Starting a business, as many of you know, is a task that requires a great amount of fortitude, but it also requires the support many others. This year, we are particularly grateful for our clients, who have embraced the use of behavioral science in their practices to help their clients succeed. The advisors who work with us demonstrate a focus on the future of financial planning – thank you for allowing us to be a …
Over the past few months, we asked advisors which type of client is the most challenging to work with, and the results are probably not too surprising: nearly one-third of advisors shared that the most challenging type of client is one who wants to beat the market. A little more than one-fourth of advisors shared that the most challenging client is one who cannot stick to a plan, followed by a little less than …
We’ve written before about the often-cited Vanguard “Advisor’s Alpha” study. That research documents the data showing that a good financial advisor can add on average a full 3% in incremental return to a client’s investment portfolio annually. The study then breaks that 3% down into its component parts, showing that the biggest gains–a full 150 basis points–come from effective behavioral coaching that serves to prevent clients from engaging in detrimental investing behaviors (think buying high …
A hot topic in the financial advisory space—or maybe more accurately a sore subject—is the high rate of attrition of heirs when clients die and leave their managed wealth to beneficiaries. We have discussed this topic before, noting that a host of factors are at play including critical features like communication with the family-economic unit, relationship building, and personal differences resulting from a generational divide between the heirs and the advisor. But at the end …
Where do you fit? Where do your services fit in the world of financial planning, investment management, and wealth advisory services? Are you a planner, an advisor, or an investment manager? Or all of the foregoing? The landscape of financial advisory services is evolving, and finding a descriptive and accurate category for your service and role is becoming more challenging. We’re having the same challenge here at DataPoints. We’re forging something of a new …

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