Dr. Clemen Chiang

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Taking these steps now can help ensure your family isn’t overwhelmed with uncertainty later on. The passing of a loved one is an emotional time, and family members are often dealing with their grief in different ways. If left undecided, the many legal and financial choices families have to make after the death of a loved one can be an additional emotional drain on their already overwhelmed minds. Larger families can often suffer an even greater burden as they must make decisions that involve many parties — choices that can sometimes lead to arguments or even major fights. Making end-of-life plans ahead of time can help prevent much of the stress that comes with the financial and legal aftermath of a loved one’s death. Taking the following six steps now, as recommended by the financial experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective, can help ensure your family is taken care of in the event of your passing and are allowed to grieve without any additional burdens.

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To achieve your financial goals this year, you’ll need to start with a clear vision and plan. Ask anyone what they want to achieve when setting goals at the beginning of a year, and at least one of those goals is likely to be related to money. Whether it’s as simple as saving more or spending less, or as complex as researching new investment opportunities or delving into real estate, setting financial goals at the start of the year is a smart way to start or improve your current financial journey. If you haven’t yet settled on what you’d like to achieve with your money in 2025, consider the following eight goals recommended by the financial experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective. Below, they discuss the goals or resolutions they think more people should set for 2025, and how doing so might impact their future success.

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Building customer relationships is easier when you start from a place of trust and empathy. Whether someone is a financial adviser, planner or financial business owner, being new to the industry comes with its own set of challenges — especially when it comes to finding that first client. While you may have the right credentials and the passion for helping others with their money, you must also work to convince potential clients that you’re the right person for the job.  But unlike entrepreneurs who have a particular product to sell, you won’t be able to rely on your product's features and benefits to help persuade them. You’ll instead need to focus on what you can offer that no one else can. To help get you started, the financial leaders of Kiplinger Advisor Collective offer their best advice for securing your first client — and what worked best for them — no matter the niche you serve.

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Trust, like in any relationship, takes time to develop. There are few topics more personal than someone’s finances. Money determines the way someone is able to live their life, and the various experiences, issues and successes they have with it can impact not only what they do but also who they are. Accepting guidance and advice on how to best handle money can be a big ask, so building trust as an adviser and/or financial services expert is essential if you want to succeed in this career path. But building this type of deep trust doesn’t happen right away; it must be earned, and the best advisers know what it takes to do so. Here, nine members of Kiplinger Advisor Collective share their best advice for building a trusting relationship with a client and how doing so will enhance your credibility and success in the financial industry.

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If your dream of homeownership feels out of reach, these expert-recommended tips can bring you closer to realizing your goal. Decades ago, homeownership was a realistic goal for many people. In recent years, sky-high real estate prices and increased costs of living have made it harder for would-be buyers to envision themselves ever achieving that milestone. Though the path to homeownership can be difficult in today's economy, it's still possible with the right strategies. Here, members of Kiplinger Advisor Collective recommend practical tips for moving the needle on your goal of owning a home.

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Be someone your clients can trust and learn to lean on for some of their most personal decisions. Growing at a rate much faster than the average rate for all other occupations, the job outlook for personal financial advisers entering the field is a bright one, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And while no industry seems immune from technological and cultural changes, many of the factors that made someone a successful financial adviser years ago are likely to make someone successful now. It’s all about understanding your clients and offering a service they can’t get from anyone else. Having each been in the financial industry for some time now, the advisers and financial experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective know what it takes to build successful businesses in the advising space. Below, they offer their top tips for anyone new to the industry on what they can do to set themselves apart and launch a profitable business from the ground up.