Choosing CE Credits: What are Clients Looking for in the Value of Advice?

Consumer preferences are changing. Gone are the days when an advisor could impress a customer with investment information. With the internet, information is readily available at a click. Today, consumers are armed with knowledge and can discuss investments, insurance, and financial planning gleaned from various chat forums, social media platforms and public websites before talking to an advisor.

Understanding how consumer preferences are changing can be an advantage to your practice. Acquiring the education to provide excellent advice is a substantial competitive advantage. Traditionally, investment professionals have taken continuing education to learn how to sell products, improve their practices and increase their knowledge. Discovering and choosing specific CE credits has been done for completion on the advisor’s part without fully understanding the consumer’s needs.

Examining the chart: Consumers are interested in longevity and its impact, how CPP works, Setting up saving plans etc.

Become client-centric using CE Credits

With the above chart’s insights, investment professionals can align their continuing education efforts with consumers’ needs. Why not learn and apply that learning vs spending time and effort without any return.

Knowledge + Expertise = Revenue ™

Let’s examine how my thesis, Knowledge + Expertise = Revenue ™, can work for you. Investment and Insurance professionals are selling “advice.” The products and concepts may come and go, but the quality of advice ultimately drives revenue. Taking continuing education requirements doesn’t have to waste time if you know what clients are looking for. Armed with this information, advisors can tailor continuing education plans to meet regulatory cycle requirements and provide solutions clients are looking for. Tackle continuing education from a client-centric approach. Become an expert in what’s essential to your clients or target market.

Investor behaviour is changing, and so should the advisors.

Behavioural changes take time but can be accelerated if there is a catalyst to make a change. In today’s environment, CE Credits are not just a compliance nuisance; it’s a business risk. Today’s regulatory environment is changing, and the expectations for tracking and managing CE Credits are now closely monitored.

Habits form over time, and the chart below applies to consumers and professionals.

The “advice profession” is an excellent lifelong learning profession. Why not have fun learning while becoming an expert and making money simultaneously?

Written by: Colin Henry, Founder & CEO of CE Records Inc. CE Records harmonizes different CE administrative reporting onto one application. We provide 24/7 access to turn-key CE credit record-keeping for professionals, MGAs, Dealers, and insurance companies. CE Records’ empathetic and passionate approach to solving CE compliance anxiety while creating business comfort for companies and advisors contributes to a role we all play in our industry that strives to maintain public trust.

www.ce-records.com. Charts are courtesy of PMG Intelligence, 2022