Advertise on podcast: Advisor Talk with Frank LaRosa

In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank take a hard look at why advisors with high AUM and lower revenue are sitting on one of the most powerful negotiating positions in the market right now, and why too many of them are walking away from life changing money without a good reason. Frank breaks down the unicorn recruit concept, how asset based transition deals are creating massive opportunities for advisors whose AUM far outpaces their revenue, and why the transition window right now is unlike anything the industry has seen in decades. He also explains why advisors should think like their wealthiest business owner clients when evaluating an opportunity, what they can do with that capital to grow their practice faster, and why getting a monster transition package is not selling your business but monetizing it without giving anything up. Questions answered in this episode include:What is a unicorn recruit and why do some advisors have more leverage than they realize? What is the difference between an AUM based deal and a T12 based transition package? Why are transition packages and practice valuations at all time highs right now? Is it okay to make a move primarily because of the economics? How can a large transition package help an advisor grow their business faster? What should advisors be thinking about before a market downturn hits? How do you know if you are leaving money on the table by staying where you are? Key Highlights:00:00 – The $9 Million Gap: When Money IS the Reason to Move01:04 – Welcome to Advisor Talk02:20 – Why Most Firms Look the Same and Where the Difference Really Is05:00 – The Unicorn Recruit: AUM Based Deals vs T1209:00 – The $9 Million Question: When Economics Has to Come Into Play13:00 – Think Like Your Wealthiest Business Owner Clients27:14 – How to Reach Frank and Stacey Learn more about Elite and our resources:Elite Consulting Partners | Financial Advisor Transitions: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com  Elite Marketing Concepts | Marketing Services for Financial Advisors: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com  Elite Advisor Successions | Advisor Mergers and Acquisitions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com  JEDI Database Solutions | Technology Solutions for Advisors: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com  Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report  Listen to more Advisor Talk episodes: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/  Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/  Advisor Talk is a podcast by Elite Consulting Partners focused on financial advisor transitions, recruiting and long-term growth strategy.

Key questions answered in this episode:What is the difference between a financial advisor’s goals and their purpose?Goals define outcomes; purpose defines motivation. Advisors who mistake goals for purpose often feel lost after achieving success.Why do advisors feel unfulfilled after hitting major milestones?Reaching AUM targets, exit valuations, or retirement dates doesn’t replace the deeper fulfillment that comes from meaningful client impact.How does purpose improve advisor-client relationships?Advisors who understand a client’s underlying purpose - not just financial objectives - build deeper trust and longer-lasting relationships.Why do many advisors think they want to retire when they really want a better environment?Burnout is often driven by firm constraints, not a loss of passion for clients.What conversations should advisors be having with clients that most never do?Purpose-driven conversations lead to better outcomes for both advisors and clients.If you’re a financial advisor questioning your next move, feeling disconnected from your work, or considering a transition, this episode provides a framework to rethink success - and reconnect with why you started in the first place. For many advisors, rediscovering purpose is also what clarifies whether a firm transition is necessary - or whether the real issue is the environment they’re in.Learn more about Elite and our resources:Elite Consulting Partners | Financial Advisor Transitionshttps://eliteconsultingpartners.comElite Marketing Concepts | Marketing Services for Financial Advisorshttps://elitemarketingconcepts.comElite Advisor Successions | Advisor Mergers & Acquisitionshttps://eliteadvisorsuccessions.comJEDI Database Solutions | Technology Solutions for Advisorshttps://jedidatabasesolutions.comListen to more Advisor Talk episodes:https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ Advisor Talk is a podcast by Elite Consulting Partners focused on advisor transition, recruiting, and long-term growth strategy.

