Papercut Strategist Raises Tough Questions to Help American Select Financial Advisors

Keith Hickerson, Partner, Strategy, at Papercut Interactive presented ideas May 25 to the RAND Corporation's Behavioral Finance Forum in Washington, D.C. on behalf of The American College.  The famed BeFi Forum brings academic and business leaders together to grapple with new ideas to help consumers make better financial decisions.

Now more than ever, it’s essential for Americans to make smart choices about their personal finances. But many consumers are confused about how to seek quality financial advice.  According to research from The American College, there are currently 183 different credentials that financial advisors might use with clients along with dozens of potential titles.

Supplementing the excellent work of researchers from RAND and participants from Duke, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, and other governmental and professional attendees, Keith presented The American College's view that credibility, clarity, affordability, and access are all key elements in de-risking the advisor selection process for consumers.  The American College is offering to partner with other academic and research organizations to pursue a more formal study in this area leading to public policy recommendations.

After this and other learning sessions, RAND disseminates research and other findings as widely as possible to benefit the public good. More than 10,000 RAND reports and commentary are available online at www.rand.org.  The American College is the nation's leader in financial services education (www.theamericancollege.edu).

Papercut leaders regularly speak to groups on topics ranging from social media and analytics to business strategy and financial services. Contact Papercut Interactive to schedule a speaker for your next event. Jason Hill and Keith Hickerson can create a presentation tailored to what your industry needs to know about where technology is going and how it intersects with the most current thinking in business strategy.