Posts by Rebecca Lake, CEPF®
Compliance & Legal
Does CCO Outsourcing Make Sense for Your RIA?
Starting a registered investment advisor (RIA) firm or growing an existing one means having a chief compliance officer (CCO) on board to ensure that your business satisfies regulatory requirements. The question is, should you hire in-house or outsource the role to a third-party? According to Schwab’s 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study, 83% of advisors outsource compliance… read more…
Compliance & Legal
Relying Adviser: Characteristics, Requirements, Examples
Registering an investment advisory firm with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a complex process that requires, among other things, the filing of Form ADV. Umbrella registration may be an option for entities that qualify for relying adviser status. A relying adviser is eligible to register with the SEC, but has another adviser handle… read more…
Client Acquisition
Reputation Management Strategies for Financial Advisors
A good reputation can help attract new clients to your advisory firm, as well as retain the ones you have. A 2025 Wealthtender study of households earning more than $100,000 found that 83% of respondents took time to research an advisor’s reputation, taking into consideration online reviews and awards1. This highlights just how important online… read more…
Firm Management
How to Prepare Clients for Retirement as a Financial Advisor
For many clients, retirement is a goal that can feel far away, until one day, it’s right around the corner. Preparing clients for retirement means addressing their financial concerns, as well as their mental and emotional readiness. How you approach your planning and preparation strategy depends on how close (or far away) your clients are… read more…
Firm Management
5 Ways Financial Advisors Can Maintain Work/Life Balance
Work-life balance can often feel elusive for financial advisors. Your working hours are split between client meetings, business development and the back-office tasks necessary to keep your firm running. It may become all too easy to slip into a pattern of taking work home with you or sacrificing weekends to complete any unfinished tasks. Maintaining… read more…
Firm Management
How Does the Outsourced CIO (OCIO) Model Work for RIAs?
Outsourcing allows advisors to delegate operational tasks and, in some cases, certain organizational roles. For example, RIAs may opt to handle investment management with the help of an OCIO, or Outsourced Chief Investment Officer. Examining the benefits of an outsourced CIO for RIAs, as well as the potential drawbacks, can help advisory firms determine if… read more…
Firm Management
5 Platforms to Find a Financial Planning Business for Sale
Acquiring an existing business is one avenue to growth, but it can also meet other needs for your advisory firm. Over the past five years, 41% of registered investment advisors have engaged in mergers and acquisitions, according to Schwab’s 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study1. If you’re interested in finding a financial planning business for sale, several… read more…
Firm Management
Retirement Planning Software Options for Financial Advisors
Technology can help you run your business more efficiently and produce better results for your clients. A majority of advisors, 84%, use financial planning software to better serve their clients, according to the T3 Inside Information 2025 Software Survey1. And only 19% of advisors use software that’s exclusively focused on retirement distribution planning. But retirement… read more…
Firm Management
AI Lead Gen Tools and Software for Financial Advisors
Lead generation plays a vital role in growing your practice, and you can employ a variety of techniques to attract new clients to your business, such as artificial intelligence (AI). AI could help you to streamline your lead gen efforts so they’re more efficient and generate better results. Comparing lead gen AI tools based on… read more…
Firm Management
AI Lead Gen Best Practices for Financial Advisors
More advisors are exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence for lead generation to scale their businesses. Tech companies are rising to the challenge to deliver user-friendly, results-driven tools that offer advisors a streamlined way to connect with high-intent leads. Developing some AI best practices for lead gen can help ensure that you’re using these tools… read more…
Compliance & Legal
Cross Border Compliance: Guidelines for Advisory Firms
With 21% of Americans interested in moving to a new country, becoming an expat financial advisor could open up new opportunities to scale1. Advising clients who live and work abroad raises new concerns surrounding compliance, however. In addition to observing U.S. regulatory guidelines, you must also navigate international regulations for advisor conduct. Familiarizing yourself with… read more…
Client Acquisition
Financial Planning Sales Strategies for Advisors and Planners
If you want to grow your practice, building a high-converting sales funnel is a skill that’s worth developing. Developing sales systems can help you attract more clients who fit your ideal buyer persona and increase conversion rates. The challenge lies in determining which financial planning sales strategies are most effective for your business and the… read more…
Compliance & Legal
Text Message and SMS Compliance Rules for Financial Advisors
Your clients value transparent communication. So in addition to phone calls and emails, you may rely on text messages to stay connected. While test messages are a quick and convenient way to check in with clients, it’s important to tread carefully to avoid compliance violations. Developing a text messaging compliance strategy can help you avoid… read more…
Firm Management
The Importance of Succession Planning as a Financial Advisor
Succession planning is something you may assist your clients with, but consider how much thought you’ve given to the future of your own business. When it comes to succession planning for financial advisors, there are numerous benefits, yet roughly one-third of advisors lack a formal exit strategy. Early planning can make for a smoother transition… read more…
Firm Management
4 Succession Solutions for Financial Advisors
Even though you may be focused on growing your practice, you’ll eventually need to think about how you want to handle your eventual exit. This is where succession planning consultants come in. They can help you develop a strategic plan for transitioning your business to someone else, with the goal of making the process as… read more…
Firm Management
When Should Advisors Start Succession and Exit Planning?
