Protecting Women’s Wealth  

Created: March 16, 2024

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Description: This article describes some of the hurdles women face in protecting their wealth, including longevity and earning challenges, as well as ways to build greater financial stability through targeted financial planning.

4 Financial Best Practices for Year-End 2023  

Created: November 15, 2023

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Description: Share this piece with clients and prospects to offer four financial best practices for year-end 2023. This year's tips cover managing cash reserves, maintaining one's investment portfolio, tax strategies, and time management.

Six Financial Best Practices for Year-End 2022  

Created: November 11, 2022

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Description: Share this piece with clients and prospects to offer six financial best practices for year-end 2022. This year's tips cover cash flow management, tax planning, healthcare coverage, and general financial planning in the context of 2022 events, including higher interest rates, inflation, and market volatility.

Healing What Hurts: The Essential Role of a Financial Therapist  

Created: February 16, 2022

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Description: This 3-page report describes the value a financial therapist can add to someone’s wealth management team when their own or a family member’s mental health may be interfering with their financial well-being. Points include when and how financial therapy can help, and how to identify an appropriate fit (including how your firm can assist in the selection).

Tax Planning Part 3: Tax-Wise Financial Planning  

Created: August 31, 2021

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Description: Part 3 of a 3-part series on tax-planning. Part 1 defined "the tools of the tax-planning trade," i.e., tax breaks for saving toward life goals such as retirement, healthcare, education, emergency spending, charitable giving, and wealth transfer. Part 2 explored reducing families' lifetime tax bills through tax-wise investment techniques. Part 3 explores integrating all of the above into broad financial planning.

Protecting What’s Yours (After You Pass) Part 2  

Created: May 17, 2021

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Description: Share this two-part piece on estate planning basics with clients and prospects. Part 1 is 464 words, and reminds readers how important it is to have a basic will or trust. This part 2, at 1,413 words, offers step-by-step guidance on creating and maintaining an effective estate plan. Both pieces pair well with a 2019 Library piece, "Protecting What's Yours (While You're Alive)."

Protecting What’s Yours (After You Pass) Part 1  

Created: April 29, 2021

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Description: Share this two-part piece on estate planning basics with clients and prospects. Part 1 is 464 words, and reminds readers how important it is to have a basic will or trust. Part 2 (coming soon) will offer step-by-step guidance on creating and maintaining an effective estate plan. Both pieces pair well with a 2019 Library piece, "Protecting What's Yours (While You're Alive)."

A Meaningful Message for Thanksgiving/Holiday Season (2020)  

Created: November 12, 2020

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Description: Use this 260-word message to be in touch with your clients for the U.S. Thanksgiving or the general 2020 holiday season. The message expresses gratitude for your client's business, and acknowledges the painful disruption the pandemic has brought to most families' holiday traditions.

Finding Your Fiduciary Financial Advisor (UPDATED)  

Created: August 18, 2020

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Description: UPDATED FROM FEB. 2015: This six-page, three-part special report helps investors choose a fiduciary advisor, UPDATED for recent changes under Reg BI. Part 1 describes the broad financial environment and the importance of the fiduciary relationship. Part 2 covers additional qualities to seek, and Part 3 offers tips on how to review an advisor's credentials. Pairs well with the separate, July 2020 Library piece, “What Is Fiduciary Investment Advice?”

What Is Fiduciary Investment Advice, and Why Does It Matter?  

Created: July 31, 2020

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Description: Fully independent, fee-only RIA firms can share this 1,500-word report with clients and prospective clients to differentiate comprehensive fiduciary client relationships, vs. "incidental" investment recommendations under Regulation Best Interest (as of June 30, 2020). Pairs well with the separate, August 2020 Library piece, “Finding Your Fiduciary Financial Advisor.”

Eight “Best/Worst” Wealth Strategies During the Coronavirus   Free Sample (Click on title to download)

Created: June 28, 2020

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Description: Share this 833-word document with clients and prospects to cover eight of the most and least effective ways for they can spend their time and energy shoring up their financial well-being in the time of the coronavirus.

Six Financial Best Practices for 2020  

Created: December 8, 2019

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Description: Share this 869-word piece with clients and prospects to offer six financial best practices for 2020. This year's selection is based on some of the changes that took place in 2019, including TCJA tax tips, zero-commission stock and ETF trading, and more.

