"Think about those future goals."
"Hold steady and don't react to the market."
"Remember, we have a plan and it's still well on track."
Throughout the market roller coaster of the Pandemic and now with 2022 rearing its head, advisors are getting used to coaching clients through market volatility. What matters most in these scenarios are two things: first, a trusted relationship between advisor and client, and second, preparation and education to navigate these emerging challenges.
Topics: Succession Planning, Selling Your Practice, Business Value, Sustainability, Trends
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Designing a sustainable firm is something that requires intentionality. For most advisors, this is always the goal, but having time to monitor your progress and course-correct is simply overwhelming. It gets shelved in the back of our brains, and its not until something unexpected crops up when we realize its time to revisit our goals.
Topics: Continuity Planning, Organizational Structure, Entity Structure, Sustainability, Business Operations
Succession planning is a critical, foundational element in building a sustainable business. Incorporating new talent into your ownership structure is a process that takes continuous planning, evolution, and monitoring. When done correctly, succession planning ensures incredible employee culture, firm growth, and enduring business value. When the brunt of the planning is complete and documented with the help of partners like FP Transitions, firms have to stay focused as they begin executing their plan. Owners and next generation leaders must engage in transparent communication to navigate the inevitable bumps that can occur throughout the planning and execution of a succession strategy. The reality is, we’re all human. Life presents curves, and personal and professional goals can change. These anticipated bumps can necessitate larger course corrections in order to keep your plan on track.
Typically there are three areas where succession plans may need course corrections: if founder/owner plans change, if successor plans change, and if Plan B needs to be activated.
Topics: Succession Planning, Selling Your Practice, Sustainability
Topics: Succession Planning, Culture, Next Generation, Sustainability, Women in Wealth
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LLC vs. Corporation. Which entity structure fits your goals?
Understanding your specific needs and specific goals is an important first step of the entity-building process. As Rod Boutin, JD, General Counsel at FP Transitions outlined in a recent webinar, “it is important that we build an entity that clearly identifies and promotes your attainment of those goals. Done right, an entity is a tool to align with your goals.”
Topics: Succession Planning, Organizational Structure, Business Growth, Tip of the Week, State of the Market, Exit Planning, Next Generation, Sustainability, Wealth Management, Valuation & Appraisal, Business Operations
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Topics: Continuity Planning, Webcasts, Multi-Generational Ownership, Organizational Structure, Business Growth, Tip of the Week, Business Value, Client Success, Sustainability, Client Relationships, Business Operations
The search for new talent can be time consuming and intimidating. As with any company, online job boards like Indeed and Monster are good starting points. There are other resources to supplement these tools, and as a financial advisory firm there are some unique tools you can leverage. Whether you’re looking to recruit experienced advisory professionals, or fresh, new talent, the following are 11 more resources for finding new talent.
Topics: Multi-Generational Ownership, Organizational Structure, Culture, Tip of the Week, Next Generation, Talent Recruitment, Sustainability, Building Your Team
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KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators
During a recent webinar hosted by FP Transitions, several attendees had questions about KPIs. Marcus Hagood Director of Equity Management System at FP Transitions, and Mike McKennon, EMS Consultant at FPT, had previously hosted a webinar on KPIs, and many of those key points are featured in the following post.Knowing the KPIs
The industry is flush with discussions of KPIs. Surely, you’ve heard the term before, or perhaps seen these indexes described as performance metrics, key variables or key success indicators. At FP Transitions, we use the term Key Performance Indicator; but ultimately, the data these terms convey is the same. KPIs are a unit of measurement leveraged to help you determine where your business is at, where you want to go, and will ultimately provide you with a road map of how you should proceed on your journey.
Topics: Webcasts, Business Growth, Tip of the Week, Deal Structure, State of the Market, Sustainability, Benchmarking, Valuation & Appraisal, Business Operations
Last month our M&A Director James Fisher, JD and CEO Brad Bueermann delivered our 2021 Mid-Year Market Update and explored marketplace activity for the first half of 2021.
We all know that 2020 was a truly unique year on all fronts. The financial services M&A marketplace was no exception (as we discussed back in January). The effects of 2020 have carried over into 2021 and have impacted transactions in some unexpected ways–and have potentially changed deal term norms from here on out.
Our full Mid-Year Market Update presentation was close to 60 minutes, including a live Q&A session, and covered up-to-date transaction data and trends, realities of today's industry, qualities of successful buyers, and common acquisition misconceptions.
To focus in on some of the most important highlights from the session, Craig Strauser sat down with James Fisher, JD to discuss them further. Watch their chat below.
Topics: Compensation, Business Growth, Sustainability, Enterprise
Many financial services businesses focus on revenue strength while downplaying–or ignoring–enterprise strength. However, revenue strength and enterprise strength are both critical to the growth and sustainability of a business. When revenue is the sole driver of your value, you’re leaving money on the table and jeopardizing the long-term success of the business.
Since revenue and enterprise strength influence the value of your business in different ways, it's crucial to understand these differences and why balancing the two is so important. While clients, fees, and assets under management (AUM) pay the bills, the absence of a solid business infrastructure will put a company's longevity at risk. Whether you’re determined to create explosive business growth or have a sale–external or internal–on the horizon, knowing how to position your company now can result in a higher return on your efforts and investment for the years to come.
Revenue vs. Enterprise Strength
Revenue strength represents the source, quantity, and quality of your cash flow. This includes your active income generated based on advisory fees, commissions, and other financial planning services. Revenue strength accounts for your team’s compensation and other business expenses. Revenue strength represents the top-line accounting of the business.
It's the value of your book.
Topics: Business Growth, Revenue Strength, Enterprise Strength, Cash Flow, Sustainability