Financial advisor

2022 - 7 - 21

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Image courtesy of "MIT Technology Review"

A digital human could be your next favorite celebrity—or financial ... (MIT Technology Review)

Digital humans powered by artificial intelligence are learning increasingly human-like behavior to become an essential part of our lives.

As society transitions to a more digital world, digital humans are set to play a key role in accompanying us on this journey. Digital people for customer service will continue to serve the metaverse with a better experience than a pure graphic interface.” At the Baidu World 2022 event held on July 21, the company announced a new capability on XiLing, which supports the creation of digital humans that can be livestream hosts who can sing, dance, and respond to comments in real-time—without ever needing a single break. In other words, virtual financial advisors and avatar translators are just the beginning. This can even include giving digital humans the ability to be creative themselves, thanks to the recent progress made by large AI models like Baidu’s ERNIE, which can generate texts and create realistic images when prompted. “Use of advanced AI technologies will keep bringing down the cost of building digital humans and significantly improve their interactions with real humans,” says Li. “Web3 and the metaverse have sparked a wave of speculations in the tech field today about what the future may bring,” says Li. “A digital replica of self will be core to the metaverse. Baidu AI Cloud’s digital celebrity and virtual sign-language anchors were created through XiLing, a new digital platform launched in 2021. From entertainment to public services, digital humans are set to play a greater role in our daily lives. However, there is something different about the virtual Chinese star: a digital human with the ability to listen, speak, and interact with real humans at a level never seen before. In recent years, businesses focused on providing round-the-clock services, as well as the media and entertainment industry, are increasingly adopting this nascent technology, aiming to capture a growing market. When one of China’s biggest celebrities, Simon Gong—also known as Gong Jun—released a new music video in June 2022, it quickly attracted 15 million views on the country’s Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo. But the event also stood out for a different reason—one that only eagle-eyed fans might have noticed.

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Image courtesy of "Top Class Actions"

Merrill Lynch financial advisor wages $1.375M class action settlement (Top Class Actions)

The settlement benefits employees of Merrill Lynch in California who worked as Client Associates between Aug. 26, 2016, and May 12, 2022, with the job titles “ ...

Top Class Actions es una fuente de noticias legales que informa sobre demandas colectivas, acuerdos de demandas colectivas, demandas por lesiones de medicamentos y demandas por responsabilidad de productos. Of the settlement fund, $100,000 will be allocated to PAGA claims. Top Class Actions no procesa reclamaciones y no podemos asesorarle sobre el sobre el estado de una demanda colectiva. Individuals who worked a greater-than-average number of hours will be eligible for a larger share of the settlement. Nota: Top Class Actions no es un administrador de acuerdos administrador o bufete de abogados. Over 13,000 advisors work with Merrill Lynch, according to the company’s website.

Being the New Kid on the Block Has Its Benefits (Financial Advisor IQ)

The younger advisors, in their 20s and 30s, will be replacing around 40% of financial advisors who will be retiring — according to Cerulli Associates — in the ...

“It's part of our culture, to bring in younger advisors, in what we call … ‘grow your own,’” Walters said. “And so, when you're a client of our firm, we want to make sure that each person, whether that's a junior advisor or senior advisor, feels that they have ownership in that client relationship, and that the client feels comfortable over time being able to reach out to any of us to get that information,” he added. “As for the advancement to a senior advisor role, that is largely dependent on their expertise as an advisor and their ability grow their book of business,” he added. “Notwithstanding, we are 100% invested in our [associate advisors'] success as an advisor for the long term, so some will benefit from further maturation in the AA role before they are ready to advance in a full advisor role,” according to Walters. “We are committed to setting them up for success, not failure.” “We find better success in that because of the culture … to be able to have advisors grow up within the firm and be able to embody our culture so well.” To become a senior advisor at Savant Wealth, “there are guidelines but no hard-and-fast rules,” according to Walters. A proficiency in skills taught in the program is required, and so is the Certified Financial Planner designation, according to Walters. Beyond that, it depends on the individual person and circumstance — some are ready to transition to a larger role sooner than others, he notes.

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Image courtesy of "Antelope Valley Press"

Financial advisor receives business honor from Wilk (Antelope Valley Press)

SACRAMENTO — Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, recognized Rocio Montagner, a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments in Palmdale, ...

“Her approach brings peace of mind and financial security to many Antelope Valley residents. With her deep connection to the Antelope Valley, Rocio brings a local perspective that serves her neighbors and clients well. Since 2014, Montagner has served with Edward Jones and has more than 25 years under her belt in banking and financial services.

Prepare for a First Meeting With a Financial Advisor (WTOP)

— Look into the advisor's FINRA record. — Examine the advisor's social media profiles. — Don't worry about bringing financial statements yet. — Get clarity on ...

Make sure that you have enough time to get all of your questions answered before you make a choice. If an advisor is pushing you to make a decision by the end of the initial meeting, that could be a red flag. But you should have some points on which to base a decision about the advisor you are meeting with, says Lindstrom. You should have a general idea of the kinds of accounts you have or what’s causing your financial pain points. Getting to know the advisor is a reasonable first step, and even if your initial meeting is brief, it is engineered to give you a feel for how the advisor operates. “There are a lot of titles in our industry that sound similar,” says Lindstrom. Faced with choices of fee-only, fee-based and fiduciary advisors, how do you sort through the differences? “I think a lot of clients show up feeling guilty that they don’t have their whole financials together, that everything isn’t perfectly in QuickBooks,” says Fairchild. “So a lot of people say, ‘I’ll get a financial planner when I have my whole financial plan together.'” That’s why financial planners exist: to help you figure out what to do. If it makes sense to move forward, there will be time to gather all of your financial documents. Since financial advisory businesses must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or state securities offices, you can use the BrokerCheck resource from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA. It’s a free tool to help you research the background and experience of financial brokers, advisors and firms. Once you’re comfortable with your background findings, it’s time to get ready for the first meeting. You can perform a search well before your first meeting. You’ve taken the first step toward securing a plan to improve your personal finances.

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