The adviser forum LifeTalk is currently hosting a thread about whether or not financial advisers should wear a tie to client meetings.
As I haven’t worn a tie to a client meeting for a very long time my contribution was to suggest that client placed more value on what we do for them than how we look.
Our office operates a smart casual dress code and it is exceedingly rare that anyone in the building wears a suit and tie.
Andrew sometimes wears a suit when he is going out to see clients, but this is an exception rather than a rule.
Of course we want to make sure that we are clean and tidy looking but fewer and fewer people are dressing in the traditional manner.
Does this casual dress code mean in any way that we take what we do casually? Absolutely not.
We know how important our clients are to us and we are absolutely not casual about the planning and advice services that we provide to them.
Bottom line is we know they buy us for our skill, knowledge and experience and not for how we look.
