GDPR and will remain committed to helping to support our partners and customer's compliance efforts. Your rights: Right to Access You have a right
- [Blueleaf Advisor in Action](https://www.blueleaf.com/demo-video/) - Demo videos presented by John Prendergast, Co-Founder & CEO
- [Jobs](https://www.blueleaf.com/jobs/) - Jobs If you are interested in helping us change the world of wealth management and want to know the secret to getting a job at Blueleaf, read Raghav Haran's article on Medium about How to get any job you want and follow his advice. Some of our current openings are below but we're always looking
- [Referral Marketing Kit](https://www.blueleaf.com/free-resources/referral-marketing-kit/) - Our free Referral Marketing Kit gives you the tips and tricks you need to understand how the strongest referral systems drive high-converting leads and scalable business growth to financial advisory firms every day.
- [What is a Client Portal?](https://www.blueleaf.com/what-is-a-client-portal/) - Client portals have evolved substantially in the last few years. They do more and advisors should expect more of them. Here is how to understand your options
- [Fiduciary Duty Simplified](https://www.blueleaf.com/fiduciary-duty-simplified/)
- [How to automate referrals](https://www.blueleaf.com/how-to-automate-referrals/)
- [Free: How Financial Advisors Transition To Paperless](https://www.blueleaf.com/free-how-financial-advisors-transition-to-paperless-1113/)
- [Features](https://www.blueleaf.com/features/) - Blueleaf.com - The Ultimate client engagement software for advisors. Simplified account aggregation, beautiful client portal, portfolio monitoring, billing and more.
- [Main Home](https://www.blueleaf.com/front/) - Blueleaf combines Portfolio Reporting, Account Aggregation, Client Portal & data integration to deliver the industry's easiest to use advisor software platform
- [Free Trial](https://www.blueleaf.com/free-trial/)

## Partners

- [intelliflo redblack](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/intelliflo-redblack/)
- [RightCapital](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/rightcapital/)
- [Income Lab](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/income-lab/)
- [Precise FP](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/precise-fp/)
- [XLR8](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/xlr8/)
- [Advizr Advizr](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/advizr-advizr/)
- [Wealthbox](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/wealthbox/)
- [inStream](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/instream/)
- [MoneyGuidePro](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/moneyguidepro/) - MoneyGuidePro MoneyGuidePro Financial Planning Software has been selected seven years in a row by the Financial Planning Magazine Technology Survey as the most used financial planning software by RIAs. Its popularity is driven by MoneyGuidePro’s unique ability to make sophisticated, goal-based planning fast and easy. MoneyGuidePro believes that every investor needs and deserves a high
- [Pareto Platform](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/pareto-platform/) - Microsoft Dynamics CRM paired with Automated Data Feeds Powered by Blueleaf Pareto Platform Pareto Platform is cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics CRM software customized exclusively for financial advisors, investment advisors and financial planners. After years of successfully consulting financial advisors on building trusting relationships with their best clients it was easy to conclude that most investment advisor
- [Redtail](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/redtail/)
- [Riskalyze](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/riskalyze/)
- [Everysk](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/everysk/)
- [HiddenLevers](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/hiddenlevers/)
- [Grendel Online](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/grendel-online/)
- [EverFin](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/everfin/)
- [AdvisoryWorld](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/advisoryworld/) - Portfolio & Security Analysis with Automated Data Feeds by Blueleaf AdvisoryWorld AdvisoryWorld provides portfolio analytics, investment planning and proposal generation capabilities to investment advisors. - Assess risk characteristics of clients and prospects’ existing portfolios - Diversification (e.g. asset allocation, style analysis and, overlap analysis) - Performance (e.g. trailing returns, standard deviation, Sharpe ratio, Alpha, Beta
- [Kwanti](https://www.blueleaf.com/partner/kwanti/) - Portfolio Analytics with Automated Data Feeds Powered by Blueleaf Kwanti Kwanti’s Portfolio Lab is a cloud-computing based portfolio analytics and client acquisition solution. Together with BlueLeaf capabilities, advisors now have an integration in one interface which streamlines their BlueLeaf account data into Portfolio Lab for detailed analytics and customized client reports. Portfolio Analytics -

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/uncategorized/)
- [Ideas](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/ideas/)
- [by Advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/by-advisors/)
- [Product](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/product/)
- [Technology](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/technology/)
- [Simpler Process](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/simpler-process/)
- [Communicating with Clients](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/communicating-with-clients/)
- [Newsroom](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/newsroom/)
- [Marketing & Growth](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/marketing-growth/)
- [Client Engagement](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/client-engagement/)
- [#AdvisorHacks & #FinSci](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/advisorhacks-finsci/)
- [Guiding Change](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/guiding-change/)
- [Operations](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/operations/)
- [Podcast](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/podcast/)
- [Mobile](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/mobile/)
- [Rebalancing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/rebalancing/)
- [News](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/newsroom/news-newsroom/)
- [Views](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/newsroom/views/)
- [Media](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/category/media/)

