We always advise financial advisors to think about continuous learning and look for ways to grow, even if they’ve been in the industry for a long time. Every field has ever-changing strategies, tools and designations, so you must stay up to date with the standards.
Some of the ways you can improve your knowledge, skills and tools are through attending conferences, participating in online webinars, taking additional courses or subscribing to blogs from publications and fellow financial advisors.
We love blogs because they’re usually written by someone with hands-on experiences and provide relevant useful information!
With that being said, after reviewing many blogs, we’ve put together a list of the top 5 best blogs every financial advisor should subscribe to in 2020 that includes a variety of topics and blogging styles:
1. Nerd’s Eye View https://www.kitces.com
- About Michael Kitces: Michael has two Master’s degrees (Financial Services and Taxation) along with his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation, which shows his dedication to continuous learning. From more than a decade of experience working as a full-time financial planner, he’s sharing what he has learned with other financial advisors.
- He provides a wealth of information for financial advisors on financial planning knowledge, practice management, top conferences, best books, industry news, and so much more!
- We love the latest post from Michael’s blog, “Weekend Reading for Financial Planner,” which shares a new consumer research survey from Cerulli. It’s focused on how the pandemic has affected consumer willingness to pay for financial advice and advisory relationships.
2. Investment Writing https://www.investmentwriting.com/blog/
- About Susan Weiner: Susan was a director of investment communications at Columbia Management Group, a trustee at Batterymarch Financial Management and a staff reporter for a weekly mutual fund publication.
- She is focused on helping financial professionals improve their writing and communication with their clients and prospects.
- An article that stood out to us from the blog is “Focus on WIIFM (what’s in it for me), not the article,” which highlights how to think about communicating a piece of information in an engaging and informative way.
3. Advisor Perspectives https://www.advisorperspectives.com
- This is an interactive publisher for Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), wealth managers and financial advisors. This publication has various contributors, so it makes for a great wealth of knowledge on various topics.
- Advisor Perspectives has email newsletters and market commentaries that cover everything from the economy and market insights to asset allocation and practice management.
- You can find white papers, webinars, podcasts and more on their site.
4. Gen Y Planning https://genyplanning.com/blog/
- About Sophia Bera: Sophia has been recognized as part of the “Top 100 Financial Advisors” by Investopedia, “Top 40 Under 40” by Investment News and quotes in many reputable publications such as the New York Times, WSJ, Forbes etc.
- As the same suggests, she is focused on working with people in their 20s and 30s and has a great blog that covers a variety of topics, from budgeting to mortgage refinancing.
- Here is a great article for financial advisors and planners on how to work with diverse clients. Some of her tips include making it easy for clients to meet with you and educating them. Read the full post here.
5. Financial Planning https://www.financial-planning.com/
- Financial Planning is a publication that provides analysis and breaking news, opinion and expert advice and practical business-building ideas ideal for financial advisors.
- There are many contributors to the publication, and some of the topics covered in their posts are tax planning, regulation, technology, asset management and more!
- Here is an example of a relevant article on practice management in a post-coronavirus world and what financial advisors need to do to prepare for that time
We hope these blog recommendations are useful. Happy reading!