Writing your own retirement speech can be a special kind of intimidating and awkward! This is your career signoff, and there might be some big emotions involved. My father retired early due to his health. Using what I learned from my dad’s beautiful speech, check out these 5 tips to help advisors write their retirement speeches!

Younger advisors want to become successors but often feel that it’s “not their place” to bring it up. Senior advisors want to pass the torch but may not know how to start the conversation. I get that it can be intimidating to talk succession. So here are my conversation starter tips for sellers and buyers to gain the insights needed to start the succession dialogue!

Sellers in internal succession plans assume that their successor already knows how to run a firm and manage clients, and if they don’t, they start to look for a new buyer. This week, I'm sharing my most popular Meeting Agenda Template, which both buyers and sellers have come to love!

An advisory firm can have an excellent transition strategy, with the right team in place to execute the strategy, but the end result can be torpedoed by a low-trust tax, or multiplied by a high-trust dividend. So, how do we create trust? Keep reading to find out!

What would happen to your business if you were to get hit by the proverbial bus today? I have seen first hand what can happen and it's not pretty. Our online Continuity Course for financial advisory firms is now live! This is your emergency exit planning solution!

True family wealth is an abundance of what your family most treasures. Here's a formula your family can follow to create your own 100-year financial plan!

Like Albert Einstein, we’ve simplified valuations into the following 3 simple variables. Here’s what you need to know about Why, When, and Where to get a valuation!

Completing an annual valuation on your business is the financial service industry equivalent of undergoing your annual physical. Unlike an annual physical, your valuation results should get better as your business matures. It provides data to set the right business goals, and a starting point to create an exit strategy. Keep reading to learn all that your valuation can do for your business today and in the future!

The foundation of the financial services industry is in historical data and facts. This is both a blessing and a curse! Instead of focusing only on IQ, we’ve found that embracing your EQ (Emotional Intelligence) and TQ (Transition Intelligence) makes you a better advisor, and greatly increases your happiness during your succession plan. Here are a few tips on how you can improve your TQ starting today!

These are my favorite 7 books on exit planning for advisors! Whether you're contemplating your exit, or in the middle of a transition right now, this list lays a fantastic foundation for any succession plan!

We're celebrating our 1st birthday with a quick update on where the M&A market stands now, in terms of average deal terms and the most common challenges for financial advisors in the succession planning space, according to DFA's annual survey!

In life, some decisions are made for us, but your exit should NOT be one of those things! Here are two stories which illustrate the beauty of exit planning, in being prepared to find the right buyer at the right price.

Back in 1987, the average house price was only $104,000… Those were the good old days! That’s when my grandad made the life-changing decision to become a financial advisor. There’s so much we can learn from his story about the value of engaging our own financial planner, and how to retire successfully!

The complexities of succession planning often mean that deals take years to develop, only to end in disaster. Investing the time and money to build your team could be the one thing that carries your deal through, at the end of the day.

What is a “failed” succession plan? That answer depends on how the partners define success or failure. Here are 7 red flags to watch for, and take action to save your succession plan!

Many young advisors would love to acquire an advisory firm but have been burned by sellers who don’t value open communication and mutual respect. Here are the 6 stages to growing a firm through acquisitions that mutually benefit all parties.

Most Succession Plans start with some form of Merger or Partnership. It's a lot like dating before getting married in real life! The Partnership Agreement is a Marriage Certificate and Pre-Nuptial Agreement all in one document. Here are the 7 steps to a successful Merger or Partnership for any Succession Plan.

A Buy-Sell Agreement is like having a Revocable Living Trust for your business. For Advisory Firm Owners looking to start transitioning out of the business in the next 12-18 months, here are the key components of an Advanced Succession Plan.

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, you’re starting to get serious about exiting your advisory firm. While a continuity plan provides for emergencies, a succession plan allows you to control the contingencies. Here are the key components of a Beginner’s Succession Plan.

Exit planning for your advisory firm may seem overwhelming, but we’ve made an Advanced Continuity Planning checklist, for established businesses with an owner, or owners, still years away from exiting.