Page 30 - Investment Advisor - September 2023

succession resource Group laborative, collective impact development.
Succession Resource Group has amassed a Within the last year, the college launched two initiatives:
huge database of industry M&A deal data Know Yourself, Grow Your Wealth, a financial empowerment and
through its partnership with all the major industry lenders, and is e-learning experience intended to narrow the wealth gap, and the
providing the data to advisors through semiannual public releases Black Executive Leadership Program. The college also rolled out
in January and July. Its goal is to help all advisors put the value of a new Thought Leadership Series that delivers bite-sized learning
their business on their personal balance sheet, to understand that with the applied financial knowledge, insights and answers advi-
their business has value and to plan for their eventual retirement. sors need to respond to their clients at the moment they need them.
SRG’s M&A Data Release & Insights reached its largest audience
to date through the initial release on the firm’s 2022 webcast and Fintech/tAMP Platforms
subsequent presentations to large independent firms.
Advisor360°
Continuing education organizations/Foundations Advisor360° designed its Connected
Wealth Report to measure how technology has enabled advisors
Financial Planning Association (FPA) to conduct business, grow their customer base and serve clients in
In April 2023, the Financial Planning the digital world. The firm commissioned independent research
Association and the “Journal of Financial firm Coleman-Parkes to query 300 financial advisors and execu-
Planning” launched the “JFP Research Quarterly,” a print publica- tives from a wide range of broker-dealers, RIAs and bank trust
tion that delivers the peer-reviewed research of JFP to members that companies to get their perspective on the role that technology
they need to build their financial planning competencies and con- plays in their business around building relationships with new
tinue to serve their clients as highly skilled and ethical professionals. clients and boosting advisor productivity.
In the past 12 months, the Journal has published research on Three themes emerged from the research: Subpar technology is
the needs of today’s planners and clients, including the psychol- costing advisors business, especially from younger clients who want
ogy of estate planning for clients in blended families, the role of seamless online engagement. Advisors seek to stay connected with
financial planners in serving Black business owners and how tax clients, so many view technology as an extension of their practice. And
rate uncertainty affects decisions to invest in Roth or traditional advisors need workflow improvements to be more productive — their
accounts. The Journal’s Next Generation Planner section narrows biggest gripe about their existing platforms is the lack of automation.
its focus to the needs of young planners and career changers to
help them build financial planning skills, develop as professionals Advisor engine
and better understand the financial planning profession. Advisor Engine doesn’t think all inspiration
comes from a screen. With that in mind, the
schwab Charitable firm launched Action! Magazine, a print pub-
Schwab Charitable rolled out Stories of lication (also available in digital format) with written and video
Impact, a national awareness campaign content as a new resource for wealth management practitioners.
focused on a series of videos that feature advisors and donors and Action! covers five content pillars, which the firm developed by poll-
their meaningful stories of charitable impact. The campaign’s goal is to ing U.S. wealth management professionals to determine the topics
highlight how strategic giving can help increase clients’ giving power. most relevant to high-performing firms: operational effectiveness,
This video-first campaign is promoted across a variety of media relationship management, revenue growth, investment excellence,
channels such as print, paid placements, podcasts, connected TV, and culture and strategy. To ensure that the magazine represents a
website articles, social media and Schwab’s internal channels to variety of perspectives, Action! features contributions from a cross-
demonstrate the power of advisor and client relationships as well section of the financial advisor industry, including practitioners, con-
as the impact they have created for their communities and the sultants, M&A advisors, solutions providers and industry observers.
world around them.
CAIs
the American College of Financial services CAIS offers its industry learning platform, CAIS
The American College of Financial Services, a IQ, at no cost to financial advisors in order to close
nonprofit educational institution devoted to finan- the alternative asset allocation gap for the wealth
cial services, offers nine professional designation management community through expanded edu-
programs, two graduate degree programs, con- cation around complex alternative products and strategies. It
tinuing and noncredit education, and several consumer e-learning equips advisors with the necessary resources to grow their busi-
programs. Its eight mission-focused Centers of Excellence serve nesses, comply with CFA Continuing Education mandates and
to increase the financial security of all Americans by delivering ultimately access the growth and protection benefits of alternative
critical research, innovative programming, scholarships, and col- assets for healthier and more stable financial futures.

28 Investment AdvIsor September 2023 | thinkAdvisor.com