Tides are shifting in the world of financial advice, especially in advisor-client dynamic. During a record bull market, advisors were the investment experts that would deliver the retirement that their clients demanded. But if the last year in the market has shown us anything, it’s that advisors need to be more for their clients than simply portfolio managers.
Dimensional’s Global Investor and Global Advisor studies bear that out. In fact, results from those studies reveal how top quartile RIA firms stand out by emphasizing offerings that bottom quartile firms do not. What difference has it made for these firms? Dimensional found that they are growing faster, driving more revenue and landing bigger clients. Coincidence? I think not.
Roughly half of adults over the age 55 say their biggest financial fear is not having enough money saved for retirement. Add in inflation, market volatility and low interest rates, and that’s enough for any investor to have serious cause for concern. Those at or near retirement don’t have time on their side.
Enter Constance. Last October, RetireOne, an independent distribution platform for fee-based life insurance products, introduced Constance - a zero-commission, flat-fee annuity built to enable financial advisors to integrate life insurance into client portfolios. With Constance, RIAs give their clients a lifetime income guarantee without cannibalizing their assets under management. By unbundling the insurance component from its underlying investments, advisors can wrap client brokerage accounts, IRAs, or Roth IRAs with lifetime income protection.
My guests today are RetireOne’s president, Ed Mercier, and Dimensional Fund Advisors’ head of retirement distribution, Tim Kohn, on the show to discuss their recent announcement and the trends facing advisors who work with clients approaching or entering retirement.
Jim Combs, CEO of National Advisors Trust Company, says that his work in the RIA channel over the last 20 years has taught him three important lessons. And his firm’s growth – from an advisor network of 1,500 two years ago to over 55,000 today – has been remarkable.
