Advisor for Life: Become the Indispensable Financial Advisor to Affluent Families (Hardcover)

Practical advice for succeeding in the wealth management arena

In a world where all true advisors are selling advice, how do the best distinguish themselves? By providing advice most prized by affluent households–advice for living financially successful and fulfilling lives. Going far beyond everyday investment issues, Advisor for Life is about delivering personalized information to help clients reach their most important financial goals. And unlike other books, which outline product–based advice, Advisor for Life begins by proposing the question: What does the client hope to accomplish and what products and services can best help them achieve those objectives? Author Stephen Gresham has extensive experience as a wealth management advisor and industry visionary, and now, he wants to share those experiences with professionals looking to excel in this arena. Informative and engaging, Advisor for Life offers practical advice for surviving and thriving in one of today’s most competitive industries.

Stephen D. Gresham (Hartford, CT and New York, NY) is Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Markets for Phoenix Investment Partners, Ltd., a $42 billion asset–management division of The Phoenix Companies.

Advisor for Life can help you do this and much more. Going far beyond everyday investment issues—such as setting a client′s investment goals, selecting complementary investments, and monitoring portfolio balance—this practical guide will help you truly understand your clients′ needs and develop a personalized plan that will allow them to live financially secure and fulfilling lives.

Industry visionary Steve Gresham has extensive experience in the world of wealth management, and with Advisor for Life, he wants to share those experiences with you. Within these pages, Gresham not only shows you what it takes to run a financial advisory practice geared towards affluent families, but he also reveals how an "advisor for life" should properly protect, motivate, and educate clients over the course of the relationship.

Divided into four comprehensive sections, Advisor for Life opens with a detailed discussion of the opportunities available within the industry, and then moves on to outline the essential elements of wealth management. Topics covered include:

• Developing a compelling investment philosophy and establishing an effective process that will guide the investment decisions you make for your clients

• Managing a client′s fears and dreams when dealing with new wealth, retirement expectations, and the impact of taxation

• Helping affluent families pass wealth on to their heirs by sorting through the emotions that often entangle spouses, adult children, and aging parents

• Conveying your expertise, experience, and value proposition to existing clients, affluent prospects, and critical referral sources

• Creating a framework to optimize the value of a financial advisory practice

• And much more

Delivering a consistently superior level of service to an affluent client base is the only way to survive and thrive in today′s competitive financial advisory business. Filled with in–depth insights, informative examples, and engaging case studies, Advisor for Life will show you the best ways to successfully serve today′s most affluent clients.