Archive for the ‘General Interest’ Category

AK In The News: Facebook Is An Overvalued Bust

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

I was asked to comment on a poll taken by Ignites (a Financial Times Service) on whether or not Facebook stock, in the face of its bungled IPO, is a near- and long-term bust. 47% of the respondents to the poll said that Facebook is a “bust all the way around.” This contrasts to 20% who gave the same answer to a similar poll question at the end of January.

There’s no question that the IPO has a left a bad taste in many people’s mouths – witness today’s announcement of several shareholder lawsuits against Facebook, its CEO and the banks which underwrote the deal. I think it’s generally agreed that the near-term outlook for the stock is cloudy at best – valuation arguments aside. The relative merits of the long-term outlook are less clear, and there are wide divergences of opinion here. I side with those that believe the long-term outlook for the stock is not pretty either.

There is no question in my mind, however, that the mess that has been made of the IPO is a black eye for both Facebook – although they will recover from a brand perspective over time – and the financial services industry (again). Morgan Stanley is in the cross hairs this time over whether or not they were open with the public about their downgrade for the outlook for the company prior to the IPO. The underwriters are also being criticized for raising the offering the price and number of shares – can anyone say greed?

My quote from the article: “I think both the near- and far-term outlook for the stock is bad. The valuation seems ridiculously high, as the market capitalization is — or was — above many blue-chip stocks with real earnings. We have been here before… and I think people are more reluctant to pay this price given what has gone on the past few years. Skepticism about the company and its future itself have emerged as well as a result of the road show and the IPO.”

Facebook will remain a popular social media tool for the foreseeable future. The company will regain some of the luster that it has lost once this mess fades into the background. The financial services industry will remain under scrutiny for its practices – again. And investors are better served investing in other stocks.

Posted in Advisors, General Interest, Investment Managers, Press, Sponsors | No Comments »

AK In The News: Managers Must Gauge Damage From JP Morgan News

Friday, May 18th, 2012

I was asked to write an opinion piece for Fundfire (a Financial Times Service). My thoughts were published in today’s edition. The focus of the piece is on how the brands of both JP Morgan and other asset managers have been affected by the trading loss and what both JP Morgan Chase and asset managers should do at this point. Here are my thoughts.

How bad is the damage to JP Morgan’s brand as an asset manager? I believe it’s significant. However, this is only one of the issues today. In this partisan world, only one misstep can give the opposition an opening to exploit. Nonstop bad publicity can and will erode a lot of the goodwill that JP Morgan has built up in the past.

By downplaying these losses a few weeks ago on an earnings call, Dimon violated the most important best practice that asset managers must adhere to following a crisis – that of being 100% transparent. Many wonder if there’s another shoe waiting to drop and whether we can trust JP Morgan Chase any longer. Already, indications are that the trading losses are at least 50% greater than the $2 billion first thought.

These losses also revealed the violation of other important principles that the industry should always follow – the importance of compliance, oversight and institutional control.

While high-net-worth retail investors might ask, “Is my money safe?”, institutional investors will ask, “Is there an institution-wide lack of control?” The fiduciary responsibility cast upon investment committees mandates that they must ask the right questions – and JP Morgan Chase better have the right answers.

What about the implications for other asset managers, and what should they do? First, if they haven’t done so already, they must proactively address what has happened and emphatically illustrate that they have control of their own business.

Asset managers must, in essence, protect their brand, because fiduciaries will be asking the same questions of them that they are currently asking of or about JP Morgan Chase; they have to. Silence is not an option, and other asset managers will be found guilty by association if they don’t straightforwardly answer the questions on their clients’ minds.

Their answers and other communications should focus on:

  • Transparency
  • Compliance oversight
  • Operational capabilities
  • The strictness of the parameters that dictate their process
  • The strength of their people

Asset managers must remind clients why they chose them as their asset manager in the first place. Asset managers must highlight their unique value proposition, and the soundness and stability of their organization.

