When you decide to become an independent advisor, there are numerous issues you must settle. For example, you have to decide which services you will offer and how you will price them. The real challenge is to find a way to separate yourself from every other advisor offering the same services. Most will offer portfolio management and some offer financial planning. Then there are those who offer both.
You may think you have a superior asset management skill, and perhaps you do possess some unique alpha-adding ideas, but in the end, it's the client who must understand and appreciate your value-added proposition. I've heard from both old and new practitioners who firmly believe that an advisor cannot add much in portfolio management beyond the indexes. There are others who believe they add significant value here. The point I'm trying to make is this: Whether you actually add value here or not, how do you communicate your uniqueness to the client in a way that makes them want to work with you?
Are you the type of advisor who swings for the fences looking for the next Apple or do you build portfolios to reduce risk through diversification? I tell clients that if they work with me, they shouldn't expect to hit a home run. I also tell them that I am the guy that will make sure their portfolio won't blow up!
