Making Excuses

If you haven’t registered already, why haven’t you? Too busy? Not necessary? Let me take a moment to remind you why neither of those concerns should apply.

Last year, our conference began on Monday, September 15—a day, one speaker remarked at the time, “that will live in market infamy.” The news that Merrill Lynch was purchased by Bank of America (this in the same week that saw the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rescue, the bankruptcy filing of Lehman Brothers, and the $85 billion in support provided to American International Group) continues to be in the news—most recently as Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson testified to Congress about how the deal actually transpired.

Now, I can’t promise a similar cataclysm to accompany this year’s conference but, for advisers, the repercussions of last year’s tumult continue to be felt, as advisers try to figure out what a change in status for your broker/dealer means for your business, or how changes in other broker/dealers might affect how you might want to structure your practice going forward. Those issues are discussed in our cover story this month, “Mastering Your Business Game,” as advisers like you, affected by various market events, talk about why they made business model changes—and those from the home office share their thoughts of how they will help advisers navigate the current market—many of whom also will be speaking about that topic at our conference.

It is unquestionable that this year has changed every adviser’s business, and it is easy to make excuses and blame someone else for why things might not be going according to your business plan. However, although the natural instinct when things get tough may be to hunker down, successful retirement plan advisers cannot afford to hide out. This is an opportunity to grow, to show leadership in times of adversity, to learn, and then share that information with your clients and prospects. Now that the crisis seems past, come join us at a conference that forces you to confront those changes and reflect about how you will succeed in spite of the world around you.

Yes, in light of the financial situation over the last year, you do need to see your clients more and have to “get to work.” However, you can stay ahead of your competition and be proactive about improving your practice, not just hanging in with the status quo. By taking a few short days to learn from industry experts and your peers in the advisory space, you will gain information that can both enhance and expand your practice, and give you something tangible to take back to your clients.

The sessions take the information that we cover in these pages all year long, and in the issue in your hands—all aspects of a retirement plan adviser’s business including client and plan service (such as in “The Standard” and “The Young and Restless”), investments (“Searching for Clarity”), and regulatory activity (“Lemonade Stand”), fees, sales, and practice management—and put faces with those topics. Instead of just reading about it, take advantage of a unique opportunity to ask your questions about those topics, and learn from colleagues. In addition to our general sessions at the event, we have about two dozen workshops, each moderated by advisers at the top of their game, and willing to share those insights with you.

Attendees each year have commented that the conference was a “must attend” and “one of the most important conferences I’ve ever attended.” We know your time is valuable—come spend it wisely—it will be worth your while.