TD Ameritrade Institutional Tackles Top 12 Ways Advisors Waste Time

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JERSEY CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Time is a precious asset, yet registered investment advisors ("RIAs") can lose countless hours to low-value work, disorganization or performing tasks they shouldn't be doing in the first place.

Avoiding time traps starts with advisors taking responsibility for how they spend their day. Personal time management and setting priorities are some of the key components of TD Ameritrade Institutional's1 latest practice management program, Breakout GrowthTM: Driving Business Performance Through Efficiency, which shows how RIA firms can improve their top-line performance by focusing on efficiency.

Running an efficient business starts with a clear, strategic vision and streamlining operations, but achieving meaningful productivity gains also requires better time management at an individual level by advisors and their teams.

Tracking Time Traps

As part of the Breakout Growth program, advisors track how much time they devote to different tasks for at least two weeks. Through this exercise, advisors can better understand how they actually spend their time and evaluate the results against the firm's priorities and goals.

When advisors scrutinize how they spend their days, they may find some of these common workplace time traps: 2

  • Doing tasks that should be delegated
  • Drop-in office visitors
  • E-mail interruptions
  • Paperwork
  • Telephone interruptions
  • Too much socializing

And while incoming phone calls, client e-mails and business travel can't always be avoided, many productivity-killers can be addressed by advisors improving their own work habits and personal organization:

  • Confusion over job roles
  • Inability to say "no"
  • Leaving tasks unfinished
  • Not using technology effectively
  • Procrastination
  • Trying to do too much

Once an advisor identifies the sources of distraction, they can create a plan to make better time choices, focusing more of their day on high-value work, said Vanessa Oligino, director of Business Performance Solutions at TD Ameritrade Institutional.

"You cannot totally eliminate distractions that arise in your daily life, but becoming more aware of what impacts your ability to accomplish your goals is the first step in changing your behavior and increasing your overall productivity," Oligino said. "If people are frequently dropping in to your office and you have a hard time turning them away, for example, consider reserving specified hours for visitors."

Efficiency is the New Black
Though working on "efficiency" may not be the most exciting task, TD Ameritrade Institutional believes doing more with less can be inspiring when you look at the numbers.

Forward-thinking advisors whose business strategy includes a focus on efficiency, on average, experienced 2.2 times higher annual revenue growth and 46 percent greater owner-income per revenue-dollar than their peers.3 And though nearly half of RIA firms say efficiency is one of the most important growth drivers, three out of five business plans lack implementation details.3

Through Breakout Growth: Driving Business Performance Through Efficiency, TD Ameritrade Institutional encourages RIA firms to look beyond growth objectives – such as increasing assets -- when making strategic plans. The program intends to show advisors how firms of any size can boost productivity by implementing problem-solving techniques, making better decisions about which tasks to delegate or outsource and making better use of technology tools.

TD Ameritrade formally kicks off the 2015 campaign today, Sept. 24, with a webcast, "Building a Culture of Efficiency to Drive Your Business Forward," featuring guest speaker Robert Miller of Arches Institute.

Advisors can register to attend regional workshops that will explore the efficiency strategies of top firms. The first workshop takes place in New York, Oct. 6-7, followed by meetings in Atlanta, San Francisco and Chicago. TD Ameritrade clients also may access Breakout Growth content here, including a new perspective paper, "Running an Efficient Business," that shows how improved efficiency fuels growth.

To learn more, send email to businessperformance@tdameritrade.com or call (800) 934-6124.

TD Ameritrade and Arches Institute are separate, unaffiliated firms and are not responsible for one another's policies or services.

About TD Ameritrade Institutional
TD Ameritrade Institutional is a leading provider of comprehensive brokerage and custody services to more than 5,000 fee-based, independent registered investment advisors and their clients. Our advanced technology platform, coupled with personal support from our dedicated service teams, allows investment advisors to run their practices more efficiently and effectively while optimizing time with clients. TD Ameritrade Institutional is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., a brokerage subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation.

About TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation
Millions of investors and independent registered investment advisors turn to TD Ameritrade's AMTD technology, people and education to make investing and trading easier to understand and do. Online or over the phone, in a branch or with an independent RIA, first-timer or sophisticated trader, our clients want to take control and we help them decide how: We've been bringing Wall Street to Main Street for 40 years. An official sponsor of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, TD Ameritrade has time and again been recognized as a leader in investment services. Please visit TD Ameritrade's newsroom or www.amtd.com for more information.

Brokerage services provided by TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA (www.FINRA.org) / SIPC (www.SIPC.org)

1. TD Ameritrade Institutional is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., a brokerage subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation.
2. List adapted from The Time Trap: The Classic Book on Time Management, by R. Alec Mackenzie, Amacom, 2009
3. The 2014 FA Insight Study of Advisory Firms: Growth by Design

Source: TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation

TD Ameritrade
Joseph A. Giannone, 201-369-8705
Communications + Public Affairs
joseph.giannone@tdameritrade.com

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