Creative Advisors Turn Workshops Into Money Makers

Summary: Financial advisor James Lange figures it costs him around $8,000 to hold a workshop for clients and prospects. The president of Lange Financial Group in Pittsburgh, which manages $306 million, also invests many hours in preparation and marketing. Even so, Lange is planning to host more than two dozen workshops in 2014, twice as many as last year. According to an Aite Group survey, nearly 40% of wealth-management practices in the U.S. that posted at least double-digit revenue growth last year conducted workshops and seminars regularly, compared with 13% of firms with single-digit growth.