One of the major motivations for advisors who choose independence is to build an enterprise via recruitment and M&A. But inorganic growth opportunities are not exclusive to independent firms. Although more limited, wirehouse advisors have options too.
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 – Elliot Weissbluth is the new chairman of HighTower Advisors, and the final selection of a CEO to replace him is imminent.
By Mindy Diamond, WealthManagement.com – There is an interesting trend emerging in the wealth management industry: banks and traditional brokerage firms starting to acquire registered independent advisory businesses. It should come as no surprise—as the proverbial puck heads toward independence with advisors large and small trading their W-2s for 1099s—that we’re seeing more of these two scenarios.
After years of strong growth, many successful independent businesses find themselves at a plateau. Inorganic growth – via mergers and acquisitions (M&A) or recruiting – offers these firms a way to expand into new markets, improve buying power, gain scale and capture operating leverage. M&A can also increase the metrics on which the valuation of the business is based, and help solve for succession.
Louis Diamond Quoted – By Tobias Salinger, Financial Planning – Advisor Group’s second acquisition of the year carries the potential to make it bigger than any other independent broker-dealer network, while pushing its largest subsidiary into the top 10 firms in the space.
Some major questions loom over the success of the deal, though.
Prospective breakaways and independent business owners alike often ask us about the long-term, bigger picture potential for their firm. In this episode, Nathan Bachrach of Simply Money Advisors joins Mindy to discuss the answers so many independent business owners ponder. [podcast]
By Barbara Herman – This is an industry where rumors frequently abound. From headlines to hearsay, the stories start out as whispers then circulate fast and furiously. There are the ones that tell of a major firm being on the block or the others of a firm exiting the Broker Protocol. Each creates feelings of uncertainty and concern, and can lead advisors to speculate about what lies ahead. What makes it even more confounding is that sometimes there actually is some truth to the buzz.
By Louis Diamond – The reality is that we are in the midst of a “seller’s market”, and as such, there are plenty of firms that would benefit from M&A, yet the fact remains that many of these potential sellers don’t really have a clear picture of how much their businesses are worth, let alone the benefits they may gain from a merger or acquisition. Whether an advisor is the owner of his own firm or an employee at a major brokerage firm, these 7 areas provide key markers that drive enterprise value.
By Mindy Diamond – As the cost of doing business rises, there’s no doubt many owners of wealth management firms are feeling the pinch. With the promise of an ever more onerous regulatory environment bearing down on these same folks, many find themselves in the unenviable position of running unprofitable enterprises. So what are these business owners to do when they are at this juncture?
