No one is challenging clients as the best source of recommendations for financial advisors. But growth experts say many are missing out on the potential for highly profitable collaborations with outside professionals.

Wescott and Moneta Group present helpful examples of paths for financial advisors and other employees that experts say are essential for growth.

Wealthy parents fear their kids will squander their inheritances. Financial planner Mary Clements Evans solved for that while cementing her firm's future.

The industry often struggles to help prospective professionals find their place, a challenge experts say is a crucial competitive priority for the future.

None of the findings in a new working academic paper will likely surprise financial advisors. But they could provide some helpful data for conversations with investors.

The language that financial advisors use in their first interactions with prospective customers could make or break the relationship, according to an expert.

The accounts give wealthy investors more opportunities to place alternative vehicles in a tax-advantaged retirement nest egg. But mistakes can be costly.

An internal successor, a seller and an acquirer dish out the most common mistakes they say advisory firms must avoid to address the challenge.

Logic (and compelling Cerulli Associates data) explain why advisor teams are gaining momentum. But teaming is not the only option for growth.

Getting away from the office to create or revise a firm's concrete goals and teammates' roles can help RIAs tap into organic growth, experts say.

Financial advisors and their clients have a range of options to consider for traditional IRA holdings — but also a finite deadline.

Steve Lockshin and Michael Kitces tied what they view as some mistaken assumptions around fees to the competitive need for more estate planning services.

Separate from any transactions involved with succession, financial advisors who want to retire face challenges that make exiting the business difficult.

Preparation is everything: If clients are aware of the transition well in advance, experts say the risk is pretty low they'll leave the firm.

Experts say RIA owners often resist making themselves replaceable. But they'll have to choose between an internal or external deal someday.

The implications to taxes, hiring and the very legacy of a financial advisor's career demand much more formal documentation than most RIAs have undertaken, experts say.

Minority transactions are increasingly appealing to sellers who are wary of giving up the full control of their firms. But experts say the deals do come with strings.

Deal structure, transition plans and dog and pony shows represent only a few of the thorny difficulties involved with branching into an acquisition strategy, experts say.

Resources and personal connections offer significant advantages. But financial advisors and other experts say they only get new RIAs part of the way.

The challenge bedevils many heirs' property owners. Here's why experts say it's such a threat and how financial professionals can help guide families through it.