It’s finally here. You can download a copy of our new ebook, Imagining the Custodian of the Future: 6 Ways Forward-Looking Custodians Are Making a Break from the Past. It’s designed as a practical guide to help you select a custodian today you won’t regret choosing in a year or two.

The book explains 6 ways the successful custodians of the future will distinguish themselves from those who fall behind. They include—

• Investment products: Why a multi-asset-class platform will become make-or-break
• Service: How the best players will reverse the industry’s woeful decline
• Technology: What “integration” actually means
• Agility: Where to turn when your business models changes—which will happen sooner than you think
• Stability: Why balance sheets are no longer enough to prove long-term reliability as a partner
• Compliance: Why staying in the clear now demands a whole new level of vigilance

We wrote this book as a tool. It’s designed to help you make a more informed and confident decision about your custody relationships. Exceptional customer service is becoming more critical than ever. The current market conditions are creating unease among clients and increasing phone calls and emails. Our book can give you more resources to provide reassurance.

We hope you find it useful. It might just change your perspective on a point or two.

What we learned about the future from watching Tom Cruise

Here’s a random question. Have you seen “Top Gun: Maverick?” Or even just the trailer? In the movie, Tom Cruise reprises his original character from the ‘80s. Cocky. Talented. Difficult. The difference is, back in the day, pilots like him ruled the air. Now, sophisticated technology like drones have replaced a lot of what human pilots used to do. He struggles to remain relevant. Since it’s a Tom Cruise movie, you can probably safely bet (spoiler alert, maybe) that he succeeds. And he does it by being what no one else can be: a Maverick.

It’s just a summer blockbuster, but something here feels very true to life. After their glory days are over, a lot of big-time people and organizations try to hold onto their dominance forever. But if you want to stay relevant, you can’t just keep resisting change. You need to get ahead of it. You have to be bolder than the upstarts, smarter than the inventors, more inventive than the innovators around you. You must be a maverick. Those are the kinds of organizations that are going to prosper in the future—whether they’re custodians, advisors or any other kind of business.

That’s the kind of custodian we’re striving to be.

Enjoy the book.

Custody and Administration Services provided by Equity Trust Company. Equity Advisor Solutions is an affiliate of Equity Trust Company. Equity Trust Company is a directed custodian and does not provide tax, legal or investment advice. Any information communicated by Equity Trust Company is for educational purposes only, and should not be construed as tax, legal or investment advice. Whenever making an investment decision, please consult with your tax attorney or financial professional.