Building a thriving advisory firm is a significant accomplishment, but what happens to the business, and your clients, when you’re ready to move on? A comprehensive succession plan can help answer those questions. In regards to when financial advisors should start succession planning, the short answer is as soon as possible. But the longer answer… read more…
Firm Management
How Much Outsourcing Paraplanning Fees Costs
If you’d like to free up more time to spend with your clients, you might consider outsourcing some of your daily tasks to a paraplanner. Paraplanners can work alongside advisors to help lighten their workload. But what’s a fair price to pay for this type of service? Researching outsourced paraplanning fees can give you an… read more…
Compliance & Legal
Cybersecurity Compliance Solutions for Financial Advisory Firms
The SEC’s cybersecurity rule has created new compliance requirements for registered investment advisors (RIAs). Those requirements include the development of a written cybersecurity plan and the timely reporting of data breaches or other cybersecurity incidents, should they occur. Working with a cybersecurity compliance solution provider can help make navigating these requirements less stressful. SmartAsset’s Advisor… read more…
Firm Management
What to Know About Outsourcing Paraplanning Services
Developing financial plans lies at the core of what you do, but a busy schedule may have you looking for help with this task. That’s where paraplanners come in. Paraplanners can complete certain tasks in the planning process so that advisors can spend more time with their clients. Some advisors choose to hire in-house staff… read more…
Firm Management
AI Agent Services That Can Revolutionize Client Operations
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a game-changer for financial advisors who want to run their businesses more efficiently, and without neglecting the client experience. One of the latest innovations involves the use of AI agents to handle client-facing tasks that aren’t necessarily reliant on human interaction. Luckily, there are several platforms that can help financial advisors… read more…
Compliance & Legal
Navigating the SEC ESG Disclosure Requirements
Advising on ESG strategies is one way to expand your niche and attract new clients. After all, environmental, social and governance factors may be top of mind for clients who prefer an investment approach that reflects their values. And SEC ESG disclosure requirements specify what information companies are required to share about how climate-related risks… read more…
Compliance & Legal
How to Use AI Tools and Keep Client Data Safe
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its presence felt across multiple industries, including the financial services space. While AI is unlikely to completely replace advisors, more financial professionals are using this technology in running their businesses. If you count yourself among them, or plan to, it’s important to consider establishing security standards for AI tools when… read more…
Firm Management
7 Tips for Financial Advisors to Avoid Burning Out
Financial services is a demanding industry, and managing the day-to-day can be stressful, to say the least. When you’re constantly in motion, working both in your business and on it, taking care of yourself may be the last item on your to-do list. Before you know it, you’re staring down a case of financial advisor… read more…
Industry Trends
Integrating ESG Investing Into Advisory Portfolios
ESG investing incorporates environmental, social and governance factors into investment decisions. And while it’s something investors seem interested in, most aren’t implementing it in their own portfolios. A 2025 Gallup poll found that 48% of investors said they’d be interested in purchasing ESG investments, but only 10% are currently invested in sustainable funds1. Developing an… read more…
Marketing
4 Financial Advisor LinkedIn Summary Examples
LinkedIn is primarily a networking and social media platform, but it also has potential as a marketing tool for advisors. A well-organized profile can elevate your brand image and help you attract ideal clients who may be browsing the platform for an advisor to work with. Your summary or About section is one of the… read more…