Most advisors say they want to exit. What they actually want is to stop doing the parts they hate. Scott Danner has had this conversation more times than he can count. The advisor says they want to sell. Then the deal falls apart. Not because the numbers were wrong but because nobody asked the right question at the start. Scott is the Executive Vice President and Head of Legacy at Steward Partners. He founded Freedom Street Partners in 2016, built it to nearly $3.5 billion in AUM, and sold it to Steward Partners in late 2023. He started at Edward Jones with zero clients and cold called his way into the industry. That background gives him a credibility in this conversation that most people talking about M&A simply do not have. In this episode, Frank and Scott break down what is actually happening inside succession deals when they collapse, why M&A is the mechanism quietly solving the industry's age and talent problem and how the sell, stay and grow model gives advisors a way to monetize without disappearing. Scott also shares how Freedom Street Partners built a career ladder that next generation advisors could actually follow, what independence with infrastructure means at Steward Partners and why he believes advisors who dismiss a W2 model immediately are thinking too small.   Questions answered in this episode include: Why do sell and exit deals keep failing? What does M&A actually do for the long-term health of the financial advisory industry? What is the sell, stay and grow model and how does it work? How do you build a career ladder that next generation advisors will actually believe in? What does independence with infrastructure mean at Steward Partners? How can an advisor keep their brand and their clients while still monetizing their practice? Why should advisors think twice before ruling out a W2 model?   Chapters: 00:00 Intro and Scott Danner Background 02:53 Building From Scratch at Edward Jones 07:19 Why M&A is Saving the Industry 09:29 The Sell Stay and Grow Model 13:55 Building a Ladder for Next Gen Advisors 17:22 Independence With Infrastructure 26:11 Rethinking the W2 Model   Learn more about Elite and our resources: Elite Consulting Partners | Financial Advisor Transitions https://eliteconsultingpartners.com Elite Marketing Concepts | Marketing Services for Financial Advisors https://elitemarketingconcepts.com Elite Advisor Successions | Advisor Mergers and Acquisitions https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com JEDI Database Solutions | Technology Solutions for Advisors https://jedidatabasesolutions.com Elite Wealth Management Insights Report https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report Listen to more Advisor Talk episodes https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/

Frank has a story from just yesterday that proves clients do not care what your firm is called. Frank opens with a principle he has seen play out for years, every firm has its day in the sun and every firm has its day in the darkness. Stacey adds that firms move through natural phases of growth and reputation and that an advisor who assumes their own firm is immune to that cycle is simply not paying attention. Frank shares a real conversation from the day before recording, an advisor in Texas who had never heard of Janney Montgomery despite years of success stories from Edward Jones advisors who made the move. Frank uses it to make the bigger point, most clients do not know or care what their advisor's firm is called, they care about the advisor and the relationship they have built with them. That idea carries into a discussion of firms like Arcadius in Atlanta, a firm with no secret sauce that still wins advisors purely on culture. Stacey explains why access to leadership and the feeling of swimming upstream with other serious producers matters more to advisors than a bigger headline deal and why so many advisors quietly miss the experience they used to have at a smaller, more personal firm. Frank and Stacey pull back the curtain on how they actually vet firms behind the scenes, pushing past vague claims like culture and asking firms to show real proof, whether that is a two person marketing team calling itself a department or a firm that cannot explain how it actually helps advisors grow. Frank breaks down the exact order he uses to evaluate any potential move, is it better for your clients first, is it better for your practice second and only then is it better for you personally. The episode closes with a reminder that a firm's name recognition means nothing if it cannot deliver flexibility, leadership access and real results and that eliminating a firm just because you have never heard of it could mean missing the best fit for your business.   Questions answered in this episode include: Why do firms go through cycles of good and bad reputation? Do a financial advisor's clients actually care about the name of the firm? What is the real difference between well known firms and firms nobody has heard of? Why does access to senior leadership matter for financial advisors? How should a financial advisor actually vet a firm's culture claims? What is the right order to evaluate whether a move makes sense, the client, the practice, or the advisor? Why shouldn't financial advisors eliminate firms just because they are unfamiliar?   