Knowledge is power, and the basis of all knowledge is having the right data. Datapoints (or, data points, if you like) are the smallest form of data. Think of them like information atoms. Alone, they’re seemingly small and insignificant. But when you combine them, you can discover trends, uncover essential information, and better understand the world around you. These minuscule particles of information can be essential to learning about others and ourselves. Here’s what …
A well-designed financial plan can help clients achieve more than just financial goals. We talked with Michael Palazzolo, founder of Fintentional®, about how his firm helps clients achieve life goals in the context of financial planning. Michael is a former software engineer who started his transition to financial planning in 2007 and became a Certified Financial Planner™ certificant in 2010. Michael and his wife Amy also hosted Your Money or Your Life study groups …
As the full impact of COVID-19 continues to unveil itself in the financial services industry, many advisors we are hearing from have begun to plan for a long-term remote practice. If you are contemplating a similar shift for the future, it is important to understand the limitations of the methods you used in the past to get to know prospects. Two of these methods, (a) judgment based on direct interaction and (b) forms with …
Last week, DataPoints and our Building Wealth test were featured in Michael Kitces’ Nerd’s Eye View blog. The review covered the history of DataPoints’ research (going back to The Millionaire Next Door), and how results can be used with prospective and current clients. Read the full article here. Learn more about our library of client discovery tools here. …
Family/marital issues, health issues, grief, religion: just a few of the non-financial topics that advisors work through with their clients. A few years ago, a large-scale study of advisors yielded a wealth of information on the evolving role of financial advisors as coaches (Dubofsky & Sussman, 2009). The research, which included approximately 1,400 advisors associated with either the FPA or CFP board, highlighted the topics, challenges, and critical incidents faced by advisors related to non-financial …