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...

Originally published in the National Post (August 2008) Older clients seem to be at the heart of most litigation and regulatory risk in my practice these days. Senior clients launch complaints with the MFDA, IDA and securities commissions and sue their advisors in court, asserting that investments were...

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...

Are you caught in the busy trap? Do you wonder, at the end of the day, what you actually got accomplished? You know you were mega busy and worked harder than those around you. You may have even checked off a couple of items from your to do list; even the ones you wrote down after you completed the task....

Although the outcome of the health care reform is uncertain, the need and demand for Disability insurance is inevitable. According to the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), nearly 33% of all Americans will suffer a serious Disability between the ages 35 and 65 that will last for an average...

1. Help Clarify Vision, Values and Goals A well articulated vision based on ones values an goals is an absolute must to achieve long term success. Most successful business owners obtain the benefit of counsel in developing, articulating and pursuing their vision. It’s a significant step towards achieving...