Wealth Management Technology Musings

Twitter Humor - and some truth to it!

Just some weekend Twitter humor - and a bit of a reality check.

Better Presentations - Clean and Simple

I was recently having a conversation with a peer who had just sat through a presentation I gave to a management team. He inquired as to why so little was on the slides yet we covered 45 minutes of ground.

While I would enjoy claiming some sort of guru capability on presenting - it is quite simple. I was fortunate to have had two CEO mentors who passed along some excellent advice on presenting. It came back to the forefront today when I read a Business Week article on Steve Jobs presentation methodology. Being a long time Apple customer - I have watched a number of his public presentations. His approach is very similar to that of my mentors.

For my own presentation method - it is a combination of tools, slide design and rehearsal. While I have used Power Point for years - recently I made the switch to Apple's Keynote and have not looked back. Aside from a very efficient interface and excellent integration into multimedia tools on the Mac - it has a phenomenal dual monitor support for the presenter.

When it comes to slide design - I approach every presentation - regardless of audience - as if I am presenting to a board of directors. Directors are extremely busy, operate at 100,000 feet and do not like being in the weeds unless they take you there. Thus:

• My slides are focused on using a graphic that can visually represent what I might type as bullets or other text
  
• If I have a text slide - no more than 5-7 bullets - the rest can be covered in speakers notes
  
• I use speakers notes extensively - important emphasis here - I very rarely repeat the words a viewer sees on the slide - instead I expand on them by voicing my speakers notes.
  
• If you have 30 slides - find a way to do it with 10 slides - or else you are covering more than any attendee can grasp in one session anyway. My longest presentation (in slide count) in the last year was 12 slides - and it filled an hour and fifteen minute discussion.
  

Finally - rehearsal is crucial. I run through my presentations about three times in advance of a presentation (even if only silently in my head while on a plane). It helps me stay on track and I speak more slowly as there is not nervousness about my content.

Just an aside - you can brand your presentations to include your logo and name - but get rid of busy backgrounds and crappy clip art. Build or buy good graphics that are targeted to your topic and keep lots of white space on each slide.

Buying a Mac? A Setup for Wealth Management

With the slow maturing of web-based tools for wealth management (a small sampling of them linked here on this blog that I use), using a Mac continues to become ubiquitous with using a Windows-based PC. There remain exceptions (and probably will for some time) for those apps that have invested in Internet Explorer specific functionality (Active X) – however – that is no longer the rule. I have covered examples of the cross-browser capabilities of many financial tools here before.

A common question I get is “tell me what I need to buy **with** my new Mac to hit the ground running and make the switch”. It is not a long list – and when paired with some of Apple’s native tools and some free and/or open source add-ins – can make the shift from a PC less challenging.

Putting the Kindle to Work

When Amazon’s Kindle arrived last year it first seemed like bleeding edge, then a novelty. Being an early adopter, I put my toes in the water and started using one. It solved some issues for me, being a frequent traveler. Rather than choosing one book, I could have all the books I was currently reading “fit” into my shoulder bag and come along on the trip.

Much like the iPod and Apple’s iTunes Store – the Kindle shops from Amazon.com and can buy books, magazines, blogs and other digital media. It supports Audible, MP3’s and a few other unprotected media formats. Also like the iPod, it is a fairly closed architecture in that it supports some open standards – but is tied to its manufacturer and most value comes from the manufacturer’s store. While I am not a DRM fan as I believe business models have shown that non-DRM media can make money – I also believe it is opening new markets like the iPod did and am willing to be patient as the business model expands.

From a wealth management perspective, I also started thinking about how I could use this device in the workplace, with advisors and staff.

Presentation Humor

I spend enough time creating presentations that this Dilbert episode just struck the funny bone. Sometimes we just have to take ourselves less seriously! Click for the full strip

Data Mills Edge Safe - Email Backup that Understands Microsoft Outlook

Data Mills EdgeSafe looks like an interesting plug-in to any small business backup strategy. If you use Outlook as an email client in your practice - this product provides more granular control over the PST file - which contains everything Outlook hosts on your desktop.

PCMag.com published a good overview of the feature set and is at minimum worth a trial run.  I discussed my backup scheme at a high level before - which consists of Macs and PCs (including Outlook) - and I am going to run it through the paces to see if it passes muster and possibly a tool I recommend to clients.

TakeControl Books for Mac Users

I have been a long time reader of TidBits - a web site dedicated to dispersing and distilling Apple-related news for many years. In recent years the TidBits team also launched TakeControl Books. These are full length eBooks in PDF format (no DRM) covering a variety of topics.

Most recently I purchased a Garage Band book from the site for use in the musical side of my life (music studio and local performances). However, covering the Mac as it pertains to financial services on this site and also recently upgrading to Snow Leopard - I wanted to point out some new releases in the last few weeks.

Upgrading to Snow Leopard and Exploring & Customizing Snow Leopard are excellent places for Mac users to start - both new and seasoned veterans of the Apple platform. 

Download a free sample of the Upgrading to Snow Leopard book, which includes a table of contents and sample chapter material.

Sync Adventures - A Companion Presentation

A compact presentation that can be shared, as a companion to the Sync Adventures post.

Sync Adventures

For every device we own there are probably five ways or more to sync it to other devices or services. Assemble a collection of computers, phones, MP3 players, flash drives and other storage-capable devices - and you will experience one or both - being completely out of sync across devices or angst-ridden at the time you spend trying to sync.

One solution is obvious. Use one computer and one phone and maybe throw in an iPod and digital camera. Done. No major problems. In other cases, either based on being a technologist or working in an environment that drives you across multiple systems (or just being tech crazy), you may require multiple systems and encounter what I call sync adventures (aka sync syndrome).

Good Timing for Switchers to the Mac

Apple's latest operating system has been fully unveiled and is available for purchase as of this coming Friday (August 28, 2009). It has been offered for pre-order for some time now over at Amazon.com for less than $25.

While Apple hardware and software have grown in popularity in the last two years in the wealth management sector - this latest upgrade may be just the right time for anyone sitting on the fence to take the plunge.