best practice Archives - Page 2 of 2

Beware of…well…just beware when giving advice!

by Tony Vidler Times have never been more dangerous for giving advice..and it is a time for financial advisers themselves to beware of consumers. Well, perhaps not consumers per se, but certainly all the interested parties who say they represent consumers interests. It is not just the increasing oversight from regulators and professional scrutiny from […]

5 Simple Steps To Audit Yourself

by Tony Vidler How can an adviser be confident their advice is good before trouble starts? In other words, how do you audit yourself? There are 5 key things that the adviser must do – and be able to evidence afterwards – to show that they have worked for the benefit of the client, […]

For Client Presentations Going Low-Tech Works

by Tony Vidler As client presentations become more compliance-focused, lengthy, and technical in nature there is an corresponding increase in client dissatisfaction with financial advice. Coincidence? I think not. There has been a trend for years for financial advice, particularly comprehensive financial plans, when presented to clients to be “too clever” with clients not necessarily understanding […]

The cost of convenience in insurance: Underwrite at proposal time, or claim time?

by Tony Vidler Convenience in insurance can come at a steep cost: When does your client want to have the drama with their insurance company? At underwriting time, or at claim time? The cover is going to get underwritten at some point, it really is just a matter of when. This is a confusing facet […]

Pro Bono Pays In The Long Run

by Tony Vidler Pro bono is a novel concept for many in an evolving profession – working for free for the public good. But pro bono pays in the long run in a number of ways for a professional. It may sound counter-intuitive but giving away your knowledge, skill and time for free is a […]

Innovation in delivering Financial Advice: Does it have to be this way?

by Tony Vidler “Innovation” and “delivering financial advice” do not usually go together for the majority in the industry. The way advice is delivered by tens of thousands of professionals tends to gravitate to the same methodology. There is safety hiding in the herd, right? Then the type of advice delivered by tens […]

Eliminate tyre kickers, and value your expertise

by Tony Vidler Being properly valued for your expertise and eliminating the time-wasting tyre-kickers is an ongoing problem for most financial advisers. That is even more true for those making the transition from purely commission-based remuneration to generating fee-paying work where they are charging for that time or expertise. Managing the remuneration transition whilst also […]

Let’s be honest with our honesty

by Tony Vidler Disclosure is back on the regulatory agenda again, and the rules will undoubtedly be changing yet again. There is no doubt in my mind that disclosure of costs, fees and conflicts enhances trust and professional credibility. However, there is also no doubt in mind that disclosure can be taken so far that […]

Soft Dollars are terminally ill….thankfully

By Tony Vidler, CFP CLU ChFC I’m calling it: Soft dollars for financial advisers as we know them today is officially “terminally ill”. Their death is not quite guaranteed, but the odds are very high that they shall die soon’ish… But I personally think they will die far faster than most expect. And thank God […]

The Financial Adviser Dinosaur: Not yet extinct

by Tony Vidler Despite all the changes in financial services over recent years the “Financial Adviser Dinosaur” is far from extinct. Bear in mind that pretty much everything I know about dinosaurs has been learned from watching all the Jurassic Park movies – twice, so I am a bit of an authority on them. […]

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