The New Year Is Approaching and Advisors' Clients Should Be Thinking About Tax Opportunities During the Holidays

Financial advisors have a responsibility to their clients during the holidays that goes beyond cards and gifts. They have an obligation to help their clients make the most of this year's tax opportunities before the new year arrives.

The New Year Is Approaching and Advisors' Clients Should
Be Thinking About Tax Opportunities During the Holidays

For Release Nov. 11, 2002
Contact: Tom Ellis
Ellis Communications, L.L.C.
Phone (623) 780-4558
E-Mail tellis@advisormarketing.com

Why do people lose sight of tax planning during the holiday rush? Is shopping more fun than thinking about how much they owe the government? Do people prefer not to think about taxes before April?

"I don't know the answers to these questions," says Martin R. Baird, president of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Advisor Marketing and author of The 7 Deadly Sins of Advisor Marketing. "But I do know this: financial advisors have a responsibility to their clients during the holidays that goes beyond cards and gifts. They have an obligation to help their clients make the most of this year's tax opportunities before the new year arrives."

Baird offers the following tips on how advisors can help their clients now before the tax crunch hits after the holidays.

Number 1 - Talk to your clients about the consequences of buying and selling securities at the end of the year. This is particularly important now with the volatile stock market, Baird says.

Number 2 - Talk to your clients about the potential benefits of gifting.

Number 3 - Urgency is a great marketing tool you should use right now to get your clients' attention. "You know which tax-savings opportunities will expire at the end of the year," Baird says. "You know the mistakes many people make now that will cost them on next year's taxes."

Number 4 - December is the perfect time to have a year-end tax seminar. Invite clients and prospects and bring them up to date on the tax opportunities available to them now. "After the seminar, you could also post similar information on your Web site so your clients can read about it if they don't have time to attend, " Baird suggests.

Number 5 - Send a broadcast fax to all your clients that outlines seven tax secrets they need to know about right now.

"Your challenge is getting your clients to think about and discuss taxes at a time when it's more fun to tend to the holidays," Baird says. "You need to cut through the clutter and get noticed so your clients don't make mistakes that can cost them substantial tax dollars."

Advisormarketing.com is the premiere Internet-based source for free marketing advice, information and tools for self-driven, success-oriented financial advisors who are demanding information that helps them market their practice, meet the needs of their clients and increase sales. It offers such services as a free weekly electronic newsletter, free reports on how to conduct different kinds of marketing and evaluation of advisors' marketing materials that is provided at no charge when the critique is posted online for all advisors to read. Advisormarketing.com also offers an electronic forum where advisors can learn from each other by discussing common problems, sharing ideas and gaining new insights from their peers. Advisor Marketing may be reached at 480-991-6421.
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