5-21-2013 FAN Newsletter

1. FAN members affected by OK tornadoes         3. Best Practices Corner

2. FAN 1-Minute Video Series                  4. Special FAN Member Benefit

 

1. FAN Members Affected by Oklahoma Tornadoes

FAN has at least a dozen members living or working in the area devastated by the yesterday's tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area.  Our thoughts and hopes go out to them and everyone else in that area.  

These tornadoes is a sad reminder of the need to have contingency plans for our advisory businesses and with our loved ones.  

  + Backed up information on the cloud or at a far away site 

  + Arrangements for the forwarding of phone lines, even if to another advisor's office again, at a far away site

  + Arrangements with family members to meet at a predetermined location, with a secondary location if a disaster strikes. 

  + Offer digital document copying and cloud-based storage for clients 

 

2. FAN's 1-Minute Video Series   

Here are the links for one of our weekly series of videos, all focusing on how advisors present themselves:

FAN - Advisor Dangers of Social Media
FAN - "Listener" as an advisor's brand
FAN - Advisor Business through Leadership
FAN - The Office Advisors Keep
FAN - Advisors are What They Wear

3. Best Practices Corner - Member Discussions

Our discussion board  always has great conversations related to advisor best practices ideas.  Each newsletter, will expand on one of these discussions.

Think Like a Digital CFP - Part 1 - One of our members posted a great article on how to grow their advisory business faster, by better using technology and social media to obtain and service their clients.  I like how this article gives you some great ideas, instead of just being conceptual. 
 To Think...Like a Digital CFP - Part 1.

 4. Special FAN Member Benefit

Free White Paper: The Enduring Case for High Yield Bonds

Researched and written by TIAA-CREF, to answer the question, "are high-yield bonds worth the additional risk at today's high prices and record-low yields?"  Link for free white paper

This white paper has interesting analysis and conclusions about how high-yield bonds can provide attractive risk-adjusted returns and help diversify risk in fixed income portfolios. Some of their conclusions about a long-term allocation to high yield through changing markets:

 • Higher income that drives long-term returns, potentially outweighing bond price fluctuations

 • Lower sensitivity to rising interest rates than Treasuries and high-grade bonds

 • Enhanced diversification to help manage portfolio risk, based on low correlations to Treasury and high-grade bonds

 (Many FAN members don't know that TIAA-CREF has mutual funds for clients of financial advisors.)

(Commentary about the above white paper is by FAN and not TIAA-CREF)