How to write calendar dates in your financial communications
August 30 or August 30th—which is the best way to write the calendar date? Major style guides prefer August 30. I like it, too, because there’s less visual clutter. August 30th becomes even uglier when Microsoft Word uses superscript to raise the “th.” The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Although the day of the month […]
Financial writing lesson from my sneakers
Don’t try to cram your right foot into your left sneaker. It doesn’t work. However, on the plus side, my absentminded action made me flash on a lesson for financial writers. The financial writing lesson? Don’t try to force things where they don’t belong. Sure, I could have painfully squeezed my right foot into my […]
Email productivity booster for investment and wealth management
Whether you’re an investment or wealth manager—or a professional or vendor who supports them—you can probably benefit from an email productivity booster. Take advantage of Microsoft Outlook’s “signature” feature to summon up basic email templates at the click of a button. I imagine that other email programs may offer a similar feature. Writing emails from […]
3 fixes for lousy quotes in your financial writing
Quotes are a great way to add oomph to your writing. This is true whether it’s a short piece, such as a blog post, or a long white paper for your investment or wealth management firm. But what if you’re quoting lousy writers or interviewees who haven’t expressed themselves well? Quote fix 1. Rewrite the […]
7 ways Compliance can work with investment writers for their mutual success
Compliance officers for investment management firms want their employers to market themselves successfully. After all, the lack of sales could kill the company. However, they also want their firms to stay safe from legal and regulatory threats. Marketing and compliance professionals sometimes clash. But they don’t have to. The two areas can work together so […]