Financial advisors spend a significant portion of their time on back-office tasks and the search for new clients. New technology does not necessarily allow advisors to add more clients but may instead enable them to provide deeper services to their existing clients. To read the full article in Nerd’s Eye View, click: What Advisors do with their Time. ...

The Association’s quarterly survey finds that staffing is still a top worry. Finance executives in the United States continue to feel good about growth in their respective industries, despite creeping concerns that the good times could be coming to an end in the near future. To read the full article in the Journal of Accountancy, click: Finance Leaders Feel Good but Ready for a Downturn. ...

Leading futurist and keynote speaker Ross Dawson, who regularly consults to accounting, finance, and banking bodies, spoke with Chris Sheedy about the single greatest opportunity that the future holds for accountants. To read the full article in ICAS, click: How We Will Learn to Love Big Data in 2018. ...

FINRA will hold off on raising fees for its member firms despite "revenue challenges," according to an unusual glimpse the regulator gave into its projected 2018 budget.  Projected revenue of $822 million for 2018 is relatively flat when compared to 2013, the last year that FINRA raised fees, the regulator says in its newly released budgetary summary.  FINRA derives about half of its total revenue from indu ...

After strong gains in revenue, client growth and AUM over the last six months of 2017, RIAs say they’re feeling confident about the economic outlook and plan to capitalize on recent growth, according to a survey from TD Ameritrade Institutional.  Nearly nine out of 10 RIAs surveyed netted new client assets in the past six months and almost half expect AUM to grow at an even faster rate in 2018.  They also r ...

U.S. has Leeway on Debt Limit, Economists Say Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has called on Congress to raise the national debt limit before its August recess, but the federal government will not face a crisis if that does not happen, experts say.  The U.S. has enough borrowing power to carry it through "sometime in early September," economists at Wells Fargo said. To read the full article in Bloomberg Ma ...

Ascertaining the Financial Status of a Business in a Few Quick Glances The 60-Second Method is a system of ascertaining the financial status of a business or other entity in a few quick glances. It is a training tool that can be used to demonstrate how financial analysis works, or instruct decision-makers beginning to read and understand financial statement content. ...

Views Developed by an Appraiser Working with Business Brokers to Assess FMV Business appraisers typically assume that Price/Revenue, Price/SDE, Price/EBITDA and Price/EBIT, etc., are independent valuation methods. But, are they independent? This article shares my views on this subject matter and why they will lead to different conclusions of value. ...

7 Keys to Becoming a Visible Expert In this article, Dr. Frederiksen discusses seven keys to becoming a visible expert. ...

If It’s Ready Scott Bulloch, an exit planning professional and advisor, shares his views on why now companies with EBITDA of $1,000,000 or more are attractive to private equity. While there are companies that will meet the minimal thresholds, not all are ready. Is your company or that of your client’s ready for private equity? ...

  Advisors often ask how they should defend their fees when working with small clients who contribute the least revenue to the firm. Beverly Flaxington, a practice management consultant, suggests firms use a tier approach that classifies clients and outlines services and fees provided at each level. Remind clients during consultations of the services and values provided by your firm. ...

Gaining a competitive advantage for the mid- and small-market businesses In response to McKinsey & Company’s published article, “M&A as Competitive Advantage,” Bart Basi and Marcus Renwick explore the usage of M&A as part of a larger strategy, rather than a stand-alone deal. Special focus is given to the benefits relating to mid-market and small, closely held businesses, where the bulk of M& ...