Finally, what is important to clients now will also be important to future prospects. Asset managers should use social media, their websites and blogs to proactively showcase their brand as well as all the efforts they make to ensure that client assets are protected to the greatest degree possible. Executives not fluent in social media should use whatever their normal means of communicating are – whether it is the phone, email, a whitepaper or a newsletter.

We live in an extremely viral world – which is exactly why this mess has cascaded out of control the way that it has. Asset managers must use this as an opportunity to reassure investors of their integrity and the soundness of their firm’s compliance oversight and investment principles.

Posted in Advisors, General Interest, Investment Managers, Press, Sponsors | No Comments »

Why The JPM Mess Matters: What YOU Need To Do About It

Monday, May 14th, 2012

If you’re in the financial services industry and have or work with clients, you must proactively address the mess at JPM – lack of action will be detrimental to you and your business – guaranteed.

More on this in a minute. Last week was like a bad dream. And a recurring one at that. It makes you shake your head – over and over. The person leading the public fight against more regulation and Dodd-Frank, the bank that made it through the financial meltdown virtually unscathed, just gave its opponents the greatest gift imaginable. Politicians are salivating and the sound bites have been flying.

Among other things, it makes you wonder yet again whether bank CEOs really understand how the markets interact with the financial instruments that they have created. I have a lot of respect for Jamie Dimon – but this one is bad. Really bad.

Importantly, it affects every person in the industry, and not in a positive way. Frustrating is that we are all tainted, because in today’s political environment it’s easier to blame entire groups of people than to pinpoint the real culprits. “Main Street” never got over its hatred of “Wall Street,” and now people are once again asking “Is my money safe?”

If you haven’t already, you must communicate with your clients about what is going on at JPM – it’s not too late, but soon will be, because this controversy is not going away quickly.

My general advice is to 1) explain without defending what happened; 2) reassure that this in and of itself is not an event that will lead to another systematic meltdown; and 3) acknowledge that it has demonstrated weaknesses in the system and the need for some common sense reforms and/or regulations.

And specifically to you and your business 1) reiterate your stated or unstated code of ethics and commitment to client service; 2) remind how you demand and ensure complete transparency and accountability in your business; 3) emphasize how client assets are protected and safeguarded; and 4) make yourself available to answer questions and personally address any client concerns.

This too shall pass – but only if you stay in front of it.

Posted in Advisors, Banks, General Interest, Investment Managers, Sponsors | No Comments »

Do Advisors Still Need A Website? YES!

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Hardly a week goes by that you don’t see an article questioning whether or not advisors need to have a website. This question has become especially prevalent as blogs have grown in popularity. Is a blog enough? My answer is an emphatic no! Blogs are great and I recommend them to those with the discipline to commit to one – but your blog should complement, not replace your website; you still need a high-quality website.

(While I am focusing on Advisor websites, the same general principles hold for other financial services companies as well – investment managers, mutual fund companies, sponsors, etc.)

Most prospects and clients utilize the internet – at the end of the day, not having a website sets off more of a red flag than anything else. In this age of full transparency – let’s not forget Madoff – the last thing you want is for someone to question your legitimacy. For prospects, a good website is a great way to set your credibility before they even meet you. For clients – who are likely to want on-line access to their accounts – why not provide the portal so that they can always see what is new on your site when they sign into their accounts? What a great – and free – way to highlight your latest newsletter for example.

A 2011 survey by Fidelity found that 44% of millionaires looked to the internet when searching for money managers. 75% of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s advisors now have websites as do about 80% of Merrill Lynch advisors. Especially for an independent RIA, how do you explain not having one when so many of your competitors do?

Now, some advisors think that not having a website has a certainty aura and mystery in and of itself. They prefer to have clients give prospects a verbal referral. To me this thinking is outdated. It assumes that the prospect can find you without the internet, which may not be the case. There might be some exceptions – advisors who get all of their clients from one small geographic area for example – but this to me is more the exception than the rule.

