I’ve been following with great interest the formation of the Secret Society, whose core purpose is to differentiate. In this post, I wanted to make the point that Barron’s presentation of top advisors has limited usefulness in helping investors select an advisor. I think we’re both saying that there are no columns of numbers that Barron’s could publish that would help differentiate one advisor from another in a meaningful, reliable way.

But in the tweets they send and in their visible interactions with others, the small group of advisors using Twitter today are differentiating themselves. Carl Richards concludes the post you link to by asking for stories as opposed to performance data. We come together in the belief that it is qualitative information (i.e., stories and tweets) that will enable investors to find the “right-fit” advisors.

Advisors, particularly those who are part of the Secret Society of REAL Financial Planners, do so much more than manage money. Consumers need to understand that and acknowledge that rating an advisor touches on many other measures rather than strictly portfolio performance.

Bill @ FPPad.com