Chapters: 00:53 Introduction: Your Clients Follow You, Not Your Firm's Name02:02 Every Firm Has Its Day in the Sun and Its Day in the Darkness07:11 Clients Don't Know Who Your Firm Is09:49 Why Access to Leadership Matters15:30 Culture Isn't Enough, Show Us How25:44 The Advisor and the Advisor's Own Client27:36 The Final Message32:24 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Frank and Stacey recorded this one unscripted, straight from a conversation they were already having. Frank breaks down why a W2 structure is not automatically the wrong choice, using Dan Sullivan's who not how framework to explain that a branch manager, an administrator and operations support are not overhead, they are people an advisor would otherwise have to hire and manage themselves. He shares a real example of a private banking team that moved to Morgan Stanley and grew from one billion to 2.6 billion dollars inside a structured W2 environment. Stacey makes the case that the real conversation with advisors considering W2 is almost never about the math, it is about lifestyle, goals and what an advisor actually wants to spend their time doing. She lays out the two questions she hears most from advisors weighing whether to stay in the W2 world, is the firm truly advisor centric and is it focused on the advisor's needs or someone else's agenda. Frank walks through the real spectrum of W2 firms, from the most restrictive wirehouses to more flexible regionals and Stacey introduces the deeper thesis of the episode, that too many consultants assume whatever is trending, right now that trend is independence, is automatically right for every advisor, when the real job is to start with where that specific advisor is and work from there. The conversation covers why firms need a defined growth plan and real evidence instead of vague promises, why the wirehouse model is very much alive and reinvesting in technology and marketing and why some independent advisors are now rolling back into W2 structures to capture massive transition deals before eventually stepping back. Questions answered in this episode include:Is going independent the right move for every financial advisor? What does the who not how framework mean for financial advisors in a W2 structure? What should a financial advisor actually be asking before choosing a W2 firm? What is the spectrum of W2 firms and how do they differ? How can a financial advisor tell if a firm has a real growth plan versus empty promises? Is the wirehouse model dying or making a comeback? Why are some independent advisors moving back into W2 structures? Chapters:01:02 Introduction: W2 versus Independent  02:30 There's a Place for Everybody  05:47 The Math Is the Math  07:05 The Spectrum of W2 Firms  11:35 Does the Firm Have a Defined Growth Plan  15:46 The Wirehouse Model Is Not Dying  18:39 The Rollup Trend Back to W2  24:19 How to Reach Frank and Stacey  Resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Michael Brady says he has perfect clients and he means it. Frank sits down with Michael, founder of Generosity Wealth Management, to unpack how his career took a hard turn away from traditional financial planning. Michael shares the story of a longtime client, one of the first AIDS doctors in Boulder, who retired and went on to train doctors in Uganda, a moment that pushed Michael to eventually take two years off with his wife to travel and volunteer before starting his own firm in 2008. Michael shares how upfront he was with prospective clients from day one about exactly what kind of advisor he is, so the people who are not a fit filter themselves out naturally, a dynamic Frank names himself, calling it positive friction. Frank pushes him to explain what having perfect clients actually looks like in practice and Michael walks through how deeply charity is woven into his firm, from inviting clients onto nonprofit boards alongside him to requiring every advisor at Generosity Wealth Management to serve on a board of their own. The conversation covers how this approach builds real trust and referrals, not just goodwill and why Michael believes purpose driven practices attract clients who stay for decades. Questions answered in this episode include: What does it mean for a financial advisor to have perfect clients? How do you build a financial advisory practice around philanthropy? What is positive friction and how does it help attract the right clients? How can financial advisors get their clients involved in charitable boards? Why does Generosity Wealth Management require advisors to serve on a nonprofit board? How do you know if a charity or nonprofit is legitimate before getting involved? What does it look like to build a business centered on purpose instead of just revenue?   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Perfect Clients  01:06 From Financial Planning to Purpose  06:35 Founding Generosity Wealth Management  07:24 What Perfect Clients and Positive Friction Really Mean  12:14 Integrating Charity Into Every Client Relationship  19:28 Turning Clients Into Board Members  29:30 Why Every Advisor at the Firm Must Give Back  37:10 How to Reach Michael Brady  Michael Brady, Generosity Wealth Management: https://generositywealth.com Resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Stacey opens this episode with a hot take before Frank even gets a word in. Frank breaks down a comment made online by Cheryl Penny, founder and CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners, who argued that a financial advisor is only truly independent if they own their own RIA. Frank explains why he disagrees, using real examples of RIAs having their custodial agreements pulled by firms like Schwab and Raymond James, proving that ownership alone does not remove risk or outside control. Stacey pushes back on the idea of captive independence, pointing out that advisors at firms like LPL or Centera are not captive at all, they own their clients and their data and they can leave whenever they want. Frank walks through the real math behind a transition deal to show why taking a check from a firm does not trap an advisor either, since the note can simply be paid back. Stacey introduces what she jokes she should trademark, the spectrum of independence, the idea that independence is not binary but exists on a range from heavily branded wirehouse structures to fully self built RIAs, with plenty of legitimate options in between. Frank adds a real client example of an advisor who has stayed an IAR of an RIA for years because building his own simply is not worth the time and energy and explains how firms like Dynasty help advisors avoid reinventing the wheel with technology and pricing. The conversation turns pointed when Frank and Stacey discuss financial advisors being quietly penalized for keeping smaller clients as their book grows and whether that pressure from a firm should count against how independent an advisor really is. The episode closes with Stacey's real test for independence, if you cannot pick up and leave without restrictions, ask yourself how independent you actually are.   