2) Professional competency. A 21st Century advisor will not be like many of his/her predecessors. Old school advisors didn’t always need to know what they were doing. They were selling or peddling products to clients who didn’t know if what they were buying was good or bad and bought mainly because they trusted the advisor.

With the advent of the internet and with clients being able to do their own research and get second opinions quickly and easily, it is imperative that agents are professionally competent so they know what they are offering or selling is always in the client’s best interest.

3) Comprehensive planning. A 21st Century advisor will provide comprehensive solutions to clients vs. just selling them products or sticking them in a typical investment platform. Advisors who provide comprehensive solutions will not only give better advice to clients, but they will also earn significantly more income and retain clients for a much longer period of time (not to mention referrals from existing clients will increase dramatically).

There is only one way to give comprehensive planning and that’s by not only being an insurance agent, but also having a securities license (preferably by passing the Series 65 exam as you’ll read about in various parts of the book).

4) Marketing expertise. 21st Century advisors will not only know how to market, but they will be armed with the “needed” tools that will allow them to market like they never imagined they could. A significant portion of this book will focus on marketing in the 21st Century.

Just to needle readers a little in this preface, I’ll ask the following simple but telling question. How many of the following marketing tools do you have and do you regularly use?