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The SEC Reg-BI guidance for Small Businesses

Two things have become more worrying during my Reg-BI research. First, the CRS Form is not cheap to build. Each advisor may well spend an average of 23.77 hours and over $6,000 to build the form.But, the second, more worrying realization is that small firms are not as prepared as larger firms. As a Deloitte survey study found, small financial services businesses lag behind larger firms in their efforts to become compliant with Regulation best-interest.

Understanding the E-Mail Validation feature in Larkspur Executive Pro

Yon Perullo

27 May 2020

Understanding the E-Mail Validation feature in Larkspur Executive Pro

When we released the CTML (Customizable Trackable Marketing Letters) in Larkspur Executive, we realized that one criteria, above all others, would be paramount to our client’s success in utilizing this new feature: Our ability to deliver high quality email addresses with low bounce rates. The first task is obtaining emails. This process has evolved over time, and currently our emails come from 3 primary sources: We purchase emails from external vendors Our engineers developed a proprietary algorithm to actively find new email address for plans We have a data team that will do their best to find email addresses at our client’s request But having emails is not the same...

Yon Perullo

27 May 2020

Successful Marketing with LE Pro/Platinum

The Basics – For Everyone Not for everyone – But very helpful, even in parts The End One of the most common requests we receive from clients is to share some best practices for using our Larkspur Executive Pro and Platinum products. This blog post will delve into some of the details of what makes a successful campaign and will hopefully provide you with some new ideas to make your marketing even better. The Basics – For Everyone The following tips should really be part of every single campaign. Without incorporating these tips, you are really not giving yourself the best chance to succeed. Use a signature: Obvious, right? But...

ESG Remains Resilient During The Pandemic Crisis

Colin Ward

22 May 2020

ESG Remains Resilient During The Pandemic Crisis

ESG Commitment Keeping up with Traditional Investing Shifting from “E” to “S” Is it still ESG if it’s all Tech? Wait and See on ESG Don’t let headlines direct clients The accurate measure of an investment is not just how well it performs relative to its benchmark. The COVID-19 shutdown is the first stress test for a large portion of the sustainable investing market because many investment vehicles did not exist before the 2007-08 financial recession. How are they fairing compared to traditional investments? What elements of ESG Investing can be misleading to investors? Yon and I have written about ESG Investing before on this blog, but this is a...

Colin Ward

20 May 2020

IRA and Rollover Considerations

Reg-BI IRA and Rollover Considerations BDs and RIAs must keep a record of: Less than 2 months to the compliance deadline! Unfortunately, newly unemployed people may be considering rollovers from their company’s 401 (k) to an IRA. During the 2008-09 financial crisis, almost 1 in 5 employers pulled back their matching contributions to 401 (k) plans. The Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, announced his expectation that the economy will not make a full recovery until the end of 2021. Other experts predict that the current recession will be worse and many companies already cut back on their employee retirement packages. There are numerous policy and regulatory changes to how a rollover...