Questions answered in this episode include: Is a financial advisor only truly independent if they own their own RIA? What is captive independence and is it a real risk for advisors? What is the spectrum of independence? How does a financial advisor transition deal actually work if you want to leave early? Why do some financial advisors stay as an IAR instead of building their own RIA? Should financial advisors be penalized for keeping smaller clients? What is the real test of whether a financial advisor is independent?   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: You're Not as Independent as You Think  01:55 The Comment That Started the Debate  03:19 Layers of Termination and What True Independence Means  04:21 Captive Independence: Is It Real  09:38 The Spectrum of Independence  13:12 Finding the Right RIA Fit Without Reinventing the Wheel  16:23 Is Your Firm Punishing You for Smaller Clients  21:02 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Most advisors go into a transition focused on the upfront money. Very few are prepared for everything that happens after they walk out the door. Some surprises are good ones. Clients move faster than expected. Assets go up, not down. The income jump is real. But there are also things advisors consistently underestimate, overlook, and wish they had negotiated differently. In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank do a post transition breakdown of the things advisors wish they had known going in, including what they underestimate about client loyalty, what they leave on the table in negotiations, and the operational realities that no one warns them about until it is too late. Frank also breaks down the shrink to grow concept, why payout structure matters more than the upfront check long term, and why the first 30 days of a transition can make or break the entire move. Frank and Stacey also discuss what separates advisors who have a smooth transition from those who struggle, and why the more preparation you put in before the move, the less stress you will face after it.   Questions answered in this episode include: How many clients do financial advisors actually retain when they switch firms? What do advisors consistently underestimate when making a move? Should a financial advisor negotiate payout or upfront money? What is the shrink to grow concept in financial advisor transitions? What operational issues do advisors face in the first 30 days after a transition? How should a financial advisor prepare their support staff before making a move? What should advisors ask firms to include in their transition support package?   Chapters: 00:00 – What Advisors Wish They Knew Before Leaving 01:07 – Welcome to Advisor Talk 02:26 – The Biggest Surprise: Client Loyalty Is Stronger Than You Think 09:01 – The Income Jump Is Real: What the Math Actually Looks Like 12:50 – What Advisors Wish They Negotiated Differently 15:41 – Shrink to Grow: Why Not Every Client Should Come With You 18:13 – Operational Realities Nobody Warns You About 23:54 – How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Learn more about Elite and our resources: Elite Consulting Partners | Financial Advisor Transitions https://eliteconsultingpartners.com Elite Marketing Concepts | Marketing Services for Financial Advisors https://elitemarketingconcepts.com Elite Advisor Successions | Advisor Mergers and Acquisitions https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com JEDI Database Solutions | Technology Solutions for Advisors https://jedidatabasesolutions.com Elite Wealth Management Insights Report https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report Listen to more Advisor Talk episodes https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/

Five of Elite's top producers sat down together in Cancun to talk about what actually makes this job matter. Frank goes around the table asking each consultant what they enjoy most about the work. Tricia talks about relationships and education, Julie compares every advisor conversation to solving a puzzle, Stacey points to the reward of bringing advisors accurate information in an industry full of misconceptions, Bruce talks about the value of being authentic and getting to know clients on a personal level and Dom shares how twenty-five years as a wholesaler let him rekindle old relationships in a brand new context. Tricia opens up about how eye opening the tax side of W2 versus 1099 was once she crossed over to this side of the business and why she likes to show advisors both paths so they can learn something new about their own business along the way. Bruce lays out a universal truth, that most financial advisors only understand the world inside their own firm and explains why a twenty thousand foot view changes everything. Dom breaks down why even advisors with decades of relationships still benefit from a genuinely objective third party. Stacey shares her go-to answer for advisors who ask why they should work with her over someone they already know and introduces one of the firm's guiding beliefs, that the right answer always surfaces. Frank closes with his Tom Brady analogy for why even elite performers rely on an agent instead of going it alone. The panel wraps by weighing in on whether the industry is shifting back toward W2 structures, especially for advisors nearing retirement who are being offered deals north of four hundred percent.   