In a year when nearly every aspect of life experienced an unexpected and abrupt turn, the way we interact with one another may have been impacted more than anything else. And while there is a yearning for things return to...
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There are many variables to consider when financial advisors are deciding whether to set up their own independent practice. One of the most critical decisions is the broker-dealer, a relationship that will be important in both good...
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A recent poll indicated just 22% believe the leaders in their organization have a clear direction for their organization. You may be surprised to learn this Gallup Poll was conducted before the COVID-19 outbreak or George Floyd’s...
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The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up nearly every aspect of American life. To say it’s been a difficult time would be an understatement. However, difficult times may open doors to new possibilities. Businesses are changing their...
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One commodity that seems to be running a surplus now is anxiety. Everyone is faced with managing emotions, even in the best of times. But when the going gets tough, the emotions tend to go into overdrive. One of the most important...
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Our constantly evolving world means that behind every new challenge lies an opportunity; behind every new opportunity lies a challenge. For example when we read in a CNBC article that 75 percent of Americans choose to manage their...
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The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act is now law. With it, comes some of the biggest changes to retirement savings law in recent years. These changes went into effect on January 1, 2020. While the new...
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Every year, more than 147 million Americans file federal tax returns, according to the Tax Policy Center. Many clients often tell financial advisors how much they dread searching through their files to locate their mortgage, retirement...
Read MoreThere are many things that can keep independent advisors from getting a good night’s sleep. Cybersecurity is definitely one of them. A survey by the Investment Advisor Association and ACA Compliance Group found cybersecurity to...
Read MoreLooking at the big picture often reveals opportunities for growth. For example, did you know the number of people who say they are not financially prepared to live a long life is virtually the same as the number of people who are...
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The countdown begins. Once the clock rolls us into 2020, tax season gets underway. The old calendar year, 2019, will have officially been put to rest. Deductions from your paychecks and other income sources will begin counting for the...
Read MoreTalk about a conundrum. At a time when equity markets were setting records, the largest banks and brokerage houses are looking for ways to cut pay for their financial advisors. An article in THE FINANCIAL TIMES reported in May 2014...
Read MoreIt is difficult to deny that brand names are part of our culture. From toothpaste, to clothes, to cars, people are often label-conscious. Those interested in following FINANCIAL ADVISOR CAREERS as well as financial advisors considering...
Read MoreNow is a great time to be a financial advisor. It’s an even better time to be an independent one. The BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS expects demand for financial planning services from an aging population that’s living longer...
Read MoreWhich type of life insurance is better--term or cash value? Insurance buyers have been asking this question for generations. When choosing between these two fundamentally different alternatives, you'll need to think about the amount of...
Read MoreFinancial Advisors seeking to market their businesses increasingly look to social media outlets as an option for reaching their target audience. There’s logic behind that reasoning, based on research. The Pew Research Center...
Read MoreNow that the first tax returns have been filed since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect, it may be an opportune time to help clients plan for next year. Each time the tax rules change, investment portfolios may be affected. The...
Read MoreLaura Silverberg’s River Cities Financial, LLC Sees ‘Positive, Long-term Impact for Clients and My Business’ For Immediate Release St. Louis, MO – August 12, 2019 – River Cities Financial, LLC is an...
Read MoreThere is a pretty good chance that some independent financial advisors have clients who lack life insurance coverage for their families. One survey found 85 percent agree that most people need life insurance; an estimated 50 million...
Read MoreThe opportunity to fulfill personal and financial goals is contingent on careful consideration of your career choices. Once a financial advisor decides that setting up an independent practice offers them the chance to not only build...
Read MoreIndependent financial advisors want to share a little secret with like-minded colleagues thinking about setting up their own practice. More than 90 percent of your clients, if not all of them, will almost certainly move with you within...
Read MoreDigital Assets – Access and Disclosure Our increasingly digital world presents all kinds of wonderful benefits, along with all kinds of additional complexity. I would guess most people today engage in using social media, online...
Read MoreThe economy always seems to be in a state of evolution. Millennials, who were born between 1982 and 2000, are a driving force in the latest phase. The “Experience Economy” is where goods and services are sold by emphasizing...
Read MoreThere is no getting around it. Mobile devices are a dominant force in society. NIELSEN, the global measurement and data analytics firm, puts smartphone penetration at 88 percent across the U.S. population. And about 97 percent of...
Read MoreThe Millennial generation, American’s born between 1982 and 2000, represent more than 25 percent of the country’s population. So how is your financial advisory practice serving these people, who number more than 83.1...
