It’s the perfect time for advisors to set up the second half of the year for success.
As summer approaches, it’s easy to drift into vacation mode. But before doing so, remember that it’s also the halfway point of 2025—the perfect time for a midyear gut check.
For advisors, this is an important exercise that can provide clarity and set the stage for a strong finish to the year. And the best part? It doesn’t require a major time investment—just a willingness to be honest with yourself about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change.
To begin the “midyear gut check,” ask yourself:
- Am I spending my time and energy on what drives the most value?
- Are my current strategies aligned with where I want my business to be in three years?
- Is my firm empowering me to grow, or just keeping me comfortable?
- Is my team capable of supporting the next chapter of my business, or are we just treading water?
With this context in mind, here’s a five-part playbook to guide your process and provide a path for tracking your progress along the way:
1. Reconnect with Your “Why”
When business is moving fast, it’s easy to lose sight of purpose. But the most fulfilled advisors we work with are those who regularly reconnect with their “why.”
Ask:
- Am I serving the types of clients I enjoy working with most?
- Is my day-to-day work aligned with what energizes me?
- Have I defined what success looks like, and am I moving toward it?
Realigning with your core mission can reinvigorate your focus and sharpen your decision-making.
2. Look Back: Performance and Progress
Start by reviewing the goals you set for the year. Are you on track in terms of revenue, AUM, new clients, and team development? If you didn’t set formal goals, consider what “success” looked like in your mind six months ago—and how reality compares today.
Identify:
- What specific wins have I had this year?
- Where did I fall short, and why?
- What external factors impacted performance (e.g., market, firm, team capacity)?
- Is it underperformance due to poor strategy or constraints beyond your control?
These questions can help surface where the real friction lies and whether it can be fixed with smarter tactics or requires a broader change.
Many advisors set goals for the year in January and then “stuff them in a drawer.” Let this serve as a reminder to dust them off and check on your progress.
3. Evaluate Your Environment
The third part of the gut check is environmental: Consider whether your firm is providing enough value to justify your continued partnership.
Many advisors experienced record years in 2023 and 2024, but now is the time to ask the difficult question: Am I growing because of my firm—or despite it?
This is certainly not a sales pitch for making a move. In fact, for many advisors, the right next step is to recommit to their firm. But giving yourself permission to evaluate your environment objectively is essential for long-term success.
Consider:
- Do you have access to the technology, support, and platform flexibility you need?
- Are you battling compliance friction or is bureaucracy slowing you down?
- Is your brand aligned with the types of clients you want to attract?
If you find more friction than momentum, it may be time to rethink what’s possible — not to chase change, but to ensure you’re set up to thrive.
4. Reassess Your Team’s Role
Your team is one of your most critical assets—and often one of the most overlooked areas in a midyear evaluation.
Assess:
- Is your team structured to support current needs?
- Are support staff and junior advisors empowered and growing?
- Are you “re-recruiting” your top talent to keep them engaged?
- Do you have enough support?
Teams evolve, just like the businesses they support. This is a good time to think about promotions, reallocations of responsibility, or even tough decisions regarding underperformance.
5. Reset or Double Down
After assessing performance, environment, team, and purpose, you’re left with a choice: Do I reset, or do I double down?
If things are working well, consider doubling down on what’s driving success. That might mean reinvesting in marketing, being more selective with which clients you work with, or delegating more to free up your time.
If things feel off, it may be time to course-correct. That might be internal (changing how your team operates or how you use your time) or external (beginning to explore a new firm or model).
Either way, this midyear pause is about being intentional—not just letting the year happen to you.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need a crisis to prompt reflection. The most successful advisors build in time to assess and adjust long before problems arise. So, before summer fully sets in, carve out an hour for a gut check. Think of it as a recalibration—one that can create real clarity and momentum to carry you through the second half of the year.
Because sometimes, the smartest move you can make is to simply stop, look around, and ask: Am I still on the right path?
With that, enjoy the summer!
