Back to School, Back to Value: How Advisors Can Reinforce Their Worth

John Anderson

Back to School, Back to Value: How Advisors Can Reinforce Their Worth

Even though my kids are older now (one’s a senior in high school and the other’s a sophomore in college), the “back to school” season still resonates with me. Over the years, I’ve often used it as an analogy for advisor and client education. To me, it’s the perfect time to shake off the laid-back summer vibe—complete with vacationing clients and staff—and motivate all of us to finish the year strong.

Also, let’s not forget planning for 2025 should already be on the horizon. So, now that the yellow buses are back, the days are getting shorter, and there’s a crispness in the air, how about a little “back to school” thinking for the fourth quarter (and beyond)?

What Clients Truly Value: Insights from Morningstar

Last week, Morningstar released a new study on what investors value most from financial advisors. If you’re serious about your business (and I know you are), this report is worth your attention.

No surprise here: the top two things investors want were bucketed into “advice I can rely on” and “help me achieve my financial goals.” In other words, personalization is key to how clients perceive value. It’s not just about the service you offer; it’s how the client sees it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—clients don’t care about the S&P. They care about their goals. Sending their kids to college, and retiring on time—that’s what matters. Yet most content I see from financial firms—blogs, articles, podcasts—tends to be market-driven and impersonal. Does that really reinforce your value? Newsflash: it rarely does.

Proactive Personalized Advice = Engagement

To truly reinforce your value, consider what my good friend Philipp Hecker often says: “Lead with advice.” Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to deliver personalized, scalable advice through technology or by simply mining your CRM for data. Let me share a couple of simple, real-life examples that came up this week:

  • My younger son turns 18 next month (gasp!). While I’ve been through this before with his older brother, turning 18 brings a whole new set of planning activities. Think power of attorney, registering to vote, and selective service. Proactively sharing advice on age-based events demonstrates that “advice I can rely on.” And pairing it with tools like online wills and estate planning tech makes it actionable for clients.  What if you looked through your CRM and found every parent or grandparent with a kid turning 18 in the next 6 months? 
  • With October 15th right around the corner, most taxpayers will soon have their annual returns filed. I haven’t found one person who thinks they pay just the right amount of taxes to the IRS.   What if you offered the top 10% of your clients a free 1040 review to proactively look for ways to save them money next year? Better yet why not extend this to the next 10–15% of your client list? If you’re not comfortable with 1040 reviews yourself, consider partnering with a CPA or leveraging tech that generates white-label reports for you, your client, and their CPA to review together. Saving on taxes sounds a lot like “helping me achieve my financial goals,” doesn’t it?

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Newsletters, blogs, and podcasts might be interesting, but they’re often too impersonal. If you’re serious about reinforcing your value, it must be personalized to each client.

A Back-to-School Mindset for Advisors

For me, back-to-school time means new ideas, learning, and setting up fresh routines. As advisors, we can apply the same mentality to engage clients: meet them where they perceive value. As you move into the fourth quarter and gear up to close out the year, let’s embrace a little back-to-school spirit. After all, there’s always something new to learn.

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  • How to Handle Clients’ Election Anxiety: A Guide for Financial Advisors

    Election seasons are often a time of heightened uncertainty for many investors, and financial advisors frequently find themselves on the front lines, addressing client concerns. Whether it’s a presidential election or midterm races, clients are often worried about how the outcomes might affect their portfolios and the economy at large. While these concerns are valid, it’s important for advisors to guide clients through these periods of anxiety with a steady, informed approach.
    Here are five strategies to help calm your clients’ election-related fears and keep them focused on their long-term goals.
    1. Emphasize Long-Term Investing
    Clients often fixate on short-term market volatility during election years, fearing that political outcomes will drastically affect their investments. However, research shows that market performance is rarely tied to the results of an election. As an advisor, your role is to remind clients that their portfolios are designed for the long term, and any temporary swings in the market are unlikely to derail their overall financial goals(FA Mag).
    Encouraging clients to focus on their financial plan and reminding them that markets have historically weathered political changes can help ease their anxiety. Provide examples of past market performance during election years, emphasizing that markets tend to stabilize over time, regardless of political shifts.
    2. Prepare for the Worst, but Plan for the Best
    While it’s true that elections can introduce uncertainty, it’s essential to avoid a reactionary approach. Instead, help clients plan for a range of possible scenarios without making drastic changes to their investment strategy. For instance, rather than selling off stocks in anticipation of a market downturn, encourage them to stick to their long-term asset allocation(FA Mag).
    Building a plan that includes both potential risks and opportunities can give clients confidence. Offer them stress-testing scenarios, showing how their portfolios might perform under various market conditions. This approach can demonstrate that their investment plan is resilient enough to withstand potential volatility.
    3. Maintain Frequent Communication
    Clear, consistent communication is crucial during periods of heightened anxiety. Proactively reach out to clients with updates on how the election might impact the economy and markets. Provide them with balanced, data-driven insights rather than feeding into media-driven fears(Wealth Management).
    Regularly scheduled check-ins—via email, phone calls, or virtual meetings—can reassure clients that you’re keeping a close eye on the situation and that there’s no need for rash decisions. Even a quick update on the markets or sharing an article about historical market performance during elections can help clients feel more in control.
    4. Focus on What You Can Control
    As much as elections bring uncertainty, there are many factors that both you and your clients can control. Encourage clients to focus on elements within their control, such as their savings rate, spending habits, and asset allocation. Remind them that while political outcomes are unpredictable, their ability to stay disciplined and follow their financial plan remains within their hands(Wealth Management).
    By shifting the conversation from uncontrollable external events to personal financial habits, clients can regain a sense of empowerment. This also prevents them from making impulsive decisions based on election results or market reactions.
    5. Highlight Historical Resilience
    History provides ample evidence that financial markets are resilient in the face of political changes. Over the past century, markets have survived wars, recessions, and numerous elections with vastly different political outcomes. In most cases, the economy and markets recover, and those who remain invested tend to benefit from long-term growth(ThinkAdvisor).
    Share historical data with clients to illustrate how markets have performed during previous election cycles. This can offer a helpful perspective, calming nerves and reinforcing the idea that short-term volatility is part of the investing journey.
    Conclusion: Stay the Course
    For financial advisors, election seasons can be an opportunity to demonstrate the value of a sound financial plan and steady guidance. While it’s natural for clients to feel nervous about the potential impacts of political outcomes, your role is to keep them focused on their long-term goals, grounded in facts, and committed to their investment strategy.
    By emphasizing long-term thinking, maintaining regular communication, and highlighting market resilience, you can help clients navigate the election cycle with confidence. In times of uncertainty, staying the course is often the best strategy.
    In the end, elections come and go, but a well-thought-out financial plan is built to last.