Read MoreThe proliferation of digital communication has, to say the least, presented new challenges for financial advisors seeking to grow their businesses while staying within the good graces of regulators. It has also presented challenges for...
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Experience is one of life’s best teachers, provided one is willing to learn. The founders of Cutter & Company are prime examples of that approach, as the firm celebrates 30 years in business. They absorbed valuable lessons from...
Read MoreCutter and Company, a Registered Broker-dealer and Investment Advisor, celebrates 30 years helping independent financial advisors establish and operate their own independent wealth management businesses this year. The firm was founded...
Read MoreBeck and Gehrs Establish Greenbridge Wealth Advisors as Independent Practice Veteran financial advisors Joseph Beck and Nick Gehrs, managing members of Greenbridge Wealth Advisors, LLC, have joined Cutter & Company. With client assets...
Read MoreIs there a ‘Great Awaking’ taking place among financial advisors? Not all that long ago, the option of choosing to own and operate an independent financial advisory practice was probably not on the radar for those working...
Read MoreWe are long-standing advocates of financial advisors going into the independent channel. In fact, this year Cutter & Company is celebrating our 30th year as an independent broker-dealer. The more recent trend in the industry is where...
Read MoreTax season is an opportune time for financial advisors to review client financial situations and examine whether new strategies might be in order. The changes affecting the federal tax code that were signed into law in late 2017 under...
Read MoreFinancial advisors can’t help but wonder what’s next. With each passing year, the compensation plans rolled out at the big wire house firms offer a new round of surprises. And each year the general satisfaction level...
Read MoreThe rise of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) is a trend we’ve been actively watching for some time. The evidence points to the fact that since the financial crisis, financial advisors have been recommending ETFs more than mutual...
Read MoreReady or not, the age of the robo-advisor is at hand. Algorithm-driven, automated, online portfolio management is expected to handle $2.2 TRILLION IN ASSETS BY 2020 in the United States. That is up from an estimated $50 billion in 2015...
Read MoreIn a surprising announcement, Morgan Stanley says it will no longer remain a member of the broker Protocol effective Friday, November 3rd. Here is an article on this topic posted on THINKADVISOR. Most in the financial industry already...
Read MoreLooking for a way to grow your independent financial services practice? Consider focusing at least a portion of your efforts on the group of people born between 1982 and 2004. There is opportunity in MILLENNIALS, who according to...
Read MoreLarge wirehouse operations appear to be telling the financial advisors that ‘It’s a sprint, not a marathon’ when they set monthly production hurdles that are tied to higher compensation. And on top of that, the...
Read MoreThere may be nothing more important to a financial advisor’s practice than establishing effective communications with clients – both current and future ones. Ironically, the technology age in which we live has not...
Read MoreFinancial firms have been adjusting to a moving deadline for the so-called Fiduciary Rule for months. So there is a little irony involved when the first thing you notice on the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) web page titled CONFLICT OF...
Read MoreCost reductions for various kinds of passive investment vehicles keep making headlines. Take the case of Charles Schwab which recently introduced target-date funds for retirement plans with expenses below .10 percent. An article on...
Read MoreThe new administration promises to move the concept of tax reform from potential to reality. But even though future tax policy is not locked in now, and with the 2016 tax season upon us, the time is excellent for independent financial...
Read MoreFinancial advisors pondering the future have myriad items to consider. One hesitation about making a move from a large wirehouse firm to setting up an independent practice is the question about all the “in-house” support...
Read MoreThere are countless articles circulating about all the advantages of going “independent”. Most cover important points to ponder, including the potential impact on your quality of life as a financial advisor. In my mind...
Read MoreThis blog usually focuses on the pros and cons of operating as a financial advisor in the independent contractor channel. This model, we feel, provides more freedom, better quality of life, more flexibility in working with clients, and...
Read MoreFinancial advisors who work for wirehouse firms are sending signals to their bosses: We are not happy with what you are doing to our compensation. J.D. POWER SURVEYED a cross-section of employee advisors, 50 percent of whom indicated...
Read MoreLet’s consider three hypothetical scenarios, any of which could be in place during a time when an experienced financial advisor is considering setting up an independent practice. The stock and bond markets are essentially flat,...
Read MoreThink about some of the most fruitful conversations you have with investment clients. Chances are you make a solid plan for their financial future by carefully considering all factors on the horizon, both short-term and long-term. When...
Read MoreOver the coming months we will be sharing our thoughts, information and resources about the opportunities that exist in an independent financial services practice. Our firm was founded over a quarter century ago, built from day one...
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