Succession planning

Running a successful advisory practice means those at the top have to look internally, as well as externally.

Key issues to consider when strategizing clients' future financial health.

From handling the unexpected death of a partner to upgrading tech, planners give their best advice for building a successful practice.

Sure, major firms offer exit advice to their advisers, but there’s only so much they can do. Here’s how planners can take the next step on their own.

“Racial bias does exist. Anybody who says it doesn’t is kidding themselves,” says Tony Barrett, a complex manager for Raymond James.

Change happens when it has to. For bank advisors, this means they'll get succession plans--eventually.

Banks and credit unions are not prepared for the onslaught of change that began Wednesday.

The program allows retiring advisors and their junior brokers to work out their own financial arrangements during the first two years of the five-year program.

The advisor often feels as if the bank's viewpoint is this: “Thanks for bringing us a revenue stream, now leave and be thankful we even gave you a job.”

These state planning strategies may inspire, motivate and educate beneficiaries to become the people their benefactors hope they’ll be.

When a son or daughter joins a parent’s advisory practice, the transition can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be.

Family office advisor Rick Flynn rebranded his practice and teamed with two other veterans. Here’s what happened.

Finding top people is getting harder, says Kathy Freeman, so putting this in a compensation agreement is now ‘mandatory.’

One of the largest firms on the West Coast, Aspiriant expects to continue merging with one to two firms a year.

Top priority: Simultaneously taking care of yourself, your clients and your employees.

Greg De Jong took the plunge and sold his $200 million firm to a much larger one for equity, cash and a five-year note. Looking back, he has no regrets.

Some advisors with less than five years in practice have achieved remarkable results. Here are some of their secrets.

Veteran bank advisors are being lured away by big brokerages and finding new talent to take their place is challenging.

Only 9% of younger advisors on ownership track have equity stakes in their firms, reveals the Fidelity Benchmarking Study.

The total number of advisors across the industry rose 1.1% in 2014, according to a report from Cerulli Associates. But the research firm warns they may fall again in years to come.