Ross Levin, CFP(r), is the Founding Principal and President of Accredited Investors Inc., and a nationally recognized expert in financial planning. He was named one of the five most influential people in financial planning by Financial Planning magazine and as one of the twenty-five most influential individuals in and around the advisory profession by Investment Advisor magazine. A much sought after speaker on financial matters, Levin has appeared in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, the New York Times, Newsweek, Barron's, and Money magazine, as well as on television and radio shows such as NBC Nightly News, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and American Public Media's Marketplace Money. Levin was the first recipient of the Financial Planning Association's Heart of Financial Planning Award.

Introduction xi
 
CHAPTER 1 Turning a Concept into a Practice 01
 
The Format 02
 
The Wealth Management Index Overview 03
 
The Wealth Management Index 04
 
Conclusion 11
 
CHAPTER 2 Building and Operating a Practice 13
 
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? 13
 
Partners 21
 
Broader Ownership 23
 
Conclusion 32
 
CHAPTER 3 Growing Your Business 33
 
Quantitative Prospect Metrics 33
 
Behavioral Types of Prospects 35
 
The Prospect Meeting 39
 
Questions 42
 
Other Questions 46
 
Next Steps 47
 
Conclusion 49
 
CHAPTER 4 Developing Staff 51
 
The Client Team 51
 
Leadership Pipeline 52
 
Conclusion 52
 
CHAPTER 5 Training Staff in Using the Wealth Management Index 65
 
The New Hire Process 65
 
Conclusion 83
 
CHAPTER 6 The Work Plan 85
 
Pre-meeting 85
 
Post-meeting 87
 
Agenda 92
 
Conclusion 92
 
CHAPTER 7 Objective Setting 95
 
Asset Protection 95
 
Disability and Income Protection 98
 
Debt Management 103
 
Investment Planning 105
 
Estate Planning 107
 
Conclusion 112
 
CHAPTER 8 Scoring the Wealth Management Index 113
 
Spreadsheet 114
 
CHAPTER 9 Asset Protection (Preservation) 117
 
Components 119
 
Have You Articulated a Life Insurance Philosophy? 119
 
What Are Your Concerns Regarding Risks of Large Losses from 128
 
Medical, Long- Term Care, Property/Casualty, and Personal or Professional Liability Issues?
 
Have You Defi ned and Protected Your Business Interests? 138
 
Conclusion 142
 
CHAPTER 10 Disability and Income Protection (Protection) 145
 
What Are the Income and Lifestyle Needs and Wants of Your Family 147
 
Currently and Prospectively?
 
Have You Evaluated All Current Sources of Income and Potential 159
 
Changes to These Sources?
 
Are You Fully Utilizing All Benefits Available to You? 168
 
Conclusion 189
 
CHAPTER 11 Debt Management 191
 
Have You Established Your Philosophy Regarding 192
 
Using Savings or Credit?
 
Is Your Type of Debt Appropriate Given Your Wealth-Management 196
 
Objectives?
 
Conclusion 201
 
CHAPTER 12 Investment Planning (Accumulation) 203
 
Have You Developed an Investment Philosophy? 205
 
Have You Determined the Mechanics for Managing Your Portfolio 222
 
and the Evaluation of What Success Looks Like?
 
Conclusion 228
 
CHAPTER 13 Estate Planning (Distribution) 231
 
Have You a Philosophy on Wealth Transfer? 232
 
Have You Articulated Your Charitable Philosophy or Mission Statement? 244
 
Have You Planned For Incapacitation, Elder Care Issues, 248
 
and Final Planning Needs?
 
Conclusion 251
 
Epilogue 253
 
About the Author 255
 
Index 257

The gold standard for measuring financial progress, updated for today's market
 
From Ross Levin, a trusted financial planner, comes Implementing the Wealth Management Index. The new edition of the book Investment Advisor called a "landmark opus," this revised and updated volume expands upon his legendary Wealth Management Index tool. A benchmark system that, through a series of questions and evaluations, enables advisors to score their performance for individual clients, the tool is used by firms around the world. In this new edition, the index looks at asset protection, disability and income protection, debt management, investment planning, and estate planning.
 
The new edition adds more how-to information, as well as actual client examples and case studies to show how Levin's firm successfully uses the index as a daily strategy.
* Asks the important questions, like "Did you use all reasonable means to reduce your taxes?" and "Have you established and funded all the necessary trusts? Have you made your desired gifts for this year?
* Newly revised and expanded for the first time since 1997
 
Essential guidance from a top man in the game, Implementing the Wealth Management Index is the one-stop resource for measuring client financial progress.