Bob Clark
ThinkAdvisor
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Past articles by Bob:
Does It Really Matter Whether Clients Pay for Financial Planning?
Many of the products or services that we buy in our daily lives come with something that doesn’t appear on the final bill. → Read More
The Case of the Mysterious Best-Interest Standard
I recently received an email from an advisor who is upset about Labor's fiduciary rule and came up with some creative ways to express it. → Read More
Show Me the Money: Taking the Fiduciary Debate to the Bottom Line
Part of acting in a client’s best interest is that the advisor must consider the “cost” of the recommended investments. → Read More
DOL’s (Possible) Loss Could Be Your Gain
Many advisors are lamenting attempts to dismantle Labor’s new fiduciary rule. Bob Clark has a different take. → Read More
Crunch Time: New Standards Will Define the Future of CFPs
I’m beginning to hear rumors that the CFP Board Commission on Standards may soon release its recommendations and open them up for public comment. → Read More
Strike Three: Is Index Investing Really a Swing and a Miss?
Let me say right up front that I loved “Moneyball.” It’s the ultimate “revenge of the nerds” story. → Read More
The Human Side of Financial Planning: George Kinder Talks About Dick Wagner
“I don’t think that life planning as we or I know it would exist if it weren’t for Dick,” according to George. → Read More
Do Too Many Rules Really Lead to Bad Advice?
Regular readers will probably not be surprised that I have a few problems with Don Trone’s take on United Airlines and the “Fiduciary Paradox.” → Read More
Why Brokers’ Transition to AUM Fees May Trigger a Boom for Independent Advisors
I’d leave my broker-dealer, too, if they switched me from paying commissions to paying a 2% annual AUM fee. → Read More
Rise of the Robo-Advisor Machines: Are They Really Advisors?
Computers can be cheaper, faster and more convenient, but that’s not always better. And I think most people know this. → Read More
Advisor or Adviser? It’s More Than Semantics
Suppose I called myself a “docter,” and opened a medical clinic? Or a "lawyor," and started pounding out wills for people? → Read More
Is College Debt Advisors’ Next Black Swan?
Advisor's clients tend to be college graduates. College graduates have too much loan debt to adequately save. See the problem? → Read More
Want Stronger Client Relationships? Get Personal
My ISP surprised me by providing better service at no extra cost, and I'll remember it. Clients remember when you provide a personal service. → Read More
3 Client Engagement Styles Advisors Need to Understand
Facing margin and fee compression, independent advisors today are looking for ways to differentiate themselves. → Read More
New Tech Scam Warning Shows How Vulnerable We Are
Clients — or advisors themselves — might fall prey to a new, clever telephone fraud. → Read More
Selling Fiduciary: A Prototype for Independent RIAs
Dan Moisand's firm can teach the industry how to take the fiduciary standard to the next level. → Read More
Salespeople Tend to Do What They’re Paid to Do
In the fiduciary debate, remember that we all tend to do more of what we are incentivized to do. → Read More
Errors of Commission: AUM Fees Are Better Business
Broker-dealers' decisions to stop offering commission products in retirement accounts reopens the fees-versus-commissions debate. → Read More
Conflicts of Interest and Advisor Credentials: Then and Now
Do those who call for a fiduciary standard for all advisors have a conflict of interest? It's a bit more complicated than that. → Read More
Does Client Philanthropy Pose a Conflict for AUM Advisors?
If your client reduces his assets under management through charitable giving or other means, does that make the flat-fee approach better for advisors? → Read More