Conferences offer a number of benefits; they empower professionals to network with like-minded individuals, discover helpful tools, and learn new skills. However, most financial advisors skip conferences, the average advisor only attending a conference once every two years.
Financial advising firms—especially new firms—are missing vital opportunities when they forego conferences. It’s true that conferences incur many costs, like attendance and travel fees, but if you carefully select a conference that provides value in your firm’s unique niche, the ROI will astonish you in the long run.
To help you decide which 2019 conferences might be beneficial to your firm, we’ve listed the top conferences nationwide. Now it’s up to you to choose which conference will be the best fit for your team.
IMPACT
Expect to see thousands of financial advisors that custody with Charles Schwab at this massive annual conference. Even if your firm doesn’t custody with Charles Schwab, there is plenty of value to gain from a trip to the IMPACT vendor exhibit hall. Filled with companies representing the latest technology and providing information about the industry’s top trends, this hall is well worth a visit.
November 4-7, 2019
San Diego, California
Morningstar Investment Conference 2019
Come to Morningstar only if you want to receive the best financial advice from the industry’s top leaders. This ideas-centric conference is a great place to discover the most cutting-edge ideas on the market—and their extensive exhibition hall offers opportunities to learn about new technologies and approaches first-hand.
May 8-10, 2019
Chicago, Illinois
Financial Planning Association Annual Conference
This official conference for the Financial Planning Association is of particular interest to industry professionals with the Certified Financial Planner (“CFP”) designation. The conference focuses on CFP educational sessions (including opportunities to gain CFP continuing education credits) and networking between financial planning experts.
October 16-18, 2019
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
T3 Technology Tools for Today Advisor Conference
If your firm wants to develop into a leading fintech pioneer, this is the conference for you. T3 is the premier practice management and technology conference. Events focus on the many ways firms can integrate technology into their repertoire and grow their businesses in the meantime. NB: This year’s event has passed—but there’s no reason you can’t start planning for next year.
January 29-February 1, 2019
Denton, Texas
Fi360
This conference is specifically geared toward investment fiduciaries and financial services professionals. Attendees have the opportunity to learn from industry experts and take up to 10 hours of continuing education (“CE”) classes in the process, with ongoing networking opportunities.
April 3-5
Nashville, Tennessee
AICPA ENGAGE 2019
Ready for the next step in your career? AICPA offers some of the most extensive opportunities for professional growth. Attendees can earn 41.5 credits over 4 days of learning, and are offered 20 opportunities to network and grow their professional community. Expect crowds: this conference attracts around 3,800 attendees each year, who are drawn to the 300+ sessions.
June 9-13, 2019
Las Vegas, Nevada
Investment Adviser Association (IAA) Compliance Conference
If your firm is dedicated to compliance, this is an excellent conference to attend. Senior leadership from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provides extensive information about compliance, and offers opportunities to network with a number of innovative firms. This is the perfect event for your Chief Compliance Officer.
March 14-15, 2019
Washington, D.C.
Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to choose a conference and start planning so that team members can maximize their time there, bringing back new skills to share with your team—and ultimately fuel business growth.