Questions answered in this episode include: What do Elite's consultants enjoy most about helping financial advisors? What does it mean to be authentic with a client instead of just closing a deal? Why do advisors who already have industry relationships still need a consultant? What is the universal truth most financial advisors don't realize about their own knowledge? Why does the right answer always surface during the due diligence process? Is the financial advisor industry shifting back toward W2 firms? Should advisors ignore the money when it comes to major transition deals?   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Inside the Chairman's Trip 02:17 What Every Consultant Loves About This Work 04:27 What Sets a Real Consultant Apart 04:51 Rekindling Relationships as a Former Wholesaler 12:21 The Universal Truth About Financial Advisors 15:40 Why the Right Answer Always Surfaces 23:06 Is the Shift Back to W2 Real 30:34 How to Reach the Elite Team   Meet the panel: - Frank LaRosa, Chief Executive Officer: [email protected] | 856-316-4651 - Stacey Frank, Chief Revenue Officer and Executive VP of Sales: [email protected] | 856-816-6322 - Bruce Fox, Private Client Consultant: [email protected] - Domenic Diele, Senior Business Consultant: [email protected] - Tricia Fischer, Private Client Consultant: 703-395-1147 - Julie Mizerany, Private Client Consultant: [email protected]   Resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Frank LaRosa is literally getting a text about this exact scenario while recording this episode. Frank opens with a real client story, an advisor in his mid to late sixties who has spent a year and a half weighing a full sale against a transition. The multiples sound incredible on paper, ten, twelve, even fourteen times EBITDA but once junior partners, payout structures and sell and stay scenarios come into play, the math gets a lot more complicated than the headline number suggests. Stacey brings in the psychology most advisors never plan for. She explains why so many get stuck at the altar right before retirement, not because the numbers do not work but because their identity and purpose are tied up in the business and they are not ready to let that go. That is where Frank's trademarked concept, dual monetization, comes in. Instead of selling outright, an advisor can transition to a new firm today to unlock a major payout, then set up a succession plan or sale into that same firm years later. Stacey adds important context here, pointing out that transition deals sitting at twenty to sixty percent of trailing twelve just a few years ago are now regularly exceeding one hundred percent. Frank also explains how this same strategy applies to advisors who want to pass their practice down to a son, daughter, or longtime junior partner without forcing them to come up with cash out of pocket and shares a blunt piece of advice about not letting attachment to a specific custodian cost you millions of dollars. The episode closes with a story that sticks with you, a friend of Frank's who left ten million dollars on the table because his junior partners were not willing to do the work required to make one last move. Stacey wraps things up with the reminder that the hardest part of any transition is rarely the mechanics, it is figuring out who will actually take over your clients the way you have for your entire career.   Questions answered in this episode include: What is a one last move for a financial advisor nearing retirement? What is dual monetization and how does it apply to a transition instead of a sale? Why do many financial advisors struggle to actually retire? How much have financial advisor transition deals grown in the last few years? Can a financial advisor pass their practice to a child or junior partner without a traditional loan? Should switching custodians affect a financial advisor's decision to move firms? What is the biggest hurdle for financial advisors thinking about succession?   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: The One Last Move 01:33 What Is the One Last Move 03:39 Redefining Retirement and Purpose 05:37 Introducing Dual Monetization 11:33 Passing the Business to the Next Generation 19:16 Think Before You Sign 20:19 The Ten Million Dollar Lesson 25:20 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Learn more about Elite and our resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Frank LaRosa says most financial advisors never take the time to find their industry defining goal. Frank opens by explaining what he calls a workation, time away from the office where real strategic thinking can actually happen. Stacey shares how she caught him working by the pool at five thirty in the morning on their most recent trip and Frank explains how that kind of deliberate space led him to write an entire internal operating playbook after reading eight books in eleven days. That same thinking space is where Frank landed on his industry defining goal, or IDG, a concept similar to the big hairy audacious goal from books like Scaling Up and Traction. Frank explains why a goal like this needs to feel nearly impossible and shares that his own goal is to help one out of every ten financial advisors who move firms. Frank gets personal about applying that framework to his own life, questioning whether the time and money he spends racing is helping or slowing down his progress. Stacey shifts the conversation into practice management, walking through how advisors should audit their client list by tier and why investing more time in fewer high value clients almost always outperforms spreading yourself across everyone. The episode closes with a direct challenge. Stacey lays out why so much of an advisor's success comes down to what they can actually control and Frank adds that once you know better, you cannot place the blame elsewhere. Together they push financial advisors to stop chasing the next move and start figuring out the right move for their business and their life.   