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Category Archive for 'investment'

While meeting with a client the other day the conversation turned to their growth plans. The client softly explained that their growth plans were pretty conservative considering the economy and how much their board of directors enjoyed their dividend checks. We both chuckled knowing that growth needs to be funded by profit and would cut [...]

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Frontline associates are often the most frequent point of human contact provided by an organization. I’m talking about folks like the teller at your bank and the undergrad working the alumni association telethon. They’re the tip of the spear, yet they are also among the least empowered in the organization. Their roles are viewed as [...]

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The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an unprecedented tragedy. The extent of damage to the ecosystem, economy and lives of countless people is staggering. But it has also been enlightening. Our always on connectivity, social networks and the instantaneous spread of news by citizen journalists has shown this crisis to be [...]

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The previous post on SPURspectives opened a conversation about three ways to repair the current economic downturn proposing greater cooperation, improved social norms and shared values between the financial services sector and their clients. Granted, this is a very high altitude look at a broad idea. But I think it is important to have a [...]

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To say that the recession has had a negative impact on retirement savings is a serious understatement. Rather than debate the legality, morality or responsibility to shareholders and other arguments related to the cause of the problem, I would like to open a conversation about how to fix the destruction. A lot of people are [...]

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The implosion of Wall Street has seen a dramatic and steady exodus of investors and their funds over the last two years. While Wall Street pays the price for pushing the envelope too far, independent financial advisors all across the country are beginning to experience a very different result. This is proving to be the [...]

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I need your input to help solve a thorny problem.
A friend of a friend has built a successful business. His organization has an excellent territory sales force that required a sizable investment to create. It is an extremely valuable asset.
The problem: A new salesperson is suddenly having tremendous success selling through social media channels. Social [...]

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whippoorwill I was on a Boy Scout camping trip and had just gone to bed. The quiet stillness was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a whippoorwill overhead. What began as a charming trill welcoming me to the great outdoors soon degenerated into a grating annoyance. This bird would not shut up. It went on [...]

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Social media is just making its way to the financial services sector. A recent research report by American Century Investments found only 14% of financial advisory firms reporting that social media is producing tangible value for their firms. That’s pretty damning evidence until you see that only 19% reported using social media daily or more [...]

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Yesterday’s SPURspectives post talked about sowing the seeds for the future of your business so that you’re moving in a positive direction as the economy picks up. One way to do that is to look at your crop of existing employees and the crop of resumes crossing your desk. If you’ve been doing a good [...]

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