Happy Financial Literacy Month everybody!

For those that may have forgotten to mark their calendars, April is the month where wealth managers promote and highlight the benefits of financial education. The idea behind the financial literacy push is to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their money, ultimately promoting financial well-being and security.

To celebrate the month-long festivities, InvestmentNews asked some of our favorite financial advisors to explain how they approach the idea of financial education and why it’s so important – and not just in April!

Gerald Schreck, senior vice president of advisor education and training at Osaic:

“In today’s dynamic marketplace, continuous learning is essential for both personal and professional success. According to the Association for Talent Development’s study ‘The Value of Training,’ comprehensive training programs can lead to a 24 percent increase in productivity. The key takeaway here is the importance of ‘comprehensive’ training, which aligns with our perspective on financial professional development.”

“Effective development relies on three essential components: knowledge, skills, and application experience—each playing a critical role in maximizing impact. Building confidence starts with developing competence in new products, services, technologies, and processes. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are key to turning every client or prospect interaction into an opportunity to strengthen relationships. Ultimately, success comes from the ability to seamlessly apply both skills and knowledge, blending the right solutions to meet client needs through an efficient and technology-supported approach.”

“Recognizing that development is a journey, it is essential to design programs with multiple touchpoints, allowing advisors to learn through experience and from one another. Osaic’s Wealth Advisor Academy exemplifies this approach by helping financial professionals grow their practices through the identification and application of solutions to unmet client needs.

This program is designed to strengthen advisors' expertise through a comprehensive approach that includes confidence-based assessments, a focus on communication styles, and real-world application. By identifying technical knowledge gaps and assessing confidence levels, we tailor support to individual needs. Advisors also refine their ability to engage in deeper, more meaningful client conversations, reinforced by oral exams. Throughout a multi-month development process, participants put their newfound knowledge, skills, and tools into practice during client interactions, with after-action debriefs providing ongoing support and refinement.”

Read more on InvestmentNews.