How BDs Are Stepping Up During the Pandemic

Outside of the office, advisors, BD staff and leaders have reached out to their communities. They’re making masks and care packages, as well as helping the elderly in a variety of ways. Some are supporting those in need through local food banks and fundraising.

Like those in the news business, the broker-dealers have found themselves becoming clearinghouses of information as they never really expected. This shift has been tied to all the changing IRS rules and deadlines, not to mention the many details about government-supported loan programs for small businesses and federal stimulus plans.

We’ve all been working longer hours, as the line separating our work and personal lives has blurred. This has involved more productivity and the associated pressure, but it’s also allowed many of us to get a peek into each other’s lives — like when we get to see their children and pets on screen during Zoom calls, for instance, for a few seconds.

As Forrest Gump’s mother once told him, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

It is indeed a special and often challenging time. But as broker-dealers and advisors are showing, there are ways to make it work, often in unexpected ways.

On Aug. 23, for example, I took part in an anniversary-celebration car parade in San Antonio, Texas, which was held in lieu of a big party. There was a mariachi group performing on the lawn — spread out across it, of course, to adhere to social-distancing guidelines — as well as an Elvis impersonator.

It was the couple’s 63rd anniversary. Since they were married in 1957, I put some paper cutouts on my Honda with the lyrics of their favorite song, “Gotta Lot O’ Livin’ to Do.”