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Are we overdoing automation in advice?
If there’s a key word for 2025, it has to be “automation”. It’s everywhere. Nearly every week, a new tool promises to streamline everything from file notes to SOA templates. When things are running smoothly, automation can really speed up and tidy our processes. But I can't help wondering: are we automating too much, and…
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What everyone gets wrong about niching
Despite popular misconceptions, niching isn't actually about demographics or specific types of advice. Instead, it's about delivering a tailored service at scale. In this video, I'll explain why.
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The outsourcing paradox
With practices now serving an average of 98 recurring clients while reducing administrative support by 8% and paraplanning resources by 9%1, the pressure to outsource has never been more acute. But what if the solutions we're implementing to make our practices more efficient are actually creating our biggest regulatory…
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When the engine stalls
My career began in the back office, which seems to be the norm when progressing through the ranks of a financial planning firm. The years I spent in this role gave me a good guide on how things should be done – from the ground up. The back office is called the engine room for a good reason; without it, we would stall. I…
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The myth of the mammoth SOA
If you asked every adviser to name one thing they could fix about the advice process, the vast majority would point to the length of the SOA. They're too long, too dense and the vast majority of clients don't even read them. Why is this, though? The gargantuan SOA is often treated as an inevitability, but what does the law…
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The top performer's playbook
The challenge for advisers is to provide high-quality advice while navigating complicated laws and demanding client expectations. To achieve this, they need optimum performance – which requires a strong support system that improves productivity, compliance, and customer service. This article examines the key components…
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Not another outsourcing article
If you’ve seen one article on outsourcing tips, you’ve seen them all. I know this because I’ve read way too many – and written a few myself! I can promise you, though, this article isn’t that. Instead, I want to put forward the real questions you should ask when considering a new outsourcing solution. First, let's state…
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For retirees, certainty trumps portfolio theory
How we manage our clients' retirement income urgently needs a revolutionary shift. The financial planning profession has long focused on sophisticated investment strategies and dynamic asset allocation because – well, that's where our value lies, right? The reality is that most of our retired clients have a much simpler…
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A "simple" plan
As a paraplanner, there's one comment I dread the most from an adviser: "This will be a straightforward plan." It normally means a heap of conflicting information, projections that show the cashflow won’t support the recommendations and a frustrated adviser wondering why this simple advice is taking so long to produce. Ask…
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Report available now: Need for speed
Is efficiency, in and of itself, a virtue? This report aims to answer that question. It's based on the first year of Advisely Index results and explores how the advice efficiency data captured by the Index survey correlates with factors such as practice profitability and client retention. The research also investigates…