seven ways to talk your financial execs out of bad jargon in white writing on a blue background

Seven ways to talk your financial execs out of jargon and bad writing

Marketing and communications professionals know how to write well. However, sometimes you struggle to get your firm’s executives to recognize the power of good writing. You edit their text, but the execs put the jargon and long-winded, indirect language back in. I have seven tips for how to win over your subject-matter experts. Note: This […]

NOV. newsletter: Keep your investment commentary fresh!

How do you keep your investment commentary fresh? Having wrapped up another quarter’s investment commentary, you might be wondering how you can keep your commentary interesting, quarter after quarter. This is especially tough for long-term investors who don’t chase the latest trends. In my blog post, “Investment commentary – How do you keep it fresh?” […]

Mistake Monday

MISTAKE MONDAY for October 28: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. I hate spotting mistakes like this. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.

the pebble in the shoe

“The pebble in the shoe”: The power of metaphor

Metaphors are powerful tools for communication. I couldn’t get the phrase “the pebble in the shoe” out of my mind after an advisor mentioned it to me at an annual conference of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts back in 2011. Apparently, speaker Todd Fithian of the Legacy Companies suggested that advisors tackle whatever represents […]

OCT. NEWSLETTER: Are your firm’s bios incorrect?

Copyediting your firm’s bios seems like it should be easy. After all, bios simply report dry facts, right? No! One problem is that employees may report the names of their employers and schools incorrectly. There’s probably no intention to deceive. Perhaps they knew the company by a short version of its name that wasn’t its […]