Life Would Be Easy If It Weren’t For Other People
By Connie Podesta with Vicki Sanderson,
Sage Publications, 194 Pages

At one time or another, all of us have had to deal with difficult people. The real question then becomes, “How did we deal (or not deal) with them?” In their book, “Life Would Be Easy if it Weren’t for Other People,” Connie Podesta and Vicki Sanderson take readers on an enlightening tour of the four types of communication behavior: assertive, aggressive, passive and passive-aggressive. As the characteristics of each behavioral type are revealed, readers are sure recognize people in their lives who fit each description. These characteristics are crucial to understand when working with prospects and clients.
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After many years of both quantitative and qualitative research with wealthy families, Catherine S. McBreen and George H. Walper Jr., principals at Spectrem Group, identified the factors that can help advisors create “perpetual wealth” for their clients. Their new book, Get Rich, Stay Rich, Pass It On: The Wealth-Accumulation Secrets of America’s Richest Families, outlines this strategy in a way that is easy for advisors to use as a tool to position themselves as a holistic wealth advisor for their clients. (more…)

Breakthrough Business Development: A 90-Day Plan to Build Your Client Base and Take Your Business to the Next Level
AUTHORS: Duncan MacPherson & David Miller
PUBLISHER: John Wiley & Sons, 2007
COVER PRICE: $24.95

In Breakthrough Business Development, authors and industry coaches Duncan MacPherson and David Miller share a story about a client who was making tons of money, had 900-plus clients and was quickly on the way to building his dream: a colossal business. (more…)

“The Million Dollar Financial Services Practice” is an easy read. It is principally geared towards individuals starting their own practice, or veterans struggling with marketing issues. The book focuses on providing clear and methodical processes for defining and implementing proven marketing tactics for financial practices to use as a guideline. (more…)

Dick Davis is one of the foremost investment newsletter veterans. He founded the Dick Davis Digest in 1982 and built its circulation to over 35,000 subscribers. Davis was one of the pioneers of stock market reporting on television and radio, and wrote a popular stock market column syndicated to over 100 newspapers for over ten years. Davis has personally known many of the most successful money managers in the world. (more…)

BOOK: The Path to Million-Dollar Production

AUTHOR: Patti Branco Insight Publishing 2007

The Path to Million-Dollar Production spells out in vivid detail what a financial advisor needs to do to make it in this highly competitive business. Loaded with best practice ideas, this book is a must read for new or struggling brokers as well as any seasoned pro looking to move to the next level. (more…)

BOOK: The Ultimate Gift

AUTHOR: Jim Stovall 9th Edition,
Executive Books, 2006

Help Clients Discuss Wealth, Privilege and Responsibility
Getting clients to open up about their estate planning issues is
a challenge even for the most sensitive of financial advisors. Not a touchy feely type? Well, you’re probably sweating about this stuff frequently. (more…)

Renowned estate planning attorney Sally Mulhern knows her trusts and tax law. She could fill volumes discussing charitable lead and remainder trusts, QTIPs and ILIDs, –as well as EGTRRA – The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. But in Estate Planning to Die For, written for financial professionals, Mulhern explains that investment advisors don’t have to be acronym geeks to successfully navigate the waters of estate planning. She also argues the most important trust is that which exists between clients and members of their estate planning teams. (more…)

Think you’ve got reasonable excuses for not meeting your production goals? Bad markets. Bad leads. Bad branch office. Bad health. Bad time of year. Or the classic underachiever’s mantra, “I’ve already got enough clients. I can get by.” Think again. In Top Gun Prospecting for Financial Professionals, D. Scott Kimball dismisses any rationale for failure or mediocrity. (more…)

In a society where the average person has a greater life expectancy than ever before, the baby boomer generation currently finds itself faced with an unprecedented crisis: that of caring for their aging parents. It is a reality that neither parent nor child ever wishes to face, but one that they must nevertheless come to accept. (more…)