Questions answered in this episode include: What is an industry defining goal and how do financial advisors find theirs? Why do financial advisors need a place to think outside their normal routine? How do you know if a personal passion is distracting you from your business goals? Should financial advisors segment their clients by tier? How do you know which clients are actually helping you reach your goals? Why is it important to filter out negative people in your life? What does it mean to make the right move instead of just the next move?   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Your Industry Defining Goal 02:13 Finding a Place to Think Strategically 03:34 Building an Internal Operating Playbook 09:02 What Is an Industry Defining Goal 12:48 Is Your Passion a Distraction From Your Goal 25:01 Auditing Your Clients and the People Around You 31:01 Taking Ownership and Making the Right Move 39:13 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Learn more about Elite and our resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Frank LaRosa says the problem with young financial advisors is not work ethic, it is training. Frank opens with a story about a young advisor he has been mentoring, a twenty-three-year-old working on the asset management side at a wirehouse who was outperforming his targets but getting dinged for small administrative mistakes. Frank explains the advice he gave him and why building your own book of business might be the harder but more rewarding path compared to joining an established team. Stacey widens the conversation into something bigger, the age gap opening up in the industry between advisors in their late fifties and sixties and the wave of twenty-three to thirty-year-olds coming in behind them, with almost nobody in the middle. Frank frames it as a barbell problem, pointing out the gap in the middle where mid-career advisors should be and explains why it is creating real opportunity for young advisors, even if most of them do not fully realize it yet. Frank does not soften his opinion on where the real failure sits. He argues that big firms preach hard work while their own people clock out at five and that most of the industry has quietly abandoned the old school training programs that actually produced successful advisors. He breaks down what real training used to look like, why cold calling still works and why rushing new advisors toward designations like the CFP before they understand the business is a mistake he has watched play out for years. The episode wraps with a direct challenge to firm owners and independent practitioners. If you are bringing young people into this business, you owe them a real system and enough time to succeed, not just a desk and a quota.   Questions answered in this episode include: Should a young financial advisor join a team or build their own book of business? What is the age gap problem happening in the financial advisor industry right now? What is the barbell approach and why does it matter for advisor recruiting? Why do old school training programs work better than what most firms offer today? What mistakes do firms make when training young financial advisors? How many cold calls should a trainee financial advisor be making every day? Why is it a mistake to push new advisors toward designations like the CFP too early?   Chapters: 00:58 Introduction: Nobody Is Training Young Advisors Anymore 01:59 The Mentoring Story That Changed Everything 03:19 Wirehouse vs Building It Yourself 08:34 You Don't Know What Hard Work Really Is 17:05 Why Firms Need to Bring Back Old School Training 21:42 Getting Younger Blood Back Into the Business 24:05 The Barbell Problem in Financial Advisor Recruiting 29:10 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Learn more about Elite and our resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Frank LaRosa has been in this business for thirty-two years and he says he has never seen deals like this. Frank opens by explaining why he cannot see how financial advisor transition deals get any more lucrative than they are right now. Stacey backs that up with the numbers, pointing out that deals sitting at 100 percent of trailing twelve or 100 basis points today were only 40 or 50 just four or five years ago. That is not an opinion, it is math. From there, the conversation turns personal. Frank talks candidly about being in his mid-fifties and watching people his age face serious health scares or pass away without warning. That perspective drives his argument for why advisors with real practices should think seriously about taking chips off the table now, without selling their business, especially since transitions have become dramatically faster than they used to be. Frank also raises a fear a lot of advisors quietly carry, the worry that a new firm could eventually get acquired by the same company they left. Stacey breaks down why advisors still come out ahead in that scenario, since negotiating a move almost always comes with a lower cost of affiliation and a higher payout, meaning the money is already in the bank regardless of what happens years down the road. The episode wraps with a challenge Stacey poses directly, does your family or your spouse actually know about the decision you are making to stay put. Frank follows it up with a story from his branch manager days about closing deals over dinner with a recruit's spouse and why staying exactly where you are is still a decision that deserves a real conversation at home, not silence.   Questions answered in this episode include: Why are financial advisor transition deals at an all-time high right now? What does it mean to take chips off the table without selling your practice? Why is choosing to stay at your current firm still considered a decision? Should advisors worry about their new firm getting acquired down the road? How fast can financial advisors realistically transition their book of business? Why do family conversations matter when deciding whether to move firms? Is complacency costing financial advisors real money right now?   Chapters: 00:52 Introduction: This Market Won't Last Forever 02:54 Why Advisor Deals Are at an All-Time High 04:27 Mortality, Chips Off the Table and Taking Action Now 07:52 Choosing to Stay Is Still a Decision 10:58 The Risk-Reward Gap Advisors Are Ignoring 14:06 Your Head Is in the Sand 18:13 The Family Conversation Every Advisor Needs to Have 23:23 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Learn more about Elite and our resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

