Skip to content

FPInsights® 2025 Advisor Compensation Study

Discover how your compensation system can fuel growth, support your team, and increase equity value.

Participate in the Study
About the FPInsights® Study Participate in the FPInsights® Study Frequently Asked Questions

What is the FP Transitions Compensation Study?

The FP Transitions Compensation Study is a comprehensive research initiative created for independent financial advisory businesses, including RIAs, hybrid firms, and IBD-aligned teams. It delivers actionable data on how compensation is structured across the industry. Rather than focusing solely on how much advisors and staff are paid, the study explores how pay strategies align with business goals, talent development, and long-term equity growth.

 

Built specifically for independent advisors, the study helps owners evaluate and evolve compensation frameworks that support business sustainability and enterprise value.

What Makes This Study Unique

Unlike generic industry compensation reports, the FP Transitions Compensation Study goes beyond base pay. It provides insight into:

How compensation is structured, including salary, revenue-sharing, bonuses, equity, and synthetic equity

How much advisors and staff are earning, with benchmarking segmented by role, region, and business size

Why structure matters, tying compensation models to key outcomes like scalability, internal succession, and equity growth

By connecting the how much to the how and why, this study enables owners to make informed, strategic decisions that strengthen the foundation of their business.

Understanding Common Advisor Compensation Models

Compensation in the independent advisory space goes well beyond base pay. Businesses often use a blend of models that reflect their structure, team goals, and succession timeline. This study explores:

Salary and bonus combinations

Revenue-sharing and production-based models

Equity and synthetic equity plans

Long-term incentive structures

By analyzing these approaches across a wide range of advisory businesses, the study reveals how modern compensation systems are being shaped by enterprise needs and ownership objectives.

Why it Matters

This data-backed analysis helps answer vital questions for growth-minded business leaders:

Are we compensating competitively for each key role?

Does our structure support long-term value creation and continuity?

How can equity or incentive-based models drive stronger retention?

Where do we stand relative to other independent advisory businesses?

The Compensation Study is not just a benchmarking tool. It’s a roadmap for transforming compensation from an operational cost into a strategic growth engine.

Why Participate in the Compensation Study?

By participating, you'll gain:

Access to Final Report Unlock our exclusive report with trends, data, and guidance on building ownership-aligned pay strategies that retain top talent and support business sustainability. See how your pay structure compares to your peers and industry benchmarks.

Who Should Take This Study?

This initiative is designed for:

Multi-employee RIAs, hybrids, and IBD-aligned businesses

Owners and partners focused on long-term value creation

Team leaders rethinking how they pay and retain next-gen talent

How to Participate

Estimated Time: 30-40 Minutes If you prefer something shorter, start with a 2-minute compensation diagnostic

Login to the FPInsights® Dashboard

Access the "Compensation Survey" located in the lower left panel

Watch the Video or Download the PDF step-by-step guide on how to complete the survey

" data-max-height="" data-max-width="" >

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the survey cover?

The 2025 FP Transitions Compensation Survey collects detailed data on how financial advisors and staff are compensated across the wealth management industry. It covers:
  • Firm-level details including AUM, revenue, location, and broker-dealer affiliation
  • Team member roles, ownership, licensure, and job functions
  • Compensation structures including salary, hourly pay, shared revenue (“eat what you kill”), direct commissions, bonuses, deferred compensation, and profit distributions
  • Equity and long-term incentive plans like phantom stock or stock appreciation rights
  • Work arrangements such as remote, in-office, or hybrid settings
  • Geographic factors affecting pay (state and county)
  • Bonus drivers and performance-based compensation metrics

The survey is designed to provide deep insights into both the amount and structure of compensation, allowing participants to benchmark their practices and support ownership-aligned pay strategies. It requires data on at least two team members, with one being an owner, and takes approximately 30–40 minutes to complete.

How is the data used?

The data collected through the 2025 FP Transitions Compensation Survey is compiled, anonymized, and analyzed to create a comprehensive industry report. This report provides benchmarking insights into how financial advisors and support staff are compensated—highlighting both the amount and the structure of pay.

 

Key uses of the data include:

  • Identifying trends in base salary, shared revenue, bonuses, equity participation, and deferred compensation
  • Benchmarking firm compensation models by role, geography, firm size, and affiliation (e.g., broker-dealer or RIA)
  • Highlighting best practices in ownership-aligned pay strategies to support business growth and sustainability
  • Empowering firms to compare their compensation systems to peers and make informed, strategic adjustments

Participants are notified via email when the report is published and available for download. Only aggregated and anonymized results are shared—individual firm data is kept confidential and secure.

Who qualifies to participate?

The 2025 FP Transitions Compensation Survey is open to U.S.-based wealth management firms across a range of sizes and structures, including:

  • RIA firms, IBD-aligned practices, and hybrid models
  • Practices with at least two team members, including at least one owner

Participants must be able to provide:

  • Firm-level information such as AUM, revenue, and office location
  • Individual-level compensation data for team members, including roles, pay structure, licenses, and benefits

 

Whether you're a solo advisor growing your team or a multi-advisor firm preparing for succession, if you manage compensation for advisory staff or owners, you qualify to participate.

Is the survey confidential?

Yes. All data submitted through the 2025 FP Transitions Compensation Survey is strictly confidential and handled with the highest standards of privacy and security.
  • Your individual firm data is never shared publicly or with other participants.
  • All results in the final report are aggregated and anonymized to protect the identity of participating firms and individuals.
  • Data is used solely for the purpose of generating industry insights and benchmarking trends to support informed compensation planning.
  • Only the FP Transitions research team has access to your raw data, and any contributors you specifically invite from your own team.

We take your trust seriously and are committed to safeguarding your information throughout the entire process.

Will I get access to the results?

Yes. All participants who complete the 2025 Compensation Survey will receive exclusive access to the final report once the data collection and analysis are complete.

  • You’ll be notified via email when the report is published and ready for download.
  • The report includes industry-wide benchmarking data, insights into compensation trends, and breakdowns by firm size, role, geography, and ownership structure.
  • It’s designed to help you compare your compensation model to your peers and make strategic, data-driven decisions.

Participation gives you early access to insights that are not publicly available—helping you stay ahead in a competitive market.

Join Our Email List

Get more #FPInsights delivered straight to your inbox.