Managing Your Practice
Dimensional Fund Advisors
Managing Your Practice is dedicated to providing financial professionals with best practices in key areas such as driving growth, business efficiency, and the client experience. Dimensional Fund Advisors delivers insights based on our history of industry-leading financial advisor benchmark studies and client surveys. We help advisors leverage those insights when making the critical business decisions successful firms face every day.
The information is provided in good faith without any warranty and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change.
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The information is provided in good faith without any warranty and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change.
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 28, 2023 • 54min
What's in a Dream Team: Key Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams
Shandel Sutherland and Liv Olson share more than four decades of combined experience helping build highly effective teams. In this episode, they define key characteristics of those teams, ways to identify gaps in your own firm, and actionable steps to enhance performance. Learn why they believe investing in employee and team development is an essential aspect of achieving long-term success and creating an exceptional client experience in your advisory firm.
Jun 23, 2023 • 48min
"Geeking Out" on the Past, Present, and Future of Finance
Robin Wigglesworth, editor of FT Alphaville and author of Trillions, describes his career as "geeking out" on all things finance, writing to great depths on investing and markets. Hear how he connected with some of the greatest minds in finance to tell the origin story of index funds, his take on integrating corporate cultures through M&A, and what's next in the evolution of financial advice and incorporating AI. Trillions is included on Dimensional's 2023 Summer Reading List, which you can view here.
May 25, 2023 • 51min
The Bionic Advisor: Using Technology to Serve, Scale, and Succeed
Nirav Batavia, co–managing partner and chief technology officer of Forum Financial has used technology to build systems and processes that increase efficiency, enhance the employee and client experience, and scale the business, all while maintaining a focus on profitability. He shares his expertise on how advisors can combine technology with human interaction to support growth goals, determine areas of opportunity and improvement, and spend time doing the parts of their job they enjoy most. Nirav Batavia is not affiliated with Dimensional Fund Advisors. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP does not endorse, recommend, or guarantee the services of any advisor, certification organization, advisory or consulting firm. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and Forum Financial are separate unaffiliated entities.
Apr 28, 2023 • 31min
The Evolution to Ensemble: The Challenges and Rewards of Building a Multiprofessional Firm
Michael Goodman, president of Wealthstream Advisors, founded a lifestyle practice that evolved into a $1 billion ensemble practice after combining the skills of multiple professions and taking on partners to facilitate the firm's growth over the past three decades. Hear the pros and cons of running an ensemble practice; how hiring, team structure, and business processes transform through the progression; and why it's important that your long-term goals and motivations match those of your people. Michael Goodman is not affiliated with Dimensional Fund Advisors. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP does not endorse, recommend, or guarantee the services of any advisor, certification organization, advisory or consulting firm. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and Wealthstream Advisors are separate unaffiliated entities.**
Apr 5, 2023 • 29min
Referral-Worthy Relationships: Nurturing a Long-Term Mindset Throughout Client Life Stages
Peter Lazaroff, CIO at Plancorp, knew from a young age that he would have a career in investments and wealth management. Now, he helps deliver financial planning advice to clients in various life stages and offers his perspective on how advisors can engage with clients in ways that foster a long-term investment mindset and referability. Hear how he approaches these conversations with clients, solicits feedback on their experience, and his thoughts on the evolution of an advisors' role. Peter Lazaroff is not affiliated with Dimensional Fund Advisors. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP does not endorse, recommend, or guarantee the services of any advisor, certification organization, advisory or consulting firm. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and Plancorp are separate unaffiliated entities.
Mar 16, 2023 • 44min
Securing Your Legacy through Succession: Tips for Passing an Advisory Firm to a Family Member
Joe Stephan of Stephan Independent Advisory experienced a familial succession firsthand when his father passed his advisory firm on to him. The transition left him with a desire to help other advisors in strategically planning for succession, either within the family or externally. He shares key considerations for advisors preparing for succession, the nuances of a transition within a family, and how succession is impacted by the current state of the financial advisory industry in Australia.
Feb 17, 2023 • 43min
Going Above and Beyond: How to Capture Clients' Voices to Improve Satisfaction and Engagement
Julie Littlechild, with 25 years of experience, talks about capturing clients' voices to improve satisfaction and engagement in financial advisory firms. They discuss real-time feedback, evolving client experiences, measuring engagement benefits, converting passive clients into promoters, and creating referable client experiences through impactful conversations and storytelling. They emphasize the importance of understanding client concerns, aligning personal vision with team experience, and growing through client referrals.
Jan 20, 2023 • 57min
Designing a Deal: How Advisory Firm Buyers and Sellers Can Prepare for an M&A Transaction
Allen Darby of Alaris Acquisitions and Jason Carver of Pure Financial Advisors have sat on both sides of the M&A table and experienced some of the recent, record-breaking years of deals done across the wealth management industry. They share their thoughts on when and how to start planning for a deal and searching for a partner, what each side considers deal breakers, and why you should always be prepared to sell. If you are buying, selling, merging, or simply beginning to think about the future of your firm, their insights could provide valuable information for taking those next steps.
Dec 14, 2022 • 47min
Transitions: What Advisors Should Know about Changing Firms, Going Independent, and Planning for Succession
Louis Diamond, of Diamond Consultants, guides advisors through major career transitions like launching RIA firms, scaling independent businesses, and succession planning. He joins Dimensional's Catherine Williams to discuss how advisors can prepare for movement across the industry, best practices for building a successful advisory firm, and what strategic moves they should consider today.
Nov 9, 2022 • 46min
Cutting Through the Noise: How to Differentiate Your Practice Through Digital Marketing
Emily Binder of Beetle Moment Marketing and Taylor Schulte of Define Financial have both built successful businesses by leveraging digital marketing and technology. Schulte's advisory firm focuses on attracting their ideal clients through curated digital strategies while Binder's agency helps advisors grow their practices with new tools and technology like voice marketing. In this podcast, they discuss the latest digital tactics advisors should focus on to differentiate themselves and allow them to reach their desired audience.
