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First of all, why do we even care about sales forecasts? In one word: planning. If you can accurately predict how many sales you can close every month or every quarter, you can plan ahead to make sure you have the budget, the supply, and the wherewithal you need to close and service those new sales. On the flipside it should give you insight into if and when it’s time to investigate new sources of lead generation for your sales efforts. If your forecasts look low, it’s time to make a change. Business decisions are made by looking at previous results and upcoming projections based on that history. If you have wholly inaccurate projections, it will hinder your ability to make good decisions moving forward. Let’s start by taking a look at the simple definition of sales forecasting: *Predicting how future sales activities will result.* A prediction of how many deals will close in a given time period. Makes sense, right? Any marketer or business owner should be able to tell you why...

*Every Financial Services Intermediary should read this and practice to be successful.* Here’s a list I use now on a daily basis as a reminder to increase my happiness: *1. Give yourself permission.* Permission to be who you are. Permission to laugh big, to cry when you need to, to fail brilliantly, to make stuff. Permission to fall apart, breakdown, and get back up again. Permission to be different and unique. Permission to go too far and reach your dreams. *2. Don’t take yourself so seriously.* Hold yourself with a “light hand.” Laugh at your foibles with amusement. When things get tough or stress arises, lift your shoulders with an “oh well…” Know that it’s never as big or life devastating as your mind thinks. Happy people trust that whatever glitch happens will work itself out. Happy people give a “Ha! Ha!” and a “So what? Who cares? Big Deal! Why not?” when meet with resistances. *3. Don’t self-ruminate*. I remember a friend of mine...

Financial Services Intermediaries usually focus on various factors while promoting a mutual fund to the investors, but seldom do we give any importance to the factors that warrant exiting an investment. While the benefits of investing, especially in equity funds, are derived in a longer time frame, that doesn’t mean one should forget about these investments and only take a look at them as the goal nears its target. This is because there are various factors that impact the growth journey of investments. Here I would like to highlight the importance of the right time to redeem mutual fund investments in the financial planning process and look at the major scenarios under which investors should be advised to take an informed decision to exit their mutual fund investments. *When to sell* While it’s true that mutual fund investments should be for the long term, a smart investor must also know when to make an exit and sell his or her mutual fund holdings. For most investors though, deci...