After reading the comments section of Ron Lieber's article, I agree with Carl Richards. We have to get out and tell our stories.

The level of hostility toward advisors was shocking. Phrases such as "do it yourself," "don't waste your money," "inherent conflict of interest," "rich elite," "greed," "self-serving," and "financial planning is a joke" are just a few of the choice comments. Out of 52 comments, 75% were negative, 15% were neutral or self-serving, and only 9% were positive. It's a small sample, but is this how most people see our profession?

We can start the story by talking about these points:   More 

A recent article in Barron's, "Boomer Consumer," about companies mistakenly ignoring consumers who are older than 50, got me thinking--first, about my own clientele and their particular situations, and second, about a key point that rang true: "The recession has left the typical 18- to 49-year-old far less flush than the average 50-plus consumer."

My youngest client is 29 years old, the oldest is 70, and the average age is 48. The primary reason my younger clients hire me is to help them with debt management, cash flow, and budgeting. While my boomer clients definitely have felt the pain of dropping portfolio and home values, most invested before the bubble years and hold less overpriced assets. My boomer clients are concerned about retirement, but the younger generation is challenged with making ends meet every month and is disproportionately saddled with debt.    More 

The market crash was a stomach-churning time for most advisors and--dare I say it--especially for those of us who consider ourselves financial planners first. We knew that after the dust settled, our clients' financial plans would look very different from a year ago. Predictably, the markets have recovered, and those advisors who were able to persuade clients to stay invested are enjoying a relatively quiet summer. Or are they?   More