In the October 2019 issue of the Journal of Financial Planning, FP Transitions' Christine Sjölin, VP of Strategic Development and Operations, contributed her article "Lay the Foundation for the Next Generation of Ownership." The article discusses the importance–and challenge–of seeking out and recruiting next-generation talent in the financial services industry. Christine explores implementing internship opportunities to recruiting new advisors, strategies for talent retention, and how to incorporate ownership opportunities into your compensation structure.
Read her full article, "Lay the Foundation for the Next Generation of Ownership," now at onefpa.org
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
FPT in the News,
FPA,
Next Generation,
Talent Recruitment,
Sustainability,
Journal of Financial Planning
We all know what an entrepreneur is. Many independent financial advisors would likely identify themselves as an entrepreneur.
Many entrepreneurs worked 18-hour days to get their business off the ground and wore all the hats in the company–CEO, Marketing Director, H.R. Manager, IT Coordinator, Bookkeeper, and Visionary. They are their own boss. They create new things. They continuously solve problems. They have initiative. And, importantly, they can tolerate risk more than most people.
A lesser-known term is "intrapreneur."
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
Business Growth,
Next Generation,
Sustainability,
Enterprise
When should you start developing your exit plan or succession plan?
The short answer is: start the planning process early. Successful internal succession planning can be a 10- to 15-year process so give yourself adequate time. For advisors who want to sell externally, the planning process should start three to five years before you think you’re ready to actually sell.
Projecting an Off Ramp
As you forecast your exit timeline it’s important to consider factors like cash flow and how much will be required to move into retirement and maintain your desired lifestyle. You should also consider how long it will take to put your successor team in place and when you’ll be able to hand over the reins completely.
One of the best ways to make a timeline projection is to determine how much time you want to—or will realistically be able to—spend productively working in the office, and create a “workweek trajectory.”
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
Selling Your Practice,
Business Growth,
FP Transitions,
Sustainability,
Enterprise,
Sell and Stay™
FP Transitions CEO, Brad Bueermann, weighs in on the "trend" of consolidation among wealth management firms in Friday's New York Times Article, "Wealth Advisory Firms Are Merging, but What's in it for Clients?" by Paul Sullivan. Experts share their thoughts on the trend and whether or not the trend is actually resulting in better service for advisory clients.
We have seen that the ability to leverage technology and better processes indeed produces stronger and more valuable businesses, but access to these tools is not necessarily a function of size. As Brad says in the article, “We firmly believe at the client level that doing business locally with people who understand the community where their clients are going to retire into and who have a close connection to the client are better...Independent practices have flourished for a reason: Consolidation is the world we came from 30 years ago.”
Read the full article, "Wealth Advisory Firms Are Merging, but What's in it for Clients?" here.
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Topics:
Business Growth,
FPT in the News,
Sustainability,
New York Times
We write a fair number of white papers every year. As thought leaders, it is part of our job to share our thinking with independent financial professionals in order to advance the profession. In our consulting work, our clients often challenge us with thought provoking questions which open us to new ideas, help us to improve, and occasionally challenge basic assumptions behind the work that we perform. Sometimes questions are really out of left field and our curiosity leads us to an answer worth sharing.
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
Business Growth,
FP Transitions,
Sustainability,
Enterprise
Ahead of FA's 2020 Invest in Women's Conference in April 2020, Michaela G. Herlihy shares important insight and actionable advice for making the transition from employee to owner. She covers identifying and Implementing proper policies and procedures, creating a business plan, leveraging a skilled team of professionals, incorporating your key employees in strategic planning, and the importance of having a plan for the transition (that's where we come in).
Read the full article, "Roadmap to an Internal Succession Plan," at FA Magazine.
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
FPT in the News,
Next Generation,
Sustainability,
FA Magazine
As a next-generation advisor, pursuing ownership as part of your career path is an important decision. Business ownership requires a variety of skill sets and comes with both benefits and responsibilities that go beyond the role of advisor. Before you consider asking for ownership from the existing owners of your firm, you need to demonstrate that it is not only something you are capable of, but something you have earned.
Starting with these four steps as early as possible will help you build a strong case for ownership:
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
Multi-Generational Ownership,
Next Generation,
Sustainability
Over the last ten years, increasing numbers of advisors have begun the process of creating sustainable businesses. Many advisors started out as a book or a practice—one-generational models. They took steps to create much more valuable, multi-generational businesses by focusing on enterprise strength and setting up or restructuring essential business structures.
The M&A marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive. Businesses need a strong value proposition to step away from the crowd. Owners who have taken steps to work on building their enterprises are in the best position to leverage their unique business aspects to access more growth opportunities and become successful acquirers or merger partners.
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
Multi-Generational Ownership,
Organizational Structure,
Business Growth,
M&A,
Sustainability
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There has been a fair amount of talk over the past decades about consolidation in the financial services industry. Most of the white papers and articles addressing this concept have presented it in a negative light as though it signals the end of the lifestyle practices that dot the landscape in this profession. Industry regulation, growth, technology, fee compression, competition, and aging advisors forced smaller practices to consolidate just to survive. At least that was the working theory.
As the original organizers of the open marketplace for independent advisors seeking to sell or to acquire, we have a slightly different perspective on consolidation; we view it in a very positive light. Consolidation looks very different than what the prognosticators laid out decades ago. From our vantage point of working with businesses below $2 billion in AUM, we’ve observed the industry is indeed experiencing some consolidation, but not only due to acquisitions or roll-ups by companies like Focus Financial, United Capital, or Dynasty. The consolidation that we see every day is owners of stronger, sustainable enterprises acquiring smaller, one-generational books and practices.
Viewed in this light, how better to look after 250 clients or households when a single-owner advisory practice nears retirement than to find a very similarly structured business that can step in, take over, and provide for the staff members as well? This process works for the buyers, the sellers, and, most importantly, the clients.
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Topics:
Multi-Generational Ownership,
Organizational Structure,
Business Growth,
M&A,
Sustainability,
Trends in Transactions Study
As more wealth management businesses look to internal succession, more new owners are being created. As a next generation advisor, you should consider whether ownership is the right path for you, and it is important to understand what ownership entails. Owners of a privately-held business, even with a minority position, enjoy several rights and privileges in exchange for their investment in the company, but they are also responsible for meeting certain obligations.
The following rights and responsibilities apply to all owners whether the business is a corporation governed by bylaws or a limited liability company with an operating agreement.*
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Topics:
Succession Planning,
Multi-Generational Ownership,
Business Growth,
Next Generation,
Sustainability
