The New Year offers us a special opportunity to reflect on where we are in our lives and show our appreciation to others.
So does February.
The winter holidays were bustling days filled with shopping, travelling, entertaining and more.
Now that they've passed, you can play an important role in maintaining your clients' health, prosperity and happiness throughout the year — and throughout the rest of their years.
Here are three simple suggestions that I offer my advisors.
1. Keep an open door.
The New Year was hectic for many as we juggled our budgets with our wish lists and our daily routines with the frenetic pace of travel and family visits. Many of your clients were searching for answers and advice online.
Now that the wrapping paper has been discarded and the rush is past, nothing reinforces the importance of your unique relationship with them like an open door.
An email can serve as an invitation for clients to stop by your office with financial questions- big or small- that may have arisen during the holiday season.
You might also consider giving them a few pointers on a postcard to make it through the winter with their priorities (a.k.a. what's really important in their lives) intact.
2. Spark family conversation.
Now that you'll be inviting clients to touch base with you, take it one step further and invite them to bring their grown children, aging parents or other close family members who might be visiting.
While many Americans shy away from discussing finances (or things that could impact their finances) with their family, an astounding 80 percent will eventually provide some form of long-term care to a loved one. (AgeWave, Our Family, Our Future, October 2010).
