Financial Advisors Need To Do These 5 Things To Make Their Websites More Credible
5 Things Financial Advisors Need To Do To Make Their Website More Credible (Nerd's Eye View)
It's becoming increasingly important for advisors to have an online presence to add to their legitimacy. In a guest post for Nerd's Eye View Maria Marsala a strategist for financial advisors points 14 key ways for advisors to make their website more credible. We highlighted five key suggestions.
1. "Purchase an appropriate domain name." 2. "Make it quick. …Most visitors will not have the patience to stick around much longer than that and will simply move on." 3. "Secure purchases and interactions. The best sites provide the most secure access available to sensitive client information." 4. "Don't clutter the site. Use lots of white space to "break up" the text. It's easier on the eyes that way. The only place to NOT use lots of white space is at the top of your pages." 5. "Include a personal touch. Studies have shown that after viewing a home page, the next page people read - and spend a lot of time on - is your "About" page."
A Newly Oil-Rich Rancher Is Shown The Importance Of Diversity (The Wall Street Journal)
A rancher became incredibly wealthy three years ago after oil and natural gas were found below his property. But he pumped his money intro annuities after he was sold "safety above all else," according to Ed Hart of Texas-based Sendero Wealth Management. But Hart told the Wall Street Journal that it was important for his client to diversify.
"He also walked the client through the annuity fees, including stiff withdrawal penalties that started at 7% in the first year," Austin Kilham of the WSJ reports. "Seeing the full scope of those fees made an impression on the flinty rancher, who was used to keeping a tight rein on his expenses."
HOWARD MARKS: There Is One Thing I Want To Know When I Look At An Investment (Bloomberg TV)
Investors closely follow Howard Marks, money manager at Oaktree Capital the world's largest distressed debt investor, for investment advice. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Marks said there is one thing in investment that he'd like to know about.
"It does all come down to confidence and optimism. If I could know one thing in looking at investment, I'd like to know how much confidence is in the price. I want to buy when confidence is low that's when price is low relative to value, when confidence and optimist high, price is high relative to value and that's a dangerous time."
The World's 50 Largest Asset Managers Account For Over $38 Trillion In Assets Under Management (Think Advisor)
The world's 50 largest asset managers accounted for over $38 trillion in assets under management (AUM) at the end of 2012, according to Cerulli Associates. That's $4 trillion more than the end of 2011. Eleven have assets over $1 trillion, compared with nine in 2011, and four have over $2 trillion, compared with two the previous year. The asset management industry has seen consolidation for some time but "there has definitely been a quickening of pace since the financial crisis," Shiv Taneja of Cerulli told Think Advisor. BlackRock is still the only money manager with over $3 trillion in assets.