“What’s your Klout score?” “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”  It’s becoming near impossible these days to have a conversation about social media without the dreaded mention of Klout.  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Klout is a program that measures your social influence across many of the most popular social platforms on a scale of one to 100. It’s become a yard stick by which more and more people measure their…

I just wanted to thank all of you who made it to the Women Advisors Forum New York.  We had nearly 200 advisors in attendance, a record for this series! 

But what’s even more important are the ideas shared, lessons learned and exciting…

Globally, women are more economically powerful than ever before. Currently, women control the majority of personal wealth in the United States, own businesses that contribute $3 trillion annually to the economy, and are due to inherit 70% of the $41 trillion in intergenerational wealth transfers in the next 40 years. Despite this financial influence, many women still struggle to express their personal power in the work place. This ambivalence hurts your…

Sallie Krawcheck's surprise news that she will take the helm of the women's network 85 Broads came together after what she calls a "meeting of the minds" with founder Janet Hanson. Read on to find out more about what she plans for the organization, as told to American Banker Magazine Editor-in-Chief Heather Landy.…

Attracting high net worth investors was a big topic of conversation at this week's Women Advisors Forum in New York. See what Christine Gaze, director of practice management had to say about how advisors can better reel in these clients.

How Advisors Can Stand Out From the Crowd…

I was sitting having coffee with a colleague who was sharing how his cold calling sales efforts were just not working. He happens to be one of those rare human beings who does not mind making cold calls; he came up through the business doing them. In fact, jobs he held in the past required him to make cold calls — upwards of 50 or 60 calls a day. Yuck -- it gives me chills just thinking about it.…

Social media is growing up and news that breaks on Twitter is now news that moves the markets. Real tweets have the power cause political tension, end careers and find a kidney. Fake tweets can have the same effects, and damage control is difficult. There is no way to edit or add a correction to a tweet, and once it has been re-tweeted, those 140 characters take on a life of their own.…

In New York City savvy street vendors sell both sunglasses and umbrellas. By carrying two items that sell in very different weather conditions, the vendors have a product to sell regardless of weather. Prudent investors do the same by diversifying their investment portfolios among different types of assets which may respond differently to various economic conditions. Then again, famed investor Warren Buffet is known to have said that…

At KBK Wealth Connection, we celebrate Financial Literacy Month every April. This year it struck me that, while I really liked the concept, I did not know the history of the month and how it came to be designated as a month to teach and/or learn more about money and finance. So I asked my trusty assistant to dig up some facts, and here is what she…

I often work with female clients who find themselves, either by virtue of divorce or the death of a spouse, suddenly alone. This experience has helped me understand that adjusting to a new reality can be painful and lonely. Over the years, I’ve honed a careful process that helps this demographic heal emotionally as we address their financial issues.…

A new survey from UBS Wealth Management Americas shows that a majority of high net worth and affluent investors feel less financially prepared for their long-term-care needs than their retirement goals. And what's more: Women feel even less prepared to cover their health and other care needs into their old age. The reason? Women are acutely aware that they will likely live longer.…

Have you ever developed an addiction to downloading free offers?  Last week, I was perusing thorough the HubSpot website and couldn’t help but notice myself compulsively downloading e-book after e-book—everything from social media marketing to website creation. Normally, I’m hesitant when it comes to signing up for free offers, but on this occasion I was on a rampage. By the end of the night, I…

I have been in the business 28 years this summer.  I've worked on  both sides of the 'fence':  wirehouse 20 years and independent for eight.  The past three years I have  been spending my time almost exclusively recruiting to build an office of advisors.

What I thought would be initially a "slam dunk" proposition has turned out much harder than I expected.

Any general ideas on why it seems so hard to recruit advisors (both wirehouse/bank and/or insurance) advisors to the…

Love to hear stories about how women advisors are shifting the conversation with women about money?  Using new processes?  Eleanor Blayney and I (www.DirectionsforWomen.com) continue to engage women in structured group conversations (circle, cafe) and hearing from a number of women advisors we've worked with that this is truly creating a safe space and opportunity for women to talk about what matters to them around money, ask for what they need…

Do you ever wonder how many clients and prospects other financial advisors reel in from social media? How about if your target audience is even on social media?

These are questions that occupy the minds of many advisors who are on the fence with social media. And with good reason! Why would you offer time and money to something that you may not get returns out of?

Here are some recent stats that may answer some of your burning questions and catch you by…

The following is based on the work in my upcoming book, How To Give Financial Advice to Couples: Balancing High-Net-Worth Clients’ Needs, due out September 2013. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments. Enjoy! KBK

Over the last decade, there has been a shift in gender roles in families making it no longer a given that the man is the one…

Just last week, one of my favorite clients received a major honor: She learned she is among just five associates in her Fortune 500 Company selected to present at the organization’s national sales conference. The event, which will be held in California this March, is attended by more than 3,200 sales professionals and their leaders from across the entire company. For any associate, this would be considered an incredible honor, but for my client it is a dream come true. Not so much the…

I didn’t intend to write an article about niches for financial advisors.

However, when I went looking on the web for a list, I couldn’t find one! Amazing! Why? Years ago, when I examined the history of niche marketing, the information available suggested that this strategy originated in the financial sector!

You may remember a time when you banked at a commercial bank if you were a business, and a…

Do you remember tossing pennies into wishing wells and fountains as a child? I know I do. In fact, if I recall correctly, I threw a penny into a fountain last week. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get the Lamborghini or the vacation to Jamaica. Come to find out, throwing pennies into fountains is a pretty ineffective way of bringing your goals to life.

For a while, I tossed my business blog posts into the hypothetical online wishing well. And for months, I was disappointed with the outcome.…

Did you really go into business to manage the daily nitty-gritty details of your entire practice? Or is your real mission to help your clients create and safeguard their wealth — to assist them in reaching their life goals? In fulfilling your mission, are you creating your dream business — one that makes a big difference in your life and in the lives of those you love? Way too often, the busy-ness of business gets in the way of our best intentions. The secret is to catch ourselves when we…