How to Start an Independent RIA Without Breaking the Bank
As an independent RIA, the advisor calls the shots. They can use any technology, offer whatever products they wish, and make more money per client because they are not beholden to a corporate RIA. Independent advisors primarily work from home, a potential solution for advisors who don’t want to return to office work.
The blogs above and podcasts previously referenced are only a tiny sample of high-quality, informative content aimed at advisors. Often these blogs and podcasts share content from other thought leaders, podcasters, and bloggers, allowing you to build a library of great content that will help you gain a competitive edge.
Advisors are competitive by nature, and to stay on top of their game, they need to be aware and well-versed in the latest trends and industry developments. A convenient way to do so is by reading industry blogs and listening to podcasts.
We recommend joining a national organization with local chapters such as NAIFA, FPA, or AFP to start. Some of these local chapters in the larger organizations are pretty active: for example, FPA San Francisco and several other chapters organize FPA NorCal, which regularly has programming and speakers that rival the quality you’d find at a national conference.
In the previous article, we explored the benefits of attending in-person conference events along with the various types of RIA conferences. In this article, we’ve gathered reviews from several sources to make our picks and we looked at speaker selection, venue, and overall execution. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to make the best choices to advance your RIA goals.
With COVID lockdowns and restrictions now in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to get back to in-person events. While some conferences attempted to adapt by switching to a purely digital format during the pandemic, which was helpful, it just wasn’t the same. A recent survey of 1,000 conference participants around the US found that 70% prefer to attend conferences in person rather than virtually. The best networking usually happens in person since body language and subtle communication cues don’t come across as well over Zoom. With any video conferencing software, interactions are planned and structured, removing the possibility of those chance encounters with other attendees that can bring real value to your business.