Communication Essentials for Financial Planners

Preface

For financial planners . . . communication . . . is the single most powerful antecedent to trust and commitment . . .

—Dr. Dave Yeske¹

The purpose of this book is to provide financial planners with insights on how they can improve their communication and counseling skills. The approach presented in this book is based on helping financial planners develop, practice, and use skills associated with the formal and informal sharing of information between a client and the financial planning professional in an empathic manner that enhances the client–financial planner relationship.²

This book serves as a valuable resource for students and professionals alike. The ineffable importance of consistent and effective communication with clients is widely acknowledged by experienced financial planners. At the same time, few planners have implemented systems within their firms (or personal professional development plans) to increase knowledge and hone skills associated with client communication! This book provides professional financial planners, as well as the leadership within financial planning firms, with a blueprint for taking their client communication to the next level. Inarguably, increased sophistication in client communication translates to higher client retention and a more effective financial planning process. Thus, the ROI on time allocated to toward communication skill development is quite high.

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