A client once told Stacey Frank he was losing $20,000 a day by doing nothing. That number changed the whole conversation. Frank and Stacey open by unpacking a real story from one of Stacey's clients, a junior partner at an independent firm stuck with outdated technology, a flat payout and a senior partner unwilling to change. When Stacey ran the math with him, the true cost of staying became impossible to ignore and complacency became the real competitor in the room. From there, the conversation shifts into something more personal. Frank references a recent story about an advisor in his fifties, a founder of a respected RIA, who passed away suddenly. That story becomes the jumping-off point for a bigger conversation about financial advisor transitions, why payouts and transition deals are at an all-time high right now and why waiting to explore your options carries real risk. Frank also breaks down dual monetization, a concept he has trademarked, where advisors sell their practice to a W2 firm, keep running the business, grow it further and then sell it again years later. He walks through real-world numbers, including a three-million-dollar producer who turned a transition deal into twelve million dollars upfront while still earning over a million dollars a year running the business. The episode wraps with a challenge every advisor needs to hear. Staying exactly where you are is still a decision and it is one that deserves the same scrutiny advisors give their own clients every single year.   Questions answered in this episode include: What is complacency actually costing financial advisors every day? Why are transition deals and payouts at an all-time high right now? What is dual monetization and how does it work? Should advisors consider moving from a 1099 practice to a W2 firm? How do advisors calculate the true cost of staying at their current firm? What happens to a financial advisor's practice valuation if something happens to them unexpectedly? Why is making no decision still considered a decision?   Chapters: 01:04 Introduction: Complacency Is Costing You More Than You Realize 02:11 The $20,000-a-Day Wake-Up Call 05:27 When an Advisor's Death Changes the Conversation 08:19 Why Transition Deals and Payouts Are at an All-Time High 09:57 The W2 Acquisition Trend Advisors Aren't Talking About 14:39 Introducing Dual Monetization 17:06 Why Staying Put Is Still a Decision 18:16 How to Reach Frank and Stacey   Learn more about Elite and our resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/

Building an OSJ sounds like the obvious move if you want a bigger valuation. Frank LaRosa says that logic is exactly what's costing advisors their multiple. Frank and Stacey open with a question most advisors never actually ask themselves before recruiting other advisors into their practice. What is your unique ability and is managing people part of it? Frank shares a story from a coaching client who built out an OSJ, then found himself spending his day solving other people's problems instead of doing the work that made him successful in the first place. That shift from servicing clients to servicing advisors is one of the biggest hidden costs in this model. From there, the conversation turns to ownership. Frank explains why collecting an override on another advisor's business will never get you the same financial advisor multiple as owning the revenue outright and why some of the most successful firms in the industry deliberately choose not to play that game. The episode wraps with a challenge for any advisor thinking about their next move. Stop building toward what you think you're supposed to build and start building around what you're actually great at.   Questions answered in this episode include: What is your unique ability as a financial advisor? Should you build an OSJ or focus on growing your own practice? What's the difference between owning revenue and owning an override? Why do advisors get a lower multiple when they don't own the underlying business? What's the difference between a vertical business and a horizontal business? Why are financial advisors more demanding to service than clients? How do you decide what your business should look like as it grows?   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: To Build an OSJ or Not to Build 01:10 What Is Your Unique Ability as an Advisor 03:23 Why an OSJ Has to Earn Your Trust Every Day 06:43 The Multiple Advisors Are Leaving on the Table 07:31 Vertical Business vs Horizontal Business 12:55 Don't Get Trapped by the Enterprise Fad 14:13 Do What You Love or Make Money Being Miserable 17:23 How to Reach Elite Consulting Partners   Learn more about Elite and our resources: - Elite Consulting Partners: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com - Elite Marketing Concepts: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com - Elite Advisor Successions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com - JEDI Database Solutions: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com - Elite Wealth Management Insights Report: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/insight-report - Listen to more: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-consulting-partners/