Ways to dream up topics for financial articles

/in , , /by

Sometimes you run out of ideas for your financial writing or blogging. Maybe it’s time to brainstorm using approaches offered by freelance writer Susan Johnston in “50 Ways for Writers to Find Article Ideas.”


I’ve selected several ideas from her list of 50
“3. Think about seasonal topics like holidays or national awareness months.” The April 15 tax deadline is a classic hook for financial articles. But you can branch out. For example, Veteran’s Day could inspire an article about benefits for those in the military service.
“7. Take a local story and figure out how to make it relevant to a national audience.” The Madoff scandal may have affected only high net worth investors, but it has implications for everybody.
“24. Follow a forum to see what people are buzzing about.” For example, AARP’s Online Community or the personal finance and wealth management “Answers” section of LinkedIn.
“34. Fill in the blank: ’10 Secrets of _______,’ ‘8 Places to ____’ or ‘5 Ways to __________.’ ” This reminds me of the MadLibs game, but some candidates include “10 Secrets of Saving for Retirement, “Eight Places to Find a Bargain on Insurance,” and “Five Ways to Save for College.”
“46. Take a myth and turn it on its head.” For example, U.S. Treasuries are a safe investment.

Do you have tricks that you use to come up with fresh ideas? Please share them.


Ignore this advice–at least some of it

/in , , , , , /by

“10 Words to Use in Your Website Copywriting” gives you some great advice. But some of author Eric Brantner’s suggestions need to be adjusted for investment management websites.

Eric lists 10 words that tug powerfully on human emotions. 
     You
     Free
     Guaranteed
     Easy
     New
     Proven
     Results
     Save
     Maximize
     Benefit

     
Can you guess which word I’d ban from your vocabulary? 


Yes, it’s “guaranteed.” Bandying about “guaranteed” can get you in trouble with the SEC.


I have my doubts about “new” when it comes to something as sensitive as your prospective client’s money. I think they may prefer “proven.”


As for “free,” it may seem tacky to offer something free on an investment management website. Sure, you can offer a free report, but don’t hype it like one of those late night TV commercials for a super duper chopping gadget.


“You” is my favorite word on Eric’s list. But I know some firms consider it undignified. They prefer to talk about “clients” or “investors.” What’s your preference?


If you MUST use "secular" in your investment commentary…

/in , /by

…please follow The Wall Street Journal‘s example. Define secular the first time you use it. 

Here’s how Mark Gangloff did it in “TALF and Ilk Won’t Cure Economic Ills” in The Wall Street Journal: “Instead, credit has dried up this time because of the more secular—meaning structural or long-lasting—phenomenon of a debt bubble.”

Secular is great shorthand for conversations between investment professionals. But it may confuse investors who think of secular as the opposite of religious.” After all, see what comes up when you Google “define: secular.”

 

 

Note: Gangloff’s article appeared on March 5, 2009, but his approach still works. I updated this on Nov. 21, 2022.

 

 

 


 

How can I come up with ideas for a weekly newspaper column on personal finance?

/in , , , , , , /by

That’s the question a newly independent advisor asked me.

Before I offer some ideas, I’m going to challenge the idea that a newspaper column must be weekly. As newspapers decline, this advisor would be lucky to get into print once a month. But let’s assume the paper DOES need a weekly column. How about offering to rotate authorship with three advisors who have different niches?  You’ll reduce your burden and increase the range of topics covered by the column. That sounds like a win-win situation to me. If you know of anyone who’s tried column-sharing, please leave a comment below. 

Once you’ve landed your column, here are some sources for ideas.
1. Questions your clients ask you
2. LinkedIn and other social networking sites–See what questions appear on relevant LinkedIn’s groups. Pose a question in a social networking forum. For example, “What’s your most pressing personal finance question?” or “What questions do you have about managing your 401(k)?”
3. Professional publications–Have you read an interesting article in Financial Planning, Advisor Perspectives. Financial Analysts Journal or some other trade publication? Talk about the topic in plain terms that regular folks can understand.
4. Newspapers, TV, and other media–It’s especially good to pick a controversial topic.
5. Personal finance blogs–There are lots of good blogs out there. For a list of financial and economic blogs read by financial advisors, check out the list on page 3 of my article, “Investment Strategy Blogs Slow to Influence Financial Advisors.” For a more recent list, see “RIA blogs recommended by my Twitter friends.”

