If you ever jumped into one of our team calls, the first thing you’d hear is laughter. A meme in the chat. Someone sharing a quick win. A moment of gratitude before we dive in. We’re spread across time zones, yet it still feels like we’re sitting at the same table. Not because of tools. Not because of meetings. Because of connection. Here’s how we keep that connection strong: 1. We start with gratitude. One quick thing we’re grateful for, work or life. It shifts the energy immediately and helps everyone show up differently. 2. We overuse emojis. When you’re not across a desk from each other, tone matters. A well-timed GIF or emoji makes communication warmer, clearer, and more human. 3. We make space for fun. No-agenda calls. Monthly Fun Fridays. Time to celebrate wins and actually enjoy the people we work with. Culture isn’t built by proximity. It’s built by consistency, kindness, and a team that cares about how they work together. If you want a team that feels this connected , even while remote , your systems and culture have to support it. Both matter.

Our firm is working on strengthening our cybersecurity and would like to implement an identity verification tool to use with clients. With the increase in hackers using A.I. to impersonate voices and spoof phone numbers, we would like to use a tool to send clients a SMS verification code when they call in with requests and verify the code. We found Twilio Verify, but after digging more into the tool, it seems that it is just an API tool that requires you to code it into an existing website/app or use 3rd party vendors with it. It just seems much more complex than we would prefer. I would love to see what other RIA firms are doing to verify client identities and what tools are being used for SMS OTP verification.

I just found that Right Capital does not have the capability to add an asset-based long-term care policies to clients' profiles 🤯 Has anyone found a workaround in RC?

Does anyone have a national company they love for sending edible client gifts? We've been using iGourmet to send charcuterie to some of our top clients the last few years. However, their prices continue to go up and we are looking at other alternatives to stay within the gifting limit. I loved some of the feedback folks shared on @Kayla Berger's post about client experience and some gifts (Thanksgiving pies, college sweatshirts for parents of new students, etc.) and thought I'd try some sourcing beyond my Google searches.