As 2009 draws to an end, the “list” making begins. One of the most outrageous I’ve seen includes the Top 10 Most Annoying Alarm Clocks. So, in the spirit of list making, I thought I’d compile my own. Here are my Top 10 Favorite Personal Finance Blogs of 2009 (in no particular...

You may assume it’s only natural to think angry or contemptuous thoughts when someone tries to “sell” you.  This is a trap.  Don’t do it.  It’s essential to your own prospecting success that you view salespeople from a positive or at least a neutral position.  Here’s...

Agent Profile: Insurance Experience: 5 years Annualized Commissions: $60,000 Product: P&C Credit Score: 550 State: IN Debt-to-Income Ratio: 35% Situation: Agent X has been selling P&C insurance for 5 years building a strong book of business that has annualized commissions of...

Call reluctance springs from three sources:  personality predispositions, hereditary influences, and exposure to others with call reluctance.  Find out how to recognize this insidious obstacle to success and how to overcome it. “Today, I’ll prospect.” Mark drives to the office, feeling...

Originally published in the National Post on May 20, 2008. Everyone in the securities industry will want to give Superior Court Justice Thomas Lederer a big hug after reading this article describing the March, 2008, decision in which he dismissed a client’s claim when he sought to have his advisor...

Originally published in the National Post on November 20, 2007. There are no limitation periods specified in the Investment Dealers Association’s registered bylaws with respect to disciplinary actions, and to date the IDA has seemingly proceeded on the basis that it was not governed by any limitation...

Originally published in the National Post on December 18, 2007. James Smith, Jim Smith and Jimmy Smith are all born on Aug. 27, 1962, and they are all engineers, but only one has been tried and found guilty of drug trafficking. How can advisors and dealers identify their clients and report any potentially...

Originally published in the National Post on December 18, 2008, and based on materials published in Ellen Bessner’s book: Advisor at Risk: A Roadmap to Protecting Your Business My previous column described risks for advisors in the securities industry, yet the most significant risk to advisors is...

Advisor at Risk: A Roadmap to Protecting your Business is the new book by Ellen Bessner, a lawyer with over 15 years’ experience defending investment advisors, financial advisors, insurance agents and brokers, their supervisors, and the companies through which they are registered. Advisor at Risk is a...

To be successful, financial advisors must be energized and focused, have meaningful goals, and know how to achieve them.  If you can’t seem to pick up the phone to build your business, see whether one of these five issues is the quiet culprit. Rick was recruited into his company by one of the best and...