35 Ideas for Your Financial Advisor Seminars

Making genuine connections with prospects is key when it comes to converting them into clients. Email and social media offer numerous opportunities to engage, and you can build on that foundation with an in-depth seminar. Hosting in-person or virtual events is a chance to take a deeper dive into a topic that speaks to prospective clients’ needs, while also showcasing your expertise and personality. The better you understand your ideal clients, the easier it becomes to brainstorm financial seminar ideas.

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35 Financial Advisor Seminar Ideas to Attract Clients

For a financial seminar to be a success, it needs to be compelling, and give prospects a reason to reach out to you afterward to continue the conversation. If you need some inspiration, here are 35 financial advisor seminar ideas in seven different topic areas that you can consider.

Topic #1: New Year’s or End of Year Financial Planning

The first quarter is when many people come out swinging, setting big financial goals they want to reach. Meanwhile, the fourth quarter is when they start scrambling to check off all the financial tasks they forgot to tackle earlier in the year. Hosting seminars on beginning and end-of-year planning can help prospects understand what they need to do to start, and finish, the year strong.

You can approach this topic from as broad or as narrow of a perspective as you’d like, personalizing it to suit your ideal client base. Here are some ideas you might focus your seminar around:

Setting Quarterly Financial Planning Goals: A Realistic Approach
New Year’s Financial Audit: Where Are You Starting From?
Year-End Tax Planning Checklist for Families
Charitable Donations: What You Need to Know Before December 31st
401(k) Year In Review: Have You Maxed Out Your Retirement Plan Yet?

You could also focus on timely topics, such as updates to the tax code that are set to take effect at the beginning of the year or expire at the end of it. (And don’t forget to set a few New Year’s goals of your own to grow your firm.)

Topic #2: College Funding 101

If your ideal clients are parents or individuals who plan to start a family, college may be something they’ll need to include in their financial planning life cycle. Hosting a college planning seminar can help them feel more prepared about what to expect when it’s time for their child to head off to school.

Here are a few ideas you might consider:

FAFSA Updates: What Parents and Students Should Know
How to Maximize Your Student’s Financial Aid Package
529 Plan vs. Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA): Which Is Better?
Federal vs. Private Student Loans: Know the Differences
Using a Roth IRA to Pay for College: Pros and Cons

You may also consider topics that are education-related, but not necessarily college-focused. For example, if your clients are saving in a 529 plan, you might host a seminar discussing alternative uses of those funds for private secondary school or student loans.

Topic #3: Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is always a hot topic for financial seminars, but consider how you can put a unique spin on it and tailor it to your ideal client audience.

Here are some ideas you could try:

Are You FIRE-Ready? (Yes, You Can Retire Early)
Retire Rich: What Does It Mean to You?
Retirement Planning for Physicians: How to Build Wealth as You Build Your Practice
How to (Realistically) Retire Abroad Without Draining Your Nest Egg
Claiming Social Security Benefits: How Do You Know When the Time Is Right?

You could dive into more specialized topics if your target audience justifies doing so. For example, if your clients are small business owners, you could offer a seminar on succession planning, which may be integral to their retirement plans.

Topic #4: Estate Planning

Many clients are reluctant to discuss estate planning, but it’s a necessary part of the financial planning conversation. Similar to retirement planning, there are numerous directions you can go in with estate planning topics, depending on your clients’ needs.

Some examples of seminar ideas you might offer:

Will vs. Trust: Which One Do You Need?
How to Choose an Executor (or Trustee)
Long-Term Care Planning: Are Your Assets at Risk?
Building Wealth With Cash Value Life Insurance
Supplementing Retirement Savings With Annuities: What You Should Know

Tap into your centers of influence, if possible, to promote your seminar. For instance, if you have some estate planning attorneys in your network that you’ve referred clients to in the past, you might ask them to spread the word about the seminar if it’s appropriate to do so.

Topic #5: Tax Planning

Taxes can drain away clients’ wealth unless they’re taking advantage of tax-efficient planning strategies. If you’re hoping to attract more clients with tax-related needs to your practice, consider some of these ideas for your next seminar:

Asset Location vs. Allocation: Why It Matters
Utilizing Trusts to Minimize Tax Liability for Future Generations
Tax Planning Strategies for Rental Property Owners
Self-Employment and the IRS: A Tax Planning Guide for Entrepreneurs
Tax Loss Harvesting and Your Portfolio

You could try a mix of timely and evergreen tax planning topics to capture prospects’ interest. If you’re going for timely topics or tax events that have a specific deadline, consider how far ahead you need to plan your seminar.

Topic #6: Insurance Planning

Insurance is something many prospective clients may need, but don’t fully understand. Dedicating a seminar to insurance planning is a chance to help them connect the dots.

Here are some potential seminar ideas:

Annuity Basics: From Choosing a Provider to Making Withdrawals
Using Hybrid Life Insurance to Plan for Long-Term Care Needs
Life Insurance for Children: Is It Necessary?
Surrendering a Life Insurance Policy: What You Should Know
Who Needs Life Insurance? (And Why)

Hosting seminars on these topics can help you get more life insurance leads, without buying them or relying on referrals.

Topic #7: Caring for Aging Parents

The sandwich generation refers to people who are caught between raising children and caring for aging parents, both of which can strain them financially. If your target client base is middle-aged, with kids who are still in school and parents who are retired, they may be looking for help on how to navigate competing goals and needs.

Consider a seminar that covers any of the following:

Medicaid Planning: A Primer for Those With Aging Parents
Understanding the Impact of Caregiving on Your Retirement Plan
Financial Goal Setting for the Sandwich Generation
Save for College or Plan for Retirement? How to Balance Both
How to Plan Now for a Future Inheritance

Keep in mind that people who find themselves in this type of situation may be strained not just financially, but mentally and emotionally, as well. A caring, empathetic approach can help you create a seminar that has a substantial impact.

Bottom Line

An advisor sitting down with new clients.

If you’re not tapping into the possibilities of seminars yet, consider where they fit into your overall marketing plan. Seminar marketing can help you reach the right prospects and open the door to a lasting relationship.

Tips for Growing Your Advisory Business

A comprehensive marketing plan is fundamental if you want to acquire new clients. Along with seminars, you may rely on email newsletters, social media and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase your brand’s visibility. Partnering with an advisor marketing platform like SmartAsset AMP can elevate your brand even further and help you connect with right-fit leads. SmartAsset AMP (Advisor Marketing Platform) is a holistic marketing service financial advisors can use for client lead generation and automated marketing. Sign up for a free demo to explore how SmartAsset AMP can help you expand your practice’s marketing operation. Get started today.
If you’re offering multiple seminars, your customer relationship management (CRM) platform may offer tools to help you stay organized. With Redtail CRM, for example, you can add seminars, create automated workflows and view your seminar timeline at a glance. If you’re looking for a new CRM, consider whether seminar marketing tools are included in the platform’s features.