Forbes magazine recently celebrated its 85^th anniversary with a special issue (12/23/02) that focused on "big ideas" in the business world. For example, among the big financial ideas of our times were mutual funds (1924), value investing (1934), discount brokerage (1973), index funds (1976), and cash management accounts (1977). Forbes also offered a crystal-ball glimpse into what may be the next big financial idea on the horizon. Among "15 people who will reinvent your future," the magazine profiled Steven Wallman, founder of the company FOLIOfn.

"Folios" are a concept that should be on every financial advisor's radar, because they have the potential to change the way you and your clients do business. This article will help you understand the potential of folios, including insights that Steven Wallman shared with FreeERISA.com in a recent interview.

Surviving a Difficult Start-Up

A folio is a group of individual securities that can be bought, sold, evaluated, and adjusted via an online platform through "one-click" implementation. For example, you could position clients into a model portfolio of many stocks by entering one trade for that folio. You then can monitor, adjust and rebalance the folio with lower transactions charges than those imposed by any brokerage account, including discount and on-line trading.