Practice Management

Advisers share their favorite providers

Pension reforms pose opportunities, threats for advisers

Recent studies indicate that more than half of participants spend at least some of their retirement savings well before that date.

While there has been a lot of talk the past year about the need to boost participation and deferrals, we don't seem to be making much progress.

The good news is that retirees appear to be quite content with their existing adviser relationships — all the more reason for advisers to establish those connections prior to retirement, according to a new report.

More than 13.6 million employees in small, micro-businesses lack an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan today, a Fidelity news release said — a result that may well be the result of reluctance on the part of the owners of those businesses to embrace the concept.

A study released recently by Fidelity Investments says that 69% of small businesses review their 401(k) plan at least once a year and about a quarter (26%) of small business owners will look for a new 401(k) plan provider within the year.

It is almost never a good idea to waste time pursuing clients who will not be a good fit for your business, even if they do appear to represent incremental revenue. Sooner or later, they are likely to be a distraction at best from providing your best service to your key customer base.