...and Adamantly Not For Sale!
White Papers & Resources
Bright IdeasDo you struggle with getting in front of new prospects? Building relationships with your current client base? Coming up with fresh marketing ideas? START THINKING OUT OF THE BOX! |
The Truth About CybersecuritySuccessful advisors have increasingly turned to tools such as software and other technology to boost efficiency and provide better service to clients. But while technology offers considerable benefits, it also poses a potential threat to advisors and their clients. Advisors must navigate an industry landscape that’s being reshaped by new regulations, demographic shifts and a surge in competition from alternative wealth management strategies. |
Solving the Cybersecurity RiddleThe scope of confidential and personal data harvested by financial services companies and transmitted across the open internet has created a goldmine for well-organized and well-funded hacking teams. Prohibited by costs, resources and expertise, most financial advisors are simply reactionary to advanced hacking techniques, placing themselves, their client’s and their practice in great jeopardy. FINRA, and the SEC, have identified cybersecurity as a critical priority, demanding BD’s and independent RIA’s have answers to how they are keeping clients safe. A new Consortium, started by employees of United Planners, has developed and implemented a turnkey, plug-and-play secure network solution by routing sensitive client data off the public internet and onto a more secure, reliable and faster solution where all participants are known, authenticated and secure. Learn more in this white paper. |
Corporate IAR vs Independent RIAIn many cases, advisors have to deal with a significant lack of continuity with their broker-dealers and the on-going trend of mergers and acquisitions. As a result, advisors never know who their next corporate partner is going to be, and whether that partner will end up having a completely different set of objectives. While advisors can be independent with their clients, they are only really as independent themselves as their broker-dealer will allow them to be. |
Advisors In Search of the Ideal Broker-DealerWhat to Consider When Partnering With a New Broker-Dealer. Financial advisors are frustrated with their broker-dealers for a number of reasons, and it doesn’t have to be that way. In many cases, advisors have to deal with a significant lack of continuity with their broker-dealers due to the on-going trend of mergers and acquisitions. As a result, advisors never know who their next corporate partner is going to be, and whether that partner will end up having a completely different set of objectives. In this White Paper we reveal the characteristics of an ideal broker-dealer so you know what to look for. |
Genuine Open Architecture Is Available to HybridsThe Right Fit for Hybrid Advisors. In today’s marketplace it is important to have options. United Planners (UP) offers several options for your fee based business including the opportunity to be your own Independent RIA or associate with the Firm RIA. Trading platforms and custodian relationships are available through Pershing, TD Amaeritrade, Schwab Institutional, Fidelity Institutional and Trust Company of America. In addition, there are several approved Third Party Money Managers and Investment Management Programs available to advisors. Whether you are interested in learning more about fee based planning, are already transitioning to an Advisory platform, or if it is already your current focus, UP is dedicated to helping you maintain a successful Investment Advisory practice while offering all of the service and support you need for your Securities Business. |
Succession PlanningSecuring the Future of Your Practice. If you’re like most advisors, you do a great job planning for your clients, but you haven’t given much thought to what will happen to your practice when you retire, or if you don’t make it back to the office from lunch one day. You’re not alone: Some 93% of advisors don’t have a legally binding contract in place for their succession. For the sake of your clients, family and yourself, you shouldn’t put off these preparations much longer: The average advisor is 55 years old, and crafting a formal, written succession plan is essential to preserving the value of an advisor’s practice. |
The Dual Registrant’s ERISA DuelERISA Reform Changing the Game for Broker Dealers. For the last seven years, the independent hybrid broker dealer community has represented one of the fastest growing sectors in our industry. More flexible policies and procedures, broader access to products and services, support of Independent Adviser Representative (IAR) activity and higher payouts have driven producers away from financially and strategically stressed large wirehouses in droves. Retirement plan producers specifically have represented a large percentage of this movement. These producers need access to open architecture environments and other tools and resources that enable them to align with their Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) clients in an unbiased, objective and fiduciary capacity. Choosing the right technology path is a difficult decision, this White Paper can help. |
Empowered by TechnologyReal business solutions offer efficiency and simplicity, not headaches. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. But for many advisors, the promised efficiencies of new “integrated” software tools have been nothing short of a high-priced scam. Instead of instantaneous, critical and actionable client information at your fingertips, you’ve had to contend with disparate, costly systems that inundate you with useless data and waste your time with unnecessary processes. Most of these systems are created without you, the end user, in mind. They’re built to benefit the back-office and clerical workers who aren’t on the front lines working with existing and prospective clients. Much of the technology available to advisors focuses on tackling yesterday’s problems, not the challenges advisors face today, tomorrow or even several years down the road. |