New SEC Marketing & Ad Rules for Financial Advisors with Will Bressman

The Model FA

Will Bressman is the CEO of RIA in a Box, a leading provider of compliance and operations solutions for RIAs and investment advisors. RIA in a Box products are built by RIA advisors and developers and backed by a team of regulatory experts. Will graduated with a degree in History from Harvard University and completed his Master of Business Administration degree at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Before joining RIA in a Box in 2011, Will served in the digital media industry, working with Good Morning America and LXTV.

Will joins me today to discuss the new SEC regulations on marketing, testimonials, and endorsements. He discusses how the new rules can impact financial advisors and explains what advisors can do to remain compliant. He shares his philosophy on running the operational aspects of a business and explains why he is passionate about business operations. Will also highlights the importance of proactively strengthening an RIA firm’s cybersecurity foundation and underscores the value of making a commitment to learning.

“Our goal is to ensure that advisors get the everyday operational tools they need to focus on what matters most: the clients and the market.” - Will Bressman

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Will’s career path: from working for Good Morning America, to getting into business school, to RIA in a Box
• The ideation stage of RIA in a Box
• The services RIA in a Box offers and how they have evolved over the years
• The lessons RIA in a Box learned as their range of products and services transformed
• New SEC regulations on client testimonials and how they can impact financial advisors
• How financial advisors can ensure their compliance with the new SEC rules on testimonials and endorsements
• What groupthink is and how positive testimonials can encourage prospects to work with a financial advisor
• Proactively empowering clients to stay ahead with cybersecurity issues
• What makes an effective cybersecurity tool and why training people is the best way to strengthen a firm’s cybersecurity
• How often cybersecurity breaches happen in independent wealth management and financial advisory firms
• Why RIAs need to cultivate great email and IT hygiene
• Disrupting the future by acknowledging the imperfection of the present

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: But What If We’re Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman
• Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• Wealthtender

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “You need to guide people through the process. Be extremely clear and communicative about not just where resources are, but how and when to use them.” - David DeCelle
• “Peoples’ decisions and choices are influenced by those around them. A prospect on the fence of working with you happens to see positive testimonials ― that might be the thing to make them say yes.” - David DeCelle
• “If you want to build a great product, you need to ensure you know how to translate that to clients and how they can get a lot of value out of it.” - Will Bressman

Related Content:

• Brian Thorp on Modernized Marketing Rules for Financial Advisors

Connect with Will Bressman:

• RIA in a Box
• RIA in a Box on LinkedIn
• RIA in a Box on Facebook
• RIA in a Box on Twitter
• Will Bressman on LinkedIn

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

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Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

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