The
Investment Management Consultants Association prides itself on the educational
rigor of its conferences, such as the current IMCA national conference in
Boston, featuring economists and statisticians and academics who take deep
dives into sometimes arcane subjects, with attendees happily going along for
the ride.
So what to make of the fact that the highest rated speaker at
IMCA’s 2013 annual conference was Amy Florian, the CEO of Chicago-based
Corgenius? Rather than discussing asset allocation or inverted yield curves,
Florian talks about death and dying, about dementia and Alzheimer’s. If you’ve
heard Florian speak, you wouldn’t be surprised at her high ratings, even though
she speaks directly, sometimes toughly but always with a leavening pinch of humor,
about topics that too many of us would prefer to avoid.
Her words and suggestions are valuable to advisors in helping
clients and their families deal with emotionally fraught, legally murky and
potentially money-draining issues around aging clients. Beyond providing tips
on the legal, emotional and intrafamily dynamics of death and dying and
dementia, she also lays out how advisors can use their knowledge and insights
into those issues to help build their businesses.
Worried about how to
attract the next generation of clients? You could do much worse than to
demonstrate to your current clients’ children how valuable your services are,
how you’re ready to go the extra mile for clients in the most practical of ways
by quarterbacking the diagnosis and treatment of dementia in an aging parent.
Want to get more referrals? Imagine how the friends and acquaintances of an
aging client would feel when they see how you’ve covered every legal and
financial base to ensure that said client’s wishes about the end of life are
followed. Worried about the rise of the robo-advisors who can provide financial
planning at 25 basis points? Then show the value of your advice by supporting
clients through the biggest challenges they’ll ever face in life.
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for the full article from ThinkAdvisor.