Looking for Speakers?

Is your organization looking for speakers on topics related to teams, working with high-net-worth (HNW) clients, client behavior or retirement? Here are just a few of the topics that Investments & Wealth Institute CEO Sean Walters, CAE and Chief Learning Officer Devin Ekberg can deliver to your audience:

Team Talent – Elevating the Client Experience through Specialization—Talent Development is a holistic approach to optimizing human capital, which enables an organization to drive short- and long-term results by building culture, engagement, capability, and capacity through integrated talent acquisition, development, and deployment processes that are aligned to business goals. Even small firms and teams can execute a talent development strategy to develop their employees, and bridge needed skills gaps, so that capabilities match client service needs, or firm strategic priorities—like better serving niche client segments. A new Investments & Wealth Institute study conducted by Cerulli Associates highlights how specialized team or firm capabilities lead to stronger practices—practices with higher revenue per advisor, more client assets, and more satisfied advisors. Sean Walters has served financial advisors for nearly 25 years at three professional associations and has tracked trends and research surrounding advisors for as many years. He is currently volunteer chair of the Association for Talent Development Certification Institute.

HNW Client Research: What Makes an Exceptional Advisor Stand Out?—Learn how to stand out in the crowded, and highly competitive marketplace for HNW clients, and learn how to better communicate your ethics and expertise to clients. Letters, fees and fiduciary are not enough to differentiate you and your services to HNW clients. According to a new Investments & Wealth Institute study with AbsoluteEngagement.com of more than 1,000 North American advisory-clients, there are six key differentiators between good advisors and Exceptional Advisors—defined as advisors with clients who are loyal, satisfied, AND willing to refer. Sean Walters has served financial advisors for nearly 25 years at three professional associations and has tracked trends and research surrounding advisors for as many years.

Improving Client (and Advisor) Behavior—Multiple research studies suggest that advisors can improve HNW clients' financial outcomes in many ways, but particularly through behavioral coaching. By aligning their services to what clients need and value, advisors can add significant value to the process that can never be commoditized away. In this session, learn practical ways to use behavioral finance to produce better outcomes for your client—and yourself.     

What High-Net-Worth Clients Need and Value—Recent research has revealed new insights into high-net-worth (HNW) clients’ needs and preferences, which include advanced private wealth strategies. In addition to investment advice, an advisor can add significant value to their clients that own businesses, engage in charitable giving, and have significant estate planning needs. In this session, learn how to differentiate yourself by developing competency in private wealth management and aligning your services with your HNW clients’ needs.

Diversifying with Private Investments—Due to high demand, the world of private investments is more accessible than ever to individuals, particularly your HNW and UHNW clients. As portfolios become more sophisticated, understanding the opportunities, accessibility, and risks associated with private investments will differentiate you from your peers. Stay on top of the trends, new investment structures like interval funds and auction funds, and due diligence that’s necessary to implement these strategies effectively.

The Optimal Shape of Retirement Planning—As retirement research has evolved over the decades, so to have the optimal retirement strategies and the entire retirement planning process itself. Each strategy tends to come with its own "shape", and as a result, unique recommendations.  In this session, learn an academic framework for designing a custom retirement strategy for your clients' situations, and highly practical ways to implement it.

A Clinical Approach to Retirement Risk Management—Retirement clients view risk differently than other clients. Mitigating risks in retirement, and effectively communicating solutions, is a key component of adding value to your clients. Learn a unique framework inspired by a clinical risk management approach and developed from a client’s perspective.  This framework improves the quality of risk management by identifying the circumstances that put retirees at risk of harm, and then acting to prevent or control those risks.  

The Household Balance Sheet as the Center of a Retirement Plan—The Household Balance Sheet™ is a concept developed from the RMA curriculum that produces a unique record of a clients’ household assets and liabilities, including hard-to-quantify elements like human and social capital. The perspective gained from the methodology helps advisors understand the custom approach needed for each client to successfully navigate retirement, and helps clients understand and commit to a retirement plan with confidence.  

Looking for a specific topic?—Presentations spanning the bodies of knowledge of CIMA, CPWA, and RMA are available upon request.