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Q2 hedge fund letters, conference, scoops etc
Google dominates our on-line personal lives. If you are not utilizing it in your financial advisory firm as well, you are missing out. While there is a paid option for businesses called G Suite, there are also tons of free tools that you can use to keep your office running smoothly.
Advisors are constantly in communication with clients, other advisors, team members, and so many others that the need for seamless communication and collaboration is high on their priority list. There is always an email to send or respond to, a document to read or approve and the never-ending responsibility of running an office – itself a daunting task.
There are a few free tools that I use in my business and always recommend to my clients when they are looking for a way to make their everyday tasks a little easier.
Gmail
Google is one of the most credible and well-known email platforms. One of the main things I love is the large storage capacity. With Gmail, you never have to erase your email archives. With the free version, you get 15 GB of storage and cloud-based accessibility. To upgrade to 100 GB it is $1.99/month, which is what I use. I did not need to do this in my first few years, but when I finally did need to upgrade storage, it was well worth it. If you use the free version to set up an email account for your business, you get to choose your own email address that will follow the standard format of YourName@gmail.com. Keep it professional and keep it simple. Ideally, and what I recommend, is to go the paid route with Gmail, for $50 per user/per year and you can get your email set up on your web domain and create a customized email address (name@yourcompany.com).
Google Drive
Google Drive is another life-changing tool, not only for business but for personal use as well. It is cloud-based storage, document management and file collaboration all in one. It is secure and takes going paperless to a whole new level. With Google Drive, you can store all of your documents, grant access to specific people, and determine what level of access they have. With Google Drive also comes the use of Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms – all for free!
The most significant benefit to using these tools is that they automatically update as you work. In the not-so-distant past when a team was working on a project together, there was always the string of emails and attachments and multiple versions of a document going back and forth as everyone provided input and feedback. Now with Google’s business productivity tools you can create the document, share it, and set permissions. All previous versions are saved for reference if they are ever needed. You and your team can work on it, at the same time, with real-time comments and chat. Talk about true team collaboration! With the free version you get 15 GB to store any file, but there are options to pay to expand your storage if your needs warrant more space.
Read the full article here by Crystal Lee Butler, Advisor Perspectives
