Advisors Considering Transition
Our Approach to Advisor Transition
If you are like most advisors you probably never want to give up control of your business, but events like incapacity and death can occur while you are managing the firm. Your clients, employees, successors, and regulators all need to be considered if such an event occurs.
Winthrop Partners offers two types of unobtrusive transition programs should you unexpectedly pass away or become disabled while managing your practice.
OUR TRANSITION PLANS OFFER:
- No cost, including legal costs, upfront options.
- No loss of control; you continue to manage your business as you see fit.
- No exchange of client information.
- The ability to terminate the agreement at any time for no cost.
- The ability to announce to your client’s family and regulators that a contingency plan exists and that Winthrop Partners, a Registered IRA will step in the event of a transition event.
Option one: When your designated contact person advises us that a transitioning event has occurred, Winthrop steps in to manage your practice until your heirs can take over or decide to sell the firm.
Option two: Winthrop pre-negotiates with you the sale of your business, and after your designated contact person advises us that a transitioning event has occurred, Winthrop pays your heirs a set percentage of the firm’s realized revenues over a set period.
Both options have you designate your contact person, pre-approve the transition with your custodian, and request that updated customer records be maintained by the contact person. You are able to inform us as much or as little as you feel comfortable with concerning your customer base and investment strategy.
Advisors Considering Transition
Compared to
Advisors In Transition
What is an Advisor considering transition?
Advisors considering transition want to work for a few more years and in the interim, do not want to relinquish control of their business or train replacements. Rather, they want to have a flexible transition plan in place to assure clients and regulators of an orderly succession and heirs that the value of the firm will be transferred to them.
What is an Advisor in transition?
Advisors in transition have either ceded control to a third party or begun the risky task of training a successor.
They are in the process of transitioning out of their current role and into a new phase of their career or life.
➢ Most advisors relish their independence and do not want to be controlled by an acquirer at the end of their career, nor do they want to exit on someone else’s timeline or train a replacement that may not ultimately make the cut.
➢ Winthrop Partners has developed a flexible transition plan that allows you to demonstrate to clients, regulators, and heirs that a succession plan is in place with a reputable fiduciary comprised of licensed and accredited individuals.
Succession Plans are Essential for Transitioning Advisors
Despite 40% of America’s investment advisors being over 60 years old, most have not established a succession plan or identified a successor.
No succession plan
A well-designed succession plan
Life is unpredictable and it’s never too early to start shaping your legacy.
Contact Winthrop Partners today to start mapping out your transition.
Benefits of Our Unconventional Succession Plan
Winthrop Partners understands that having an efficient business continuity plan in place positively influences every aspect of your company.
| Destresses Advisors | With a plan in place, advisors can operate free of worry while maintaining complete control over their company, its transition, and its future. |
| Reassures Clients and Regulators | Having a documented succession agreement with a licensed and accredited multigenerational firm builds confidence, trust, and loyalty from stakeholders. |
| Relieves Family and Relatives | Despite limited knowledge and available resources, the family will be prepared and relieved of unnecessary pressure. At the time of a qualifying event, a succession plan will stabilize the firm and assist the heirs when they are ready to make important decisions. |
| Strengthens Company Culture | Succession plans prioritize big picture goals and values, solidify a mission, and create a progressive vision for the future of a company for future generations. |
| Guarantees Confidentiality | Advisors don’t have to divulge names or investment strategies prior to the transition, thus preserving confidentiality. |
Why Traditional Succession Plans Fall Short
Traditional succession plans are filled with fine print, unforeseen expenses, and unbalanced incentives that deter advisors from solidifying long-term security. In turn, stakeholders are unprotected, while uneasy senior advisors subconsciously fear the future. Traditionally, these plans are difficult to enact because they can involve:
- Short-term buyouts.
- A decrease in value, due to premature closures.
- High legal expenses.
- Imbalanced timetables that favor the buyers’ interest.
- Inflexible agreements.
Traditional succession plans work against the best interests of senior advisors and discourage execution all together.
Reasons to partner with us for your transition
At Winthrop Partners, we respect our clients, their vision, and the legacy they’re creating. We take pride in developing a strategic process that ensures a seamless transition for our client.
To begin the process, download our Succession Planning Questionnaire. This tool provides a list of basic questions to ask yourself as you take the first steps toward creating your own succession plan.
Transitioning Advisor Services FAQ
▼ What types of advisors considering transition do you service?
Most clients are small advisors, generally with a one-to-two-person firm. They can be an owner, a 1099 contractor or an employee.
▼ When is the best time to start preparing a succession plan?
It’s never too early to start thinking about the process. Every advisor should have a transition plan in place regardless of the age of the business or the owner.
▼ What are Winthrop Partners’ fees?
We charge no fees to develop the agreements. Furthermore no fees are charged prior to a transition event. If you have simply hired Winthrop Partners to stabilize the business until the heirs sell the firm, Winthrop Partners retains all revenues between the transition event and the sale. If the advisor elects to pre negotiate a sale to Winthrop after the occurrence of a transition event the terms of the agreement determine the sharing of client fees.
▼ What are Winthrop Partners’ certifications?
Winthrop Partners’ team members are Series 65 licensed or are Certified Public Accountants, Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA), and Certified Financial Planners (CFP).
The firm is a member of NAPFA, The Fee-Only Network, National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and the MD Preferred Network.
We are staffed with MBAs, CPAs, CFAs, ChFCs, CFPs, and licensed individuals that together create a full-service wealth management and financial planning firm that satisfies the diverse needs of all our clients.
▼ What makes Winthrop Partners different from a traditional advisor?
We work with your best interests in mind to create a smooth transition on your terms while developing a comprehensive strategy for your constituents. Our unconventional plan is inexpensive, simple to implement, and offers significantly more flexibility than a traditional plan.
▼ Where are your offices?
We have locations in Doylestown, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Buffalo, NY; and Miami, FL.
Our Offices
Eastern Pennsylvania
Winthrop Partners
100 Mechanics Street, 1st Fl
Doylestown, PA 18901
Western Pennsylvania
Winthrop Partners
101 E. Swissvale Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Winthrop Partners
100 First Avenue, Suite 1010
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Western New York
Winthrop Partners
295 Main Street, Suite 840
Buffalo, NY 14203
Southern Florida
Winthrop Partners
8200 NW 41st St, STE 318
Doral, FL 33166
▼ How can I set-up a consultation?
Schedule your complimentary consultation with one of our fee-only investment advisors. We will create a custom investment plan based on your financial goals and personal desires.
Ready to find out more?
Set up a free consultation to learn about our investment management services and how to take the first steps toward achieving your financial goals.