16 Things You Can Do To Prepare for the Next Recession  

Created: October 18, 2019

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Description: 16 things investors can do to truly strengthen their financial well-being, instead of engaging in market-timing in reaction to a potential recession. Share this 783-word overview with clients and prospects.

Protecting What’s Yours (While You’re Alive)  

Created: July 25, 2019

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Description: Use this 1,300-word article in its entirety or broken into three parts to cover three tools an individual can employ to protect their health and wealth care interests while they are alive: (1) the financial power of attorney, (2) the trusted contact, and (3) the healthcare advance directive (including a living will and healthcare power of attorney). Includes a summary, when each applies, common scenarios and additional tips for each.

Good Advice (UPDATED)  

Created: May 27, 2019

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Description: UPDATED FROM 2016: This 605-word piece reminds your clients and informs prospective clients that the best-interest advice you offer goes well beyond stock-picking tips. It reinforces why a good financial adviser remains relevant even as low-cost funds, automated investing and simplified financial planning are on the rise.

What Is Liquidity?  

Created: May 14, 2019

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Description: This 768-word article is part of our ongoing "What Is ...?" series. It defines liquidity, offers some approachable examples of how it works, and considers it within the context of an overall investment portfolio. Share this piece with clients or prospects as an article, post, or video script, or for similar purposes.

Quarterly Client Letter — 2019 Q1  

Created: April 1, 2019

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Description: This 520-word quarterly client letter reflects on the differences between breaking news and timeless investment tenets, noting in particular the contrast between Q1 performance and recent volatile returns just prior.

A Second Opinion Reach-Out  

Created: February 25, 2019

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Description: Use this 525-word piece to reach out to prospects (or, with minor revisions, to clients), encouraging them to schedule a second opinion meeting with you. The piece describes what to expect as well as red flags to avoid when seeking an objective second opinion about their investment portfolio. It could also be re-purposed as a general article.

Six Financial Best Practices for 2019  

Created: December 17, 2018

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Description: Six financial best practices encouraging investors to ignore market volatility and take practical steps toward enhancing their financial well-being. Use this piece as is to share with prospective clients, or modify it slightly for client use. This piece represents the second in an annual series, potentially pairing well with "Ten Financial Best Practices to Jump-Start Your New Year," published in December 2017.

New Client Welcome Letter/Email and Fact Sheet  

Created: May 8, 2018

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Description: Customize these templates -- a brief letter/email and fact sheet -- to welcome new clients to your firm, remind them of their next scheduled meeting with you, and provide key contact information.

Understanding the Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)  

Created: February 25, 2018

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Description: Use this 1,300-word white paper to describe to prospects and clients why they may want to consider a DAF for charitable giving under the new 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The paper describes how tax-wise charitable giving has changed, where a DAF might fit in, how they work, and how to differentiate among them. The paper also emphasizes the value of working with a wealth advisor to assist in selection and set-up. This piece also pairs well with the April 2018 piece offering an overview of tax-wise giving under the TCJA.

Half of a Whole: When You Lose Your Spouse   Free Sample (Click on title to download)

Created: July 21, 2017

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Description: This 900-word piece can be used as an article, email or video script to share with clients and prospective clients. It encourages those experiencing grief to hold off on making financial decisions that can wait, and offers supportive guidance to consider. It also encourages couples to complete their estate and advance planning if they've not yet done so.

Good Advice  

Created: February 11, 2016

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Description: This 675-word piece reminds your clients and informs prospective clients that the best-interest advice you have to offer goes well beyond what is often thought of as "advice" (i.e., stock tips and little more). It reinforces why a good financial adviser remains relevant even as low-cost funds, automated investing and simplified financial planning is on the rise, and especially during the turbulent market times we are currently experiencing. As such, this piece can be used as a timely response to current market volatility or as a timeless article for all market climes.

A NEW Tradition: Family Wealth Planning Conversations  

Created: December 13, 2013

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Description: This 530-word article invites families to take a fresh look at their family wealth conversations, while encouraging them to think of your firm as a resource to assist them with this and other family wealth management needs. Use this piece as a newsletter article, or it could be readily converted into a direct mailing to clients or prospects.

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