If you do not have some type of virtual work/work-from-home policy, you are at a disadvantage when recruiting for new talent today. In practice, advisory firms that have ‘always’ run in-person do often struggle to convert to a fully remote working environment, but it isn’t necessarily a need to allow 100% virtual work (unless the firm wants to); allowing even just some work-from-home (e.g., 2 out of 5 days per week) can still have positive impact for the team, while still largely conforming to ...
Pitfalls of Striving to Be the “Cool” Boss
After the Second World War, many of the American military members returned home and entered the workforce managing and implementing work cultures that were similar to their military experience and training. Every generation that is further removed from this “Greatest Generation” has slowly moved away from the traditional model of rigid, authoritarian leadership in favor of a more relaxed, and approachable style. This shift can foster a more comfortable and open work environment, but it also ...
Career Satisfaction Research Survey: Part 5
Last month in part four of our research survey series, we looked at how new planners felt about their compensation, and what increase would be required for them to feel fairly compensated. This month, in our final installment of the 2024 Career Satisfaction survey series, we look at how next-generation planners view equity ownership, whether they seek it, when along the career path they expect it, and how they expect to acquire it. Equity Ownership Desire and Timelines One of the ...
Career Satisfaction Research Survey: Part 4
Last month in part three of our research survey series, we looked at what activities new planners cited as top priorities when seeking a new firm to join, and what employee benefits were most requested and valued, plus what they specified as the benefit that is most likely to retain them for the long term. This month we look at how next-generation advisors feel about their compensation, and what type of adjustments would be required to feel fairly compensated (if they’re not ...
Career Satisfaction Research Survey: Part 3
Last month in part two of our research survey series, we looked at what activities new planners cited as most fulfilling, what their expectations for promotion to lead planner were, and their view of management’s commitment to their career development. This month, we will look at the factors that job seekers prioritize when looking for a new career opportunity in the first place, the most requested and valued employee benefits, and factors that drive retention of the next generation of financial ...
Career Satisfaction Research Survey: Part 2
Last month, we introduced our research study exploring why new financial planners enter the profession and what career path they seek when starting out. This month, we will look at the activities that they cited as the most fulfilling, what their expectations are for promotion to a lead planner role, and their view of management’s commitment to their career development. When we asked new planners what were the most fulfilling activities they did each day, Gen Y (Millennials) cited Meeting ...
Career Satisfaction Research Survey: Part 1
Earlier this year we surveyed 665 Generation Y planners and 275 Generation Z planners to get their thoughts on their career satisfaction, and what drives that satisfaction (and from the firm’s perspective, their retention!). In this anonymous survey, we hoped to gain additional insight into what we see anecdotally each day as we interview job seekers for financial planning roles across the country about what they’re really looking for that will make them “stick” with the job and firm they’re ...
How to Reduce Your Hiring Headaches Part 2
In last month’s article, we shared some of our thoughts on the 2024 labor market and hiring outlook plus a few tips on how to avoid certain frustrations when hiring new talent for your firm. This month we will conclude our two-part series with three more tips to consider when hiring. Headache #3 - ‘I can't find anyone who is good enough for my firm’ Potential headache hack - Double-check your description to make sure your expectations aren't too high. I have firm owners all the ...
How to Reduce Your Hiring Headaches Part 1
Congratulations on making it through another year and holiday season! It’s that time of year again to start planning out and making your 2024 hires. Good news is that the job market has shifted a bit more in favor of hiring firms in terms of candidate supply and movement versus the last few years. Yay, finally! We can look to the government data released this month to see that based on The December jobs report the number of jobs added was better than expected which would seem contradictory, ...
Set Yourself Up for Success in 2024: Setting Goals
The start of the new year is the perfect time to set goals to build momentum in your firm. Creating goals as a team allows you to have all of your team members on the same page as to what should be accomplished. Setting goals can be difficult as you have to walk the line between too easy of goals that you stifle yourself, and those too out of reach that it hurts team morale. As you work towards walking that line, here are some tips for setting goals for 2024. Collaboration in Goal ...
How to Show Gratitude to your Team
When was the last time you told your team that you truly appreciate them? It may come naturally for you to do so in terms of your clients, such as sending end of year thank you letters to go out to all of your clients expressing how grateful you are for them and how you wouldn’t have the business you have if it weren’t for them, etc. What about expressing the same level of gratitude for your team members? As we approach the end of the year and reflect back on what our firms have accomplished ...
When is it Time to Promote?
For growing firms, the end of a year is a time to reflect on goals and challenges from the previous year. It can also be a great time to promote people on your team who are performing exceptionally, so they can start the new year off in the right position and mindset.This month, we will look at how to identify candidates due for promotion. Here are three signs to look for:They are already taking it to the next level.This one is straightforward and can easily be evaluated by comparing what your ...