Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (July 18–19)
Enjoy the current edition of “Weekend Reading for Financial Planners” – this week’s edition begins with the following news Charles Schwab’s annual RIA benchmarking study Companies continue to post strong overall growth in AUM (17%) and revenue (13.2%), with a 97% customer retention rate. That said, results vary across firms (especially when it comes to organic growth net market appreciation and acquisitions), with RIAs having a written marketing plan, a good client persona, and a client value proposition gaining 87% more new clients and 127% more new client assets by 2025 than other firms. This suggests that considering the various factors that differentiate high-growth RIAs, as well as how (and if) they can adapt to their own practices, can help firms maintain client and AUM growth in future bull and bear markets.
Also in industry news this week:
- RIA M&A activity continues to accelerate. By the first half of 2026, though, a survey suggests there may be a wide gap in buyers’ and sellers’ expectations.
- A study suggests that there may be Opening for financial advisors who provide tax planning Services related to real estate transactions to build mutually beneficial relationships with real estate professionals (and possibly receive additional referrals in the process);
From there, we have several articles reviewing the new Trump accounts:
- how The final dollar value of an individual Trump account It can vary widely depending on the contributions made in childhood and withdrawals made in adulthood.
- how Tax treatment of Trump accounts Compared to other tax benefits
- Why are some customers interested in building savings for their children? I prefer to invest in taxable custodial accounts. Instead of Trump Accounts
We also have several articles on generating referrals:
- How to help clients understand who their advisor will best serve and How to introduce a friend or family member They can be a particularly effective way to generate more customer referrals.
- Five ways consultants can build a scalable client referral ‘flywheel’From providing clients with jargon-free language to describe who the consultant works with, to creating a process that provides value to both clients and the individuals they refer.
- A step-by-step approach to how consultants can Build a strategic COI referral partnership program
We conclude with three final articles on intergenerational relationships:
- How individuals can grow when their caregiving responsibilities are lost and when they are Members of the “open sandwich” generation
- While Bringing an older child back to their parents It can provide financial benefits, managing privacy and other implications of this arrangement will be very important
- why? Different lifespans and “periods of health” Family members across generations suggest that individuals may prioritize certain activities and goals rather than putting them off for the future.
Enjoy ‘light’ reading!