Finally, and importantly – your website has to be very good – it has to be both visually appealing and have top-notch content which differentiates you from the competition.

Remember all of those articles I alluded to up front? It drives me crazy when they say that the website can be a simple electronic business card, or that you can do it yourself for around $500. No. No. No. If you are going to have a website – it needs to reflect the same high quality of your entire business. Remember the old saying, if you can’t do it right…..

Posted in Advisors, General Interest, Investment Managers, Sponsors | No Comments »

Can You Articulate Your Value Proposition?

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

This is the title of our latest White Paper, and the title assumes that you have a value proposition. Perhaps it’s better to ask: Do you know why clients choose to work with you over the competition? And if so, can you articulate this competitive advantage and use it as a tool to help you grow your business?

The White Paper will help you answer both questions by outlining what a value proposition is, why they are important, how to create one and how to utilize it in your marketing efforts. Click here to download the full piece.

To highlight, a strong value proposition will help you connect emotionally with people, and people are more likely to do business with people that they can relate to. It will also create a strong point of differentiation between you and the competition, will help you define your target market as a precursor to developing (or redeveloping) your asset gathering strategies and marketing plan, and can help you:

  • Increase the quantity and quality of leads and referrals
  • Gain market share in your targeted markets
  • Enhance your presentation and close more business
  • Improve your operating efficiency
Finally, it’s a great way to jump-start your referral activity. Many clients are probably willing to make introductions for you, but may be reluctant because they don’t know exactly what to say. Arming clients with your value proposition gives them the ammunition and confidence to make a concise yet powerful statement to people that they know.

Posted in Advisors, Banks, General Interest, Investment Managers, Sponsors | No Comments »

Book Review: The Start-up Of YOU

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

The Start-Up Of YOU is a recently released book co-written by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman. It’s well worth reading, not only because it presents an interesting perspective based on the entrepreneurial experiences of the authors, but is also includes a number of practical exercises (called “Invest in Yourself”) which can help you improve your networking and self-improvement skills.

(Of course the book does its share of promoting LinkedIn and other Hoffman ventures (what similar books don’t?), but at the end of the day, after reading the book, LinkedIn will become a more valuable tool to you.)

The book is not a book about looking for a new job, but in essence it recommends that you do things every day that we usually only do when looking for a job. To quote the cover of the book: “Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career.”

Here are some highlights from the book:

  • We should all think like entrepreneurs and create networks that outlive the initial start-up phase
  • Every person is a small business, and should be constantly planning and adapting as businesses do
  • You can’t be complacent. Always think of yourself as being in “beta” – constantly striving to evolve and make yourself better
  • Your personal asset mix is not fixed – you can and should learn new skills

Frankly, the main value of the book to most people will be its chapters (and follow-up exercises) on networking. The book talks about developing both a small inner circle of 8-10 key people – called professional allies – and an outer and larger circle of contacts – which can reach into the hundreds. As in all things, the more you view your networks from a “we” rather than “I” perspective, so that both parties can benefit from the relationship, the more effective your networking efforts will be.

The book concludes this way: “So start tapping into your network. Start investing in skills. Start taking intelligent risks. Start pursuing breakout opportunities. But most of all, start forging your own differentiated career plans; start adapting these rules to your own adaptive life. For life is a permanent beta, the trick is to never start stopping. The start-up is you.”

Let me know if you end of buying the book and agree with my assessment.

Posted in Book Reviews, General Interest | No Comments »

Advisor Opportunities For Growth Abound

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

My posting last week focused on the results of PriceMetrix’s annual report on retail advisors. It included a number of criteria by which advisors can compare themselves to their peers as a way of introspectively evaluating their businesses. (Click here to see that posting.)

To recap the major finding of the PriceMetrix study – 1) advisors are increasingly migrating their books of business from smaller accounts to larger accounts; 2) advisors are increasing the percentage of fee-based accounts in their books; and 3) the average fee on fee-based accounts has been trending slightly downward over the past few years.

