Welcome to our News Round-Up! Here, we’ll share with you interesting news in interesting ways, giving you a snapshot of a few of the important news headlines and events you may have missed this past week.
September 27, 2014
Quote of the Week:
- “Sometimes in life you’re going to start slow … but you’re always, always going to finish fast … all it takes is an attitude!” Said Apollos Hester, the mega-motivated Texas high school running back, after a big win this past weekend. Hester’s memorable post-game speech on his belief that attitude really is everything, has gone viral and is sure to inspire you to never give up, or at very least, put a big smile across your face.
On Your Practice:
- I’m the cream of the crop. I rise to the top. Want to be a million-dollar producer? It takes a certain type of individual, according to the author of this article in Financial Planning. Skill and investment knowledge, of course are prerequisites, but perhaps equally important are traits such as confidence, drive, competitiveness, work ethic/time management, and charisma. Learn how these qualities have helped the industry’s most successful advisors get to the top (and jump, jump, jump, jump around).
On the Industry:
- #Besties … As an advisor, you probably share your intricate knowledge of personal finance and investment management with your besties … alright, so maybe you’d never use the word bestie … like ever. Regardless, DailyFinance.com compiled a list of 14 tips planners share with their closest friends, including using pre-paid gift cards for small costs that add up quickly, and practicing living on one income for six months before a spouse exits the workforce. Check them out, and be sure to share these golden tips (along with any others) with your besties and your clients. (alright, we’ll stop saying besties now. Promise.)
On Technology:
- Keeping up with the Joneses … Messages on the importance of incorporating technology into your business are more prevalent than ever. If you haven’t invested in wealth management software yet, the train is pulling away. That doesn’t mean you buy the first shiny product you see that has all the bells and whistles. Understanding technology’s role in deepening adviser-client relationships is the first step to jumping on board. Also look for technology that positions itself to support you, integrates with any additional tools you use and gives you the freedom to work with clients and grow your business. We’re no exception here at eMoney, with big changes coming later this year.
On the Economy:
- If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it … Said the late John D. Rockefeller. As world leaders met in New York this past week to discuss climate change (among other things), members of his family and heirs to his Standard Oil fortune announced that they plan to rid its $860 million Rockefeller Brothers Fund of investments in companies trading in nonrenewable energy. Jumping on the fossil-fuel divestment bandwagon, the Rockefellers—like many large personal investors, institutions and universities—see both moral and economic risks for companies that are not positioned to respond to new regulations or technologies as a result of the climate change issue.
On the World:
- Not even Bollywood could come up with a story like this. Getting a spacecraft into orbit around Mars is impressive enough. But doing it on a shoestring budget? That’s downright amazing. This week, the Indian Space Research Organization’s spacecraft, nicknamed MOM, reached Mars on the organization’s first try – and all for almost $600 million less than the cost of NASA’s current Mars mission. As if the journey couldn’t be more impressive, consider that India is the first Asian nation to reach the red planet and is the only nation to successfully reach Mars on their first try. Not bad for a mission that cost less than the filming of the Academy-Award winning epic, Gravity, is it?