## Tags

- [Client](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client/)
- [advisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/advisor/)
- [business_model](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/business_model/)
- [Client Communication](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-communication/)
- [cnbnc](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/cnbnc/)
- [Re-write_update](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/re-write_update/)
- [Blueleaf](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/blueleaf/)
- [founders](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/founders/)
- [performance reports](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/performance-reports/)
- [technology](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/technology/)
- [cloud](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/cloud/)
- [IT](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/it/)
- [outsourcing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/outsourcing/)
- [portfolio management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/portfolio-management/)
- [software](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/software/)
- [Account Aggregation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/account-aggregation/)
- [Client Reporting](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-reporting/)
- [Financial Advisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-advisor/)
- [financial health](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-health/)
- [Financial Planning](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-planning/)
- [Personal Finance](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/personal-finance/)
- [portfolio accounting](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/portfolio-accounting/)
- [advisor referrals](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/advisor-referrals/)
- [center of influence marketing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/center-of-influence-marketing/)
- [client service](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-service/)
- [portfolio monitoring](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/portfolio-monitoring/)
- [advisor tips](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/advisor-tips/)
- [communication](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/communication/)
- [advisor tool](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/advisor-tool/)
- [integrations](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/integrations/)
- [MoneyGuidePro](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/moneyguidepro/)
- [partnerships](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/partnerships/)
- [Client Portal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-portal/)
- [Client Reports](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-reports/)
- [Portal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/portal/)
- [Report](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/report/)
- [Reporting Software](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/reporting-software/)
- [Reporting Tools](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/reporting-tools/)
- [financial advisor marketing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-advisor-marketing/)
- [Fears/concerns](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/fears-concerns/)
- [blueleafadvisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/blueleafadvisor/)
- [successful advisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/successful-advisor/)
- [productivity](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/productivity/)
- [advisor growth](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/advisor-growth/)
- [financial advisor websites](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-advisor-websites/)
- [account management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/account-management/)
- [growth strategies](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/growth-strategies/)
- [efficient](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/efficient/)
- [referral marketing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/referral-marketing/)
- [client onboarding](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-onboarding/)
- [Update: Low engagement](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/update-low-engagement/)
- [client engagement](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-engagement/)
- [automation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/automation/)
- [Consolidated Statements](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/consolidated-statements/)
- [growth](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/growth/)
- [account aggregation software](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/account-aggregation-software/)
- [financial account aggregation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-account-aggregation/)
- [AUM](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/aum/)
- [Account Aggregation Problems](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/account-aggregation-problems/)
- [digital first](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/digital-first/)
- [remote work](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/remote-work/)
- [online client portal](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/online-client-portal/)
- [wealth management automation](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/wealth-management-automation/)
- [communicating value](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/communicating-value/)
- [mobile](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/mobile/)
- [unique value proposition](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/unique-value-proposition/)
- [disruption](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/disruption/)
- [fintech](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/fintech/)
- [wealth management](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/wealth-management/)
- [robo advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/robo-advisors/)
- [mobile app](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/mobile-app/)
- [simplicity](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/simplicity/)
- [simpler process](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/simpler-process/)
- [client experience](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/client-experience/)
- [simple process](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/simple-process/)
- [operations](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/operations/)
- [advisors](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/advisors/)
- [diversity](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/diversity/)
- [subscription](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/subscription/)
- [rebalancing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/rebalancing/)
- [ai](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/ai/)
- [robots](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/robots/)
- [augmented advisor](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/augmented-advisor/)
- [financial advice](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financial-advice/)
- [pandemic](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/pandemic/)
- [podcast](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/podcast/)
- [acquisitions](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/acquisitions/)
- [financing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/financing/)
- [M&A](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/ma/)
- [mergers](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/mergers/)
- [valuations](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/valuations/)
- [distributed team](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/distributed-team/)
- [remote](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/remote/)
- [virtual](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/virtual/)
- [Investing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/investing/)
- [women in business](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/women-in-business/)
- [women in tech](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/women-in-tech/)
- [wealth management threats](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/wealth-management-threats/)
- [Culture](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/tag/culture/)

## Partner Categories

- [Analytics / Reporting](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/analytics-reporting/)
- [CRM](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/crm/)
- [Financial Planning](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/financial-planning/)
- [Rebalancing](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/rebalancing/)
- [Data & Client Engagement](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/data-client-enagement/)

## Pricing Categories

- [Annual](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/annual/)
- [Monthly](https://www.blueleaf.com/blog/partner-category/monthly/)