We had a great time in Seattle at the annual Financial Planning Association Conference (#FPABE). We met financial planners, financial planning students, investment managers, and service providers supporting the financial industry. The Financial Planning Association does a tremendous job of furthering the planning industry with a full schedule of educational workshops. It was good to see all the enthusiasm and innovation in the planning field.

Some trends we noticed:

Advisors are looking for creative ways to promote themselves and their business through social media and digital marketing. The digital marketing offerings for advisors is truly impressive. These tools give enterprising advisors the tools they need to grow their network, gain stature in the industry, and increase AUM.

Advisors want creative solutions to constructing diversified portfolios for their clients. As we get into the late stages of the current bull market, investors seek ways to protect against the sort of precipitous market slide we experienced in 2008. Hedging strategies and tactical investing was widely discussed.

We enjoyed exploring the wonderful city of Seattle, especially on Sunday when the Seahawks were playing the Broncos. Seahawks fans were dressed in all their wild regalia to support their hometown team. You see “12” banners throughout the city, in honor of the loudest fans in the NFL.

CMG Capital Management Group continues with a year-long Conference schedule throughout the U.S. We enjoy meeting financial planners who seek investment solutions structured to capture upside market moves, while mitigating losses that occur in steep declines. – Michael Sciortino