The start of a new year can be an invigorating time for many professionals; the team is rested and recharged, new goals are set to be achieved, new practices may be underway, and then there is the loom of busyness to come. The beginning of the year can also bring a host of challenges both expected and unexpected, including times within your firm that will require an “all hands on deck” approach to make sure that the clients have what they need with the best service possible. 

There are several busy seasons in a financial planning firm usually at the beginning of the year up to the tax filing deadline in April, then again in August through Thanksgiving in November. While some firms can be busy during the summer it isn't as common since most clients are taking vacations with their families, spending time with kids while home from school, shuffling children to various activities during that period, and meeting with their planners isn't as high of a priority.  

Here are three ways to be proactive during busy seasons in a financial planning firm: 

• Beginning of the Year: The beginning of the year is filled with lots of goals, changes, and continued tasks from the year before. Your proactive assistance could look like helping clients that may be small business owners get their new year started off right with strategic/goal planning, consulting, and reviewing prior year financials to ensure all retirement plan contributions are made by the appropriate deadline. For other clients, it’s a great time to revisit annual spending goals, increasing contributions to retirement plans to coincide with limit increases. 
• Tax Season: Ask senior advisors or specified tax professionals where their bottlenecks are that you may be able to assist them with. Proactively research tax laws or pain points that commonly occur with the demographic of clients that your firm typically handles, or more specifically for clients that you anticipate assisting in any part of the tax process. Whether your firm is filing returns in-house or completing reviews for your existing clients, there will be opportunities for you to fill in gaps and learn a lot from the process this year and beyond. 
• End of the Year: The end of the year can often feel like a race to the finish as you work to wrap up logistics for the fiscal year, and prepare for the new year. Your assistance here could look like asking how you can help calculate RMDs, volunteering to move money to fund charitable giving, and helping clients make employee benefit selections.

The client always comes first, so it is important to keep them at the forefront of your efforts to be proactive in assisting with the firm’s processes and procedures. It is just as essential to remember the well-being and flow of the team as they can be altered during surge periods.

It could be taken a step further by initiating small team activities or games that will keep the team spirits up while also bringing them together. Keep in mind what would be permissible within your workplace and team, but it could look like setting up March Madness brackets, 5 minutes of morning yoga on Mondays, setting up a “trashketball” hoop in the break room, or opening the morning meeting with a Corniest Joke competition. These activities can help to integrate brain breaks and maintain principles of collaboration and creativity.

The main takeaway is that you are thinking ahead about what busier times within your firm could entail and how you can play a pivotal role in approaching them with fervor rather than with apprehension. This will make all the difference in how seamlessly things will run, the attitude and approach of the team, and opportunities to continue taking initiative and being a team player that your clients and teammates are excited to have around, especially when things are busy.

If you are entering the financial planning profession or seeking the perfect fit with a top-tier financial planning firm, submit your resume here or peruse our openings for entry-level planners. We are here to help you in any way we can so you can secure your dream job!

 

Jayla Blakemore