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Why Write a Book?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- October 22, 2025
No CommentsNow is the time of year when financial professionals start planning and budgeting for 2026. Many of you have told me you’re “finally ready to buckle down” and write the book you’ve been contemplating for so many years. That’s great. Contrary to what you might think, people are still reading plenty of books even in
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You Can Never Be Too Clear
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 10, 2025
Early in my career I worked in business development. I once asked my boss if I was following up too often with a prospect. Her answer: “If I was being too aggressive the prospect would let me know.” I feel the same way when it comes to clarity in your writing and communication. You can
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Are You Forgetting ‘For Example’ When Writing and Presenting?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- May 19, 2025
One of the great things about our business is that we get to work with some of the smartest minds in accounting, wealth management and estate planning. But all too often the “curse of knowledge” trips them up when they’re writing, presenting or being interviewed. Having encyclopedic knowledge of your subject area has many benefits
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Suffer from Completion Anxiety?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- October 15, 2024
During the peak of my marathon running days, there were plenty of times I’d be facing a 20-mile training run on a humid Sunday morning. My legs were still heavy from my Friday speed workout, plus I often had a slight hangover and some annoying minor injuries. Sweating out the next 2-1/2 hours alone with
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Back Up Your Facts with Real Sources, not AI
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 27, 2024
If you’re finding it harder to get your content past the compliance department and trade media editors, it’s not your imagination. These eagle-eyed reviewers are increasingly under pressure to verify facts and matters of attribution before going live. They know content shapers are increasingly relying on AI to assist them. They know AI tools often
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In the Financial Advisory Space? Stop Using These 7 Words
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 1, 2024
Space may be the final frontier, but it has no place in your business vocabulary. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve come across references to the “private equity space” or “ultra-high net worth space” in our client’s presentations, guest columns or podcast interviews. PLEASE STOP! The word “space” is a prime example of
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What Constantly Canceling, Rescheduling Says About You
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- May 5, 2024
As a trusted advisor, most of you would never think of canceling or rescheduling meetings with clients at the last minute unless it was an absolute emergency. But when you constantly reschedule with your team, your prospects, your strategic partners, your vendors, your consultants and even your family, you could be doing irreparable harm to
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Do You Struggle With ‘For Example’ When Writing or Presenting?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 12, 2023
Smart people often have difficulty explaining things simply. They may have a deep understanding of the subject matter and find it difficult to distill that knowledge into layman’s terms. They may be so familiar with the problem that they assume others understand it as well, and fail to realize that they need to explain it
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Overcoming ‘Smartest Kid in the Class Syndrome’ When Writing or Speaking
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- September 12, 2022
One of the best things about my work is that I get to work with some of the smartest, hardest working and most insightful thought leaders in the financial advisory world. One of the worst things about my work is that I work with some of the smartest, most insightful leaders in the financial advisory
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Writing in a Rut? Slow Down to Go Faster
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- August 3, 2022
Last month’s post about faster, clearer writing, generated a fair amount of feedback. Several readers asked how to get started when you’re staring at a blank screen or simply dreading the process of “putting pen to paper”? We get this question often during the Dog Days of summer because everyone’s on vacation, thinking about vacation