The study also outlined a number of opportunities that PriceMetrix feels exist for advisors. I want to take a look at, and give you my thoughts on, each of these opportunities:

1) 30% of the typical advisor’s book of business is comprised of accounts that produce less than $150 in revenue. Opportunity/Action: Review your book of business carefully, and identify accounts that you can transition out. Set a relationship minimum fee, and let this fee guide you. Of course, exceptions will be made, and you will keep certain accounts – but transitioning whatever smaller accounts that you can out of your business will help you leverage your time.

2) New fee-based accounts are being opened at an 11% discount to current relationships. Opportunity/Action: Ask yourself if this is the case with your business as well. Perhaps it’s time that you reviewed your value proposition and the way in which you approach prospects and describe your business. Even though times are tough, clients will pay for premium service and performance. Are you worth a premium?

3) More than 100 basis points separate premium and discount fee pricers.Opportunity/Action: Similar to (2) above, analyze the way in which you conduct business, and determine how you can elevate yourself to be a premium provider if you are not one today (according to the statistics). If you are at the top of the heap – don’t be complacent. Use this as an opportunity to improve what you are doing so that your business does not become vulnerable to the competition.

4) 44% of households have only one account. Opportunity/Action: Review the questions that you typically ask clients about themselves and their families, and review your referral process. If clients are happy with you and the services that you are providing, they should be amenable to moving more assets to you, bringing in related and family accounts and making referring. But you have to ask. And then you have to help them articulate your value proposition.

Opportunities abound for those advisors that evaluate them and act upon them.

Posted in Advisors, General Interest, Sponsors | No Comments »

Advisors – How Do You Compare To Your Peers?

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

PriceMetrix – an industry-leading data aggregator – just released its annual review of the retail wealth management business. The study confirmed some of the trends that have been playing out in the industry for the past few years and offered up some interesting data which advisors can use to see how they match up with their peers.

(One of the reasons that PriceMetrix is highly regarded is the breadth of their surveys – their data represents 3.2 million investors, 500 million transactions, 1 million fee-based accounts, 4 million transactional accounts and over $900 billion in investment assets.)

Some of the general results of the survey include:

  • Advisors and firms significantly moved away from smaller and less productive households to larger and more productive ones. The average number of households per advisor dropped 8% last year while the average revenue per household increased 7%. (Smaller households are defined as having less than $250,000 in investible assets.)
  • Overall, the industry percentage of smaller households decreased from 71% to 65%. And the percentage of larger households (defined as having more than $1,000,000 in investible assets) increased 12% and now represents 57% of all new assets added.
  • The trend toward fee-based accounts continued, with the number of fee-based account per advisor increasing 10% on average in 2011. Fee-based revenue, as a percentage of total revenue rose 10%.
  • The average return on assets declined slightly to 1.19% (it was 1.23% in 2009). The average new account had a ROA of 1.06%, confirming that the trend is to price new accounts lower than existing accounts.

None of these trends are surprising. Many advisors understand that it is much easier to service a smaller book of larger clients. The trend toward fee-based accounts has also been in place for a number of years. Somewhat disturbing, however, is the trend toward lower ROA. Even though we are in tough economic times, advisors who are able to articulate their value-added should not have to discount their fees to be competitive.

Take a look at your business and see how you compare to the average advisors in the study in the following four metrics:

  • Number of households – 177
  • Average household revenue – $3,174
  • Percentage of households with more than one account – 56.2%
  • Average household revenue of households with more than one account – $4,525

So advisors, what are the implications of this report? If nothing else, look at your book of business and see if you are using your time and resources efficiently. Are you providing the best client service? Are you operating efficiently? Are you being paid adequately for your time? Are you pricing your accounts correctly?

The goal here is not to see if you are “average.” But rather to see if there are ways that you can use these statistics to make improvements to your business model.

