By Louis Diamond, WealthManagement.com – With so much uncertainty and negativity pervading our lives, it’s helpful to imagine a future where we witness positive effects of the crisis on the RIA industry.
By Louis Diamond, WealthManagement.com – The wealth management industry was already evolving rapidly to match the needs of clients and advisors, yet the COVID-19 crisis is likely to accelerate the pace even faster. While each segment of the financial services ecosystem will no doubt be impacted, there’s one area in particular likely to evolve more than others: the Independent broker dealer (IBD) channel.
By Louis Diamond – While bigger isn’t always better, the fact remains that smaller independent practices can benefit by understanding the example set by larger firms when it comes to “scale.” Simply put, most larger RIAs have optimized the management of capital, infrastructure, buying power and resources, resulting in a well-oiled machine that has mastered an optimal balance of organic and inorganic growth.
Louis Diamond Quoted – By Oisin Breen, RIABiz – Former LPL Financial senior executive Derek Bruton now heads his own independent broker-dealer, after Kingswood Holdings bankrolled and spun off two subunits of Keith Gregg’s start-up, Chalice Wealth Partners (CWP). Bruton’s Post-LPL career has consisted of shorter stints at smaller enterprises and just under two years at old-line broker-dealer Oppenheimer & Co.
By Louis Diamond – While mergers and acquisitions are typically associated with existing RIAs and independents, the fact of the matter is that anytime an advisor is offered a recruitment package from a brokerage firm, that firm is in essence “buying” a business and conducting its own due diligence process to assess value—so understanding that value is imperative.
By Louis Diamond – Conversations throughout the wealth management industry have escalated around the topic of “enhanced” sunset programs with talk that the advisor elite at Merrill Lynch will be offered a “retention deal” in the near future.
By Louis Diamond – Many independent firms reach a point in their business lifecycle where they can no longer sufficiently grow or compete on their own. It’s when discussions around finding a way to gain scale and solve for succession hit a wall that firms often turn to considering a merger or acquisition opportunity. Yet finding the right M&A partner isn’t all that easy.
By Louis Diamond – According to a 2017 Cerulli report, 39% of the financial advisor population is over 55 years of age—and of course, no one is getting any younger. Over the past decade, many quality brokerage firms responded to the strong outcry from advisors who had no tangible way to monetize their life’s work in place. As such, firms launched attractive sunset programs like UBS ALFA, Merrill Lynch CTP, and Morgan Stanley FFAP—each providing pathways for senior advisors to unlock liquidity before formally retiring and passing the business along to the next generation.
By Louis Diamond – While the financial advisory profession is still largely a meritocracy, your production and book of business no longer solely dictate how attractive you are to prospective employers. As wirehouses have scaled back on hiring advisors (not entirely by choice), regional firms, boutiques and independent platforms now control the recruiting market. The result? Cultural fit and likeability can make or break a deal.
By Louis Diamond – The conversations around movement to the independent space often center around the “big picture”: The opportunity for an advisor to get out from under the auspices of a larger firm to build an enterprise and legacy based on his own vision and terms.
