This month, 3,000 or so four-legged superstars of the canine world – along with their human sidekicks – will descend upon New York City to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show.

For our money, the event’s grand finale, “Best in Show” still boasts the toughest judging job around. Why? There’s no one set of standards. A Best in Show finalist is not judged against the competition, but against a set of standards applicable to its breed. The winner is the dog judged to have best played to his/her strengths, whatever they may be.

Here at Royal Alliance, our advisors judge their success by their own set of standards, too. Whether Independent Advisors, Branch Advisors, Branch Managers, as well as Corporate, Independent, or Hybrid RIAs, our goal is to allow them to attain the future they envision.

At Royal, we recognize our job is to:

1. allow our advisors to define success for themselves, and
2. provide the resources needed to help them get there.

We offer a comprehensive suite of technology platforms – and our advisors can choose which ones they want to deploy, depending upon their practice.

We provide myriad resources designed to help our advisors manage client assets. From an accessible, top-notch Wealth Management team to Morningstar® research capabilities, our advisors can choose to tap into whatever tools they need to provide insightful guidance to their clients.

Throughout the year, we give our advisors the opportunity to earn CE credit, partake in ongoing training, hear from industry leaders, and network with their peers via a series of classroom, web-based and conference/meeting learning opportunities. Advisors decide the “what, where and when” that works best for them.

At Royal Alliance, when it comes to working with each of our advisors to play to their strengths, we like to think we’re Blue Ribbon material.

The 2012 elections are over and the year is winding down. A great deal of talk surrounds what next year will bring, both politically and economically. With much of the media engaged in a frenzy of “if this… then that… unless the other thing happens” analyses, it’s hard to know what to think – or what to do. From an investing standpoint, therein lies the importance of using the services of an independent financial advisor.

In such an environment, investors’ portfolios may very well be what are dangling off a cliff… of emotions. Because it’s very easy – and very harmful – for investors to act on the last bit of news they’ve heard, the steadying influence of a knowledgeable and objective professional can go a long way toward reducing impulsive investment mistakes.

Royal Alliance Associates financial professionals are well versed in guiding their clients through the market ups and downs associated with economic cycles. Whether assessing an investment’s fundamental strength or weakness, reviewing the macroeconomic environment in which companies must compete, gauging the implications of tax policy or assessing global investing conditions, the guiding hand of a financial advisor can make a real impact over the long term.

As the world ushers in a new year, some long-standing concerns will carry over into 2013. The informed advice offered by a Royal Alliance Associates advisor will no doubt help clients navigate what is sure to be an interesting year to come.

As the launch of the holiday season approaches, take a moment to offer a silent nod of thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale. It was her dogged determination to establish a national day of thanks that led Abraham Lincoln to designate the last Tuesday of November a national day of thanksgiving. Thereafter, the date changed occasionally; and, after some back-and-forth, FDR and Congress agreed to proclaim the fourth Thursday in November as the national holiday of “Thanksgiving.”

There’s a good chance that most of you reading this were unfamiliar with the role Sarah Josepha Hale played in the establishment of this quintessentially American holiday. The truth is, we sometimes don’t know how things come to be. We just are grateful that someone took care of it – that someone was “on it.”

And that’s an apt description of the home office personnel who support our advisors. From commissions to technology, and from recruiting assistance to training, the experienced professionals at Royal Alliance are “on it.” Royal’s commitment to providing a truly open architecture platform for our advisors translates into servicing a diverse clientele: No two advisors have the same practice, concerns and needs. Supporting the unique businesses of our advisors takes insight, commitment and knowledge. And it takes the dedication that comes with truly caring about our advisors’ success.

Whether it’s ensuring our advisors are up-to-date- on – and compliant with – current regulations, helping them maximize the power of social media, or introducing new technology to improve efficiency, the Royal Alliance Home Office provides our advisors with the service they deserve. Service that is personalized. Service that is comprehensive. Service that does not rest until our client – the advisor -- is satisfied.

Our personnel are the backbone of our success, and an integral part of our advisors’ ability to serve their clients so well. And for that, we are grateful.

You may have been reading about a couple of Royal Alliance's affiliated companies in the media recently. Happily, the news is all good. Advisor Group, the network of independent broker-dealers to which Royal Alliance belongs, has just entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Woodbury Financial Services from The Hartford. Woodbury will be operated as a stand-alone broker-dealer, becoming the fourth firm in the Advisor Group network. We expect the deal to close by year-end 2012.

And, it's a great fit. Just like RAA, Woodbury's focus has always been on their advisors' success. And, just like RAA, Woodbury is committed to providing outstanding, personalized service and broad-based support, all with one goal in mind: helping advisors build the practices they want, in the manner they choose.

We're very excited at the prospect of welcoming Woodbury as a sister firm, for a number of reasons: In addition to strengthening our presence in the independent broker-dealer space, and expanding the Advisor Group brand, this acquisition is yet another manifestation of the resurgence of our parent company, AIG. *

At the height of the financial crisis in 2008, the US government extended a helping hand to AIG. In turn, AIG made a promise to repay this assistance and committed to doing so at a profit to US taxpayers. And, we are making good on our promise in a more successful manner than anyone would have predicted. No one can tell the story better than AIG employees. Visit: www.YouTube.com/AIG to hear the AIG Story. It's a good one.

*Advisor Group is a subsidiary of SunAmerica Financial Group, whose parent company is AIG.