Opalesque Industry Update - To remain competitive in today's financial advice industry, broker-dealers must recalibrate their relationships with their advisors, according to a whitepaper released today by Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company. The report, Why Teams Are the Client of the Future for Broker-Dealers, points out that changes in the advisor-client of the modern broker-dealer present different challenges and opportunities that broker-dealers must navigate. These changes provide broker-dealers with an opportunity to rethink their overall strategies to attract and retain top clients. According to the report, the top client of today's successful broker-dealer is not a "rep" or even an "advisor" but an ensemble, which is a firm or a team of multiple professionals that service and manage client relationships. Ensemble teams are already controlling a significant percentage of broker-dealer revenue, growing faster than the average practice, servicing a higher-net-worth client base and offering better career growth opportunities. Most importantly, ensembles are net acquirers. They are acting as a successor for many of the smaller solo practices and are likely to emerge as the ultimate consolidators of the industry. "Broker-dealers have formed traditional affiliation models around individuals, which don't necessarily work as well for ensemble firms," said Jim Crowley, chief relationship officer and managing director at Pershing. "However, broker-dealers that recognize and understand that their top client is a team rather than an individual will not only strengthen existing relationships with these clients, but will also position themselves for organic growth and strategic acquisitions." While ensembles are valuable to broker-dealers, they are also at risk of being lost as clients. Many larger teams are departing broker-dealer firms to become independent. These advisors, known as breakaway advisors, are moving to a registered investment advisor (RIA) or hybrid business model. Industry changes continue to increase the possibility that successful teams will part ways with broker-dealers. Despite the challenges, broker-dealers can successfully recruit, retain, and work with ensembles by better understanding how they work and by restructuring affiliation models. Pershing's report highlights actionable ways for broker-dealers to accomplish this, including:
To obtain a copy of Pershing's whitepaper Why Teams Are the Client of the Future for Broker-Dealers, please visit www.pershing.com/ourthinking.
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Industry Updates
Teams overtake advisors for top broker-dealer relationship - Pershing
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
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