Prologue from Nick...

The entirety of it is an attempt at a more or less comprehensive library for today’s wealth manager. The need for this has seemed to me increasingly urgent.

It’s my perception that our world is changing so rapidly and in so many ways that we risk losing contact with the ultimate truth of financial advisory. Which is, of course, that nothing ever really changes. That the great cycle of human behavior, as it’s acted out ceaselessly in the capital markets, is immutable.

As never before in my experience, we are inundated by newness – and at an accelerating pace. Our clients are beset by multiplying stimuli the net effect of which is to erase perspective. Such that, after empathy, perspective becomes the most valuable aspect of our value proposition.  

I’ve always believed that one of the more glorious aspects of our calling is the opportunity for lifelong learning. I hope you’ll find this library a significant contribution to your effort in that direction.

For families caring for individuals with special needs, the questions can be daunting.

Among the 53 million Americans providing unpaid care for loved ones, 62% of them feel overwhelmed by financial stress. A significant contributor to that stress: lack of planning. Only 15% created a caregiving plan ahead of time. And even among those who did make a plan, only three in ten included financial needs beyond caregiving, and just over two in ten included legal documents like wills and powers of attorney.

Offering special needs planning is one way to help distinguish your services to clients and prospects, says Stephen Norton, a chartered special needs consultant (ChSNC). The father of a son diagnosed with autism at a young age, Norton has an interest in this type of planning that is personal, not just professional.

He offers three pointers to help advisors bring special needs planning into their practices.

• Docusign ($300/yr). We have a 20% discount for the first year, making it $240. This is the only service that every one of our AdvisorFirst reps uses, but it isn't mandatory.
• LaserApp. It's $35/month but as soon as you submit 10 apps via LaserApp IP will reimburse you what you've already paid and pay for it going forward, making it essentially free. Our team actually doesn't use this as we've found using DocuSign with templates works better (we have over 50 templates!).
• Redtail and Salesforce CRM Integrations. 
• Moneyguide Pro, EMoney and Fiancé Logix approved planning software platforms.
• Broadridge - Forefield. FINRA reviewed articles, illustrations and tables, interactive calculators, 50 topical movies, 200 FINRA-reviewed presentations, newsletters, professional websites and more.
• Yodlee and ByAllAccunts data aggregation software.
• Turnkey compliant marketing materials and lead generation systems.
• Presentations, calculators, spreadsheets, tools etc are all online.
• We use iPipeline for life insurance apps, which is all-digital and all carriers are in one place.
• And many, many more, and they are very open to other services you may be interested in.