Not that long ago, the University of Oxford predicted that robots and automation would threaten nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce.¹ If the current skilled labor shortage is any indication, their calculations have yet to prove true.

The numbers are real, and they’re likely affecting a number of your clients: 56% of Americans lose their jobs (layoffs or other involuntary causes) between age 50 and retirement. Of that number, only 10% ever earn as much as they previously did.¹ Even if these workers accept a sizable buyout package, they’re now jobless usually well before they planned to leave the workforce.

Admit it: you likely had someone in mind when you read the title of this article. Perhaps it’s the client who simply “must” have a new car every year, the one who insists on a second home in Florida that sits empty for months at a time, or the investor who decides to make the dream of worldwide travel a reality despite lacking the means.

Most clients have simple goals — they want to make money and feel confident upon retirement. However, many feel that financial planning is overly complex. They simply want an advisor to handle the responsibility on their behalf.

Success is subjective for many. As a financial advisor, however, your success is directly tied to the financial success of your clients. While hard work and strategically helping them invest their money certainly play a part, there’s more to building a reputation—and a life—than merely putting in the hours and recommending the “right” portfolios.

Consider these three elements that may help you achieve new heights of success and, in turn, help your clients do the same.

MADISON, Wis. – CUNA Mutual Group announced that its account management, wholesalers and sales management team have obtained their Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA™) designation after completing a rigorous course of study and training.

About 20% of people who are 55 years old or older have some type of mental health concern, most of which go undiagnosed.¹ Further, an estimated 5 million seniors who are 65 years old or older have been diagnosed with severe cognitive impairment, commonly Alzheimer’s Disease.¹ Given the aging U.S. population, these statistics may not be particularly startling; however, they should serve as a wake-up call for financial advisors.

Nearly 70% of all married female Baby Boomers will experience widowhood.¹ Death is a natural part of life, but that doesn’t preclude it from having a jarring impact on the surviving spouse, especially when it comes to her finances.

Just like their financial situations, each client’s personality is unique. Some you have a terrific rapport with; others are more challenging. While there are times when stepping away from a client relationship is warranted — when a client is a liability risk or verbally/physically abusive, for example¹ — “firing” clients based solely on personality clashes isn’t necessarily a good business practice. However, simply gritting your teeth and tolerating a difficult client probably isn’t enough either.

No matter the goal — whether trying to lose weight or gain financial freedom — writing down a plan greatly increases its likelihood of success, anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more than when not written down.¹