Posts by Explore Freedom Wealth Alliance

How Many Clients Should an Advisor Have?

In the world of financial advisors, there is variety among the number of clients an advisor may have. One financial advisor may service fifteen, another may service two hundred. Of course, clientele often corresponds with time in the industry. Seasoned advisors accumulate an array of clients over the years, while new advisors must begin from scratch.

However, most advisors agree that identifying an ideal number of clients would be beneficial for career planning. As an advisor, should I be hunting for more clients? Should I focus on maintaining current clientele? In the content below, we hope to answer these questions.

3 Benefits of Going Independent as an Advisor

A trend towards independence, once solely characterized by investors, has swept into the world of financial advisors. Historically dominated by national brokerage firms and wirehouses, advisors are gradually discovering freedom from brokerage firms in an independent financial business structure. Jonathan Beatty of Schwab Advisor Services stated: “Independent advisors are the growth story of the advice industry. We will continue to see momentum accelerate as more advisors choose to move to the independent model, confident in the knowledge that it is a better way to serve clients while also offering the opportunity to build and grow something of their own.” In the content below, we share three benefits of going independent as an advisor today.

Is It Time To Reevaluate Your Affiliation Partner? What To Look For In A New Affiliation Model

Independence means doing things your way, but it doesn’t mean doing things alone. When you decided to launch out on your own as a Registered Investment Advisor, you likely had an idea in your mind of how you wanted your business to look and wanted to spend your days focusing on what you do best and what you enjoy the most. But getting from point A to point B can be harder than you expect, and the responsibilities and tasks of an independent advisor can keep you from pursuing your business goals. 

Thankfully, with the surge of independent advisors on the scene in recent years, multiple affiliation models have cropped up, giving you the opportunity to choose to run your business in a way that will best support your work and your clients. Here are four key factors to consider when deciding which affiliation model is right for you.

A Day In The Life Of An Independent Financial Advisor

Have you ever wondered how other advisors work? What do their days look like? How much of their time do they spend with clients, dealing with paperwork, or analyzing asset allocation? 

While every advisor and firm has different processes and workflows depending on staff and how long they’ve been practicing, one thing that’s true across the board is that independent advisors play many roles. We thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse into the typical daily tasks most independent advisors spend their time on. 

The Biggest Technology Time-Savers For Financial Advisors

It’s pretty common these days to ask someone how they are and get the response, “Busy!” And chances are, if you are an independent financial advisor carrying the heavy but fulfilling load of running your own business, serving your clients, and everything that goes along with that, you could probably use a few extra hours in your day. Well, we can’t pause time, but we can help you use technology to save time and live a more efficient, less stressful life. 

How To Improve Client Service During The Holidays

When the holidays arrive, most people are more concerned with buying and wrapping presents, planning travel, and attending holiday events than making sure their financial house is in order. That doesn’t mean it’s time for you to sit back and wait for them to come to you when their schedule clears up. You can still offer the same level of excellent service during the holidays and help your clients through what could be a stressful season. Here’s how.

Do Independent Advisors Earn More Money?

Chances are, your decision to go independent was based on many things, including a desire to be your own boss, put your clients first, and offer the services and products you want. Did money play a role in your decision too? While it might not have been the determining factor, you probably looked into the numbers to decide if taking such a leap of faith would be worth your time, investment, and energy. 

If you’ve already made the switch from a wirehouse to working as an independent advisor, you probably know that the satisfaction of working how you want, with whom you want, and when you want was worth the risk. But if you’re just starting to consider a change, we thought it’d be helpful to break down the big question of payout for you.

What’s The Real Reason Clients Fire Their Advisor?

There’s been enough research done for us to know what clients look for in an advisor. They want unparalleled service, a trusted relationship, and the confidence of knowing their money is in good hands, no matter what life throws their way. But as an independent financial advisor, you want to not only excel at the things that attract clients but also do what’s necessary to retain them. After all, research shows that the work involved in attracting and onboarding a new client is anywhere from 5 to 25 times more costly than retaining the clients you already have. (1)

How Top Advisors Use Technology Today

It’s a given that in our tech-reliant 21st-century financial advisory firms, we need technology to work more efficiently and to provide the best service to our clients. Not only that, but clients these days expect financial advisors to provide some sort of technology so they can communicate, track accounts, and see their progress toward their goals. But with more technology choices than we know what to do with, how do you choose the right tools with the most bang for the buck? Learn from the example of top advisors. Here’s how they use technology to grow their firm and retain clients.

The Pros And Cons Of Going Independent

Making a career shift is not a decision to take lightly. It requires plenty of research and considering the pros and cons involved in such a shift. According to the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, making a major business readjustment is more stressful than changing to a different line of work entirely. (1) And switching from a wirehouse to an independent advisor model is definitely a major business readjustment! We want to take some of the stress out of the decision by giving you a well-researched and thought-out pro/con list to help you make this important decision.