Now that couples can exclude up to $10 million ($5 million for singles) from estate taxes, most of us have no need to worry about estate planning. Right? Well, not exactly. Clients still have estate-planning needs that need to be addressed. Here are just a few that financial planners and advisors should keep on their…

Whether broadening, deepening, or expanding your existing book of business, it is important to understand how people make investment decisions. This need is true in spades in the small business owner segment. These people are highly entrepreneurial and have an “I’d rather do it myself” attitude about all of life. I recently read an article…

The eleventh survey in the Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor polling series reveals dramatic changes are taking place in the retirement planning landscape due to the recession. As a result, near retirees (age 50+) expect to retire six years later than those who have already retired and 68% expect to work during retirement, up dramatically from…

As unpalatable as it may be, I’d like to ask you to think back to high school English class when you were asked to write a theme in which you compared and contrasted two characters, situations, or stories. It seemed boring or even obtuse to the learning process, but I bet a dollar to a…

A lot of people ask me how the new CFP Board Certification Education requirements will impact the actual exam. And the answer is that the new Financial Plan Development course requirement and the changes to the CFP Board exam are two separate events. How could the CFP Board possibly give a test in March 2012…

In his 2006 book, Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, Dr. Henry Cloud proposes that:  People who become leaders, or really successful, tend to have three qualities… They have some set of competencies…you can only fake it so long…you just have to get good at what you do. There is no shortcut.…

The current environment requires financial advisors and planners to be well versed in a wide array of products, services, and planning techniques. This is a daunting task, but is especially difficult when seeking to explore a client’s financial needs in an area outside the advisor’s comfort zone. Take estate planning, for example. For many advisors,…

In the 10 preceding articles on Sales Leadership, we discussed a strongly-held philosophy, provided strategic application emanating from that philosophy, and defined specific tactics to put this strategy to work. Now you ask, “Where do I start?” Many of you have experience in this role – some extensive and some nominal. Others are just starting…

Having read some or all of the ten “imperatives” in this Sales Leadership series, your question might be, “How do I most effectively begin this process of applying these tactics?” We will give you a clear beginning process on Monday. But, to make our comments more meaningful, jot down what you think the first steps…