Posted in Advisors, General Interest, Sponsors | No Comments »

Bank Of America Still Doesn’t Get It

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

The seemingly endless discussion of whether advisors at Merrill Lynch are benefiting from their marriage with Bank of America continues; the most recent war of words was sparked by Merrill Chief John Thiel, who defended the partnership after his predecessor made disparaging comments on the subject upon leaving the firm.

Bottom line? Band of America just doesn’t get it. Ever heard the expression perception is reality? Well, in this case the perception has been – and will likelihood continue to be – that the negatives of this relationship outweigh the positives – certainly from the perspective of many advisors who have always been loathe to be told what to sell.

This mentality among advisors is unlikely to change – so why fight it? I’m not saying that Merrill Lynch should stop trying to help advisors cross-sell so that they can deepen their client relationships. And I’m not saying that Merrill clients won’t benefit from the broad range of banking services that Bank of America offers. But management – why do you have to be so vocal about it? A little defensive, maybe? Why not just do what you are doing and allow advisors to utilize the services that they want when they want? If you build it they may come; if you force feed it they will not.

Advisors prize their independence, and the sanctity of the client relationship to many advisors is based on proving unbiased advise and services at all times. That’s not to say that many won’t use Bank of America banking products – they will if they feel that a particular offering is in their clients best interest and that the actions of the bank won’t cost them their client relationship. Anyone remember the $5 debit fee fiasco a few months ago?

The latest evidence of Merrill’s continued misreading of the situation was a Fundfire ( A Financial Times Service) survey last week. 41% of respondents (many presumably Merrill advisors) said that while the acquisition was good for the bank, it has not been good for the brokerage or advisors. This was the most popular answer. The second most popular answer, given by 30% or respondents, was the even more negative choice that the merger has proved bad for both parties, and is a bad fit with no lasting benefits. And just this week, Investment News reported that over the past three months, seven of the ten largest advisors moving firms left Merrill for greener pastures.

Hey John Thiel – stop talking about the benefits and let nature take its course. You can’t win this one in the press – win it quietly!

Posted in Advisors, Banks, General Interest, Sponsors | No Comments »

A Growing Threat To Financial Advisors

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

The E*Trade baby commercials might not be so funny after I tell you about the latest comments from Cerulli Associates on the growing threat of direct providers such as Fidelity, Schwab, E*Trade and other similar firms.

The offerings of these firms in areas such as asset allocation, managed accounts programs and access to financial planners are today, according to Cerulli, “robust enough to mimic traditional financial advisor models.” Cerulli believes that the most at-risk clients are those with between $100,000 and $ 2 million to invest, which seems reasonable to me.

Many advisors might not want a lot of clients at the lower end of this range, but I bet most would not want to believe that their $2 million client relationships are at risk. Now, while a segment of those that go direct probably includes people that don’t want to ever pay a fee, and thus don’t represent a threat to many advisors – don’t get too comfortable yet.

Another Cerulli reports points out a scary dichotomy – while only 20% of advisors think that their clients have other advisors and/or direct accounts, 75% of clients surveyed said that they owned direct accounts. According to Cerulli, “Clients think of their direct accounts as a place to try their own investing ideas or as an emergency fund, which is segregated from their main pool of assets.”

This last point may be a saving grace for many advisors. However, given that I have reported before in other stories that many wealthy clients have more than one advisor, and given the fact that many clients do not seem to be forthcoming in admitting these relationships, advisors would be wise to focus more on this threat than they would be to rest easy.

My recommendation is to view direct providers as as large of a threat as other competitors and to make sure to continually point out to clients your competitive advantages vis-a-vis them, as you do everyone else. Ask the question of whether they have such accounts; offer to add these accounts into your performance analyses (as you hopefully do for all of their outside accounts); demonstrate to them why your fee is more than justified and you deserve to be their “Alpha” advisor.

Your brand should be able to set you apart, as should your client experience. But take the threat seriously so that you can still laugh at those commercials!

Posted in Advisors, General Interest, Sponsors | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »