Do you plan on leaving the fold of your broker/dealer or from under the wings of someone else’s investment advisory firm to your own RIA? From a compliance perspective, there can be dire consequences if you take one s[...]

Here’s the law: Fictitious Name Law — Doing Business As (DBA) Fictitious Business Name Statement (FBN). State law requires that every person, partnership, corporation, or other association, who transacts business und[...]

This is a great article that originally was published in a book Lyn Fisher and I wrote for John Peluso, President, Wachovia’s FiNET division (now WellsFargo Advisors Financial Network). The book is called “Independen[...]

A client came to our consulting firm with a desire to evaluate broker-dealers. As is typical with many advisor transitions, the impetus for change was created when the advisors’ broker-dealer was making a significant s[...]

The idea of starting an RIA has become a recent fad for many financial advisors. Getting away from the watchful, and sometimes over-compliant, eye of their broker dealer; being able to keep 100% of their fees; having a c[...]

This article is written for independent advisors whose goal it is to profitably and prudently manage several hundred million dollars for their clients with a minimal number of employees. This deceptively simple goal is a[...]

In order for you or your CPA to put all of the tax benefits offered to small business owners to work for you, it is crucial that your recordkeeping reflecting all business-related expenses (particularly your initial cost[...]

Your new business is unique, just like you are. All new businesses have their own particular cash needs at the various stages of growth, so there really is no template or exact guideline for you to use. While it is possi[...]

This is a great article that originally was published in a book Lyn Fisher and I wrote for John Peluso, President, Wachovia’s FiNET division (now WellsFargo Advisors Financial Network). The book is called “Independen[...]

Going independent is not as easy as cleaning out your desk and switching off the lights in your office. Making the move requires careful planning from start to finish. This ensures that you’re protected legally, and he[...]