By Allen Giese, ChFC®, CLU®

We live in a wonderful era with technology advancing at a remarkable rate. And we’re finding that technology is really changing the financial advisory business.

Now, one area we’re seeing that technology really positively impacts clients is for those clients that don’t happen to live near the advisor that’s best for them. Maybe it’s an advisor that specializes in a niche market that the client is in and is a standout in that niche.

Now, with how far virtual meetings have come, it’s really quite easy for a client in California to meet with an advisor they want to work with in Florida. Or for that matter, even if it’s just across town and you don’t want to fight traffic for an hour.

So how do we have a virtual meeting? Well, online, there are a number of virtual meeting sites. We’re currently using one called Zoom. So let’s say we have a meeting later today. Before our meeting, we send you a login address. That’s where we’re going to have our meeting—at that IP address.

At the time of our meeting, we both log in, and the next thing you know, there we are, looking and talking to each other. In our meeting, we can not only talk to each other but can also share information on screen—just like we would if you were in the office. But instead, you’re at home, having a cup of tea or coffee.

Now, if you have a laptop, there’s a pretty good chance you have a camera on it. Our meetings are video supported, so that’s how we see you. You’ll always be able to see us on this end because we have a camera on our side looking at us as we talk.

If you don’t have a camera, no worries. We just won’t be able to see you as we speak.

As far as sound goes, again, most computers have built-in microphones. However, just in case yours doesn’t, we always have a phone number that you can dial into for the audio portion.

So virtual meetings are a great way to meet with a special advisor who perhaps lives farther away than you want to travel.

We’ve been conducting meetings this way for some time now and have found it works really well—even if it’s just to save someone the hassle of driving across town in heavy traffic. We can meet virtually and save you a lot of time and headache!

If you’re interested in a second opinion on your finances, give us a call and let’s set up a meeting, either in person or virtually. We’ll talk about what your most important goals and objectives are, see where you are at and what the gaps are.

Now, one of two things is going to happen. If your current advisor is doing a good job and has you on track, we’ll tell you. If he or she’s not, we’ll tell you that too and show you what we’d be doing differently. Either way, you’ll come away better off.

So thanks for watching, and I hope you have a great day!