Can you suggest more sources? Please leave a comment.

Note: This post was updated on May 18, 2015 to remove a broken link and to add more recent information.

"Quantitative easing" is a weasel word

/in , , /by

Governments should speak more plainly, says David Champion in “Bankers Turn to Weasel Words as a Desperate Measure.” 

As an example of what not to do, he cites the Bank of England’s references to “quantitative easing.” Quantitative easing is fancy talk for increasing the money supply.

Campion says, “I cannot help but feel that a term like quantitative easing is designed to obscure a rational discussion around policy. If the Bank of England were to come out and simply say that all it could do to get us out of the crisis was print new money, then we might all feel that we had to sit down and think of something more sensible to do.”

Are you using terms like quantitative easing in your investment commentary? If so, you run the risk that your readers, like Champion, will think you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

By the way, there’s a decent explanation of quantitative easing at “Quantitative easing explained” on FT.com. 

What Bernanke does well as a speech writer

/in , /by

Ben Bernanke’s speech construction is perfect, says blogger Richard Miles.

What’s so good about it? Bernanke abides by the maxim, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them again.”

According to Miles’ analysis of Bernanke’s March 10 speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Bernanke spent 20% of his words setting up his speech, 75% on “tell them,” and 5% on re-telling.

Think carefully about that 25% the next time you write a speech–or any sort of complex communication.

Test your business spelling skills

/in /by

“The 25 Most Commonly Misspelled Words” is an interactive quiz. Test your spelling skill today!

 

"Op-Ed Guidelines for The Wall Street Journal"

/in , , , /by

The Wall Street Journal is a great place for you to get noticed. Getting your opinion piece published on the op-ed page carries cachet. Plus, it’ll make a great reprint to share with clients and prospects.

Check out “Op-Ed Guidelines for The Wall Street Journal.” Your essay should run 600 to 1200 words and be pasted into the body of your email to edit.features@wsj.com. Those words should be “jargon-free,” according to Robert Pollock, editorial features editor. The 1200-word upper limit is on the long side, so keep that in mind if you submit to other newspapers’ op-ed sections.

The guidelines don’t say this, but your essay should get to your point quickly. A busy editor may reject your essay after reading only one or two paragraphs.

Also, try for what reporters call a “news hook.” Tie your essay to something in the news.

"How to send a personal email" by Seth Godin

/in , , , /by

“How to send a personal email” by Seth Godin gives some excellent suggestions about how to avoid being perceived as a spammer.

But there are no easy answers. Basically his 14 points boil down to taking the time to make your email short, clear, personal, and relevant to the recipient. 

I found Godin’s blog post thanks to Anna Goldsmith’s “Just Because You Have Someone’s Email Address Doesn’t Mean You Have the Right to Email Them.”

"Institutional investing" isn’t as great as you think

/in , , , , /by

That’s what Van Kampen Investments discovered when it researched how to name a new retirement income product.

“Institutional” means expertise to financial services professionals, but it makes individuals think of hospitals and prisons, said Andrew Scherer, managing director, Van Kampen Investments, in his comments to the Managing Retirement Income conference on Feb. 10.

Van Kampen named its new product “Retirement Strategy Funds” and adopted the tag line “helping you build a better plan” under the influence of research showing that
1. “‘Retirement’ resonated better than ‘Freedom,’ ‘Target,’ ‘Lifetime’ and others.”
2. “‘Strategic’ tested better than ‘automatic,’ ‘institutional,’ or ‘customized.'”
3. “Positive messaging resonates, fear-based does not.”

Can you think of other words that mean different things to you and your clients? Would you agree that “risk” is one of those words? Please leave a comment.

Related posts:
* Highlights from the Managing Retirement Income Conference
* Notable quotes from the Managing Retirement Income Conference