When you go independent, a lot of advisors think this means giving up the support they’re used to. But soon they realize that they’re part of a larger community, one that’s often centered around the technology they’ve chosen to use.

I just returned from the Laserfiche Institute Conference, where nearly 1,000 customers, resellers and staff gathered together for three days of sessions and hands-on labs. This is my third conference, and again I was struck by the sense of community. People who had never met each other before took the time to share ideas for increasing efficiency and profitability. There’s a real sense of support, and I know that attendees learn so much from talking to other advisors who are – or were – in the same situation.

I sat in on several “Industry Solutions” classes, where Laserfiche customers presented their unique solutions. I was struck by the time and effort presenters spent developing their presentations and answering questions about their technology solutions. There were presentations about everything from integrating Laserfiche with Junxure to e-pen signature technology. It was informative, and I enjoyed the chance to meet a variety of users from RIA firms around the country and learn about how they’re using technology to simplify and streamline daily operations.

I encourage you to take the time to attend industry conferences. Not only will you learn valuable information, you’ll find that you’re part of a whole new community.

Two upcoming conferences that I highly recommend are:

Tech Tools for Tomorrow
Feb 26-28, 2009
Addison, TX

FPA Business Solutions
March 9-11, 2009
Chicago, IL

Tags: Advice on Going Independent, networking

Posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 7:50 pm under Advice on Going Independent
Comment on this post
Trackback URL: http://iatechforum.com/forum/2009/01/27/community/trackback/

Tim Welsh is the President and founder of Nexus Strategy, LLC. Prior to founding Nexus Strategy, Tim was the Director of Business Consulting Services for Schwab Institutional and a vice president at Merrill Lynch where he was responsible for financial advisor training for the financial planning group. Tim holds the Certified Financial Planner, CFP® designation and is an active member of the 28,500-member Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) serving in a leadership role on a number of task forces, committees and most recently as an elected member of the National Board of Directors from 2004-2006.