So, you are a financial advisor considering leaving your current firm to start your own business. Exciting, right? But along with that excitement comes a barrage of questions, alternatives, and tasks that could make even the most experienced professional a bit uneasy.
You’re not just changing jobs, you are building a new foundation that produces income and financial security for you and your family.
What is more important than that?
There are several ways to manage this monumental challenge. One way is to manage all of the transition processes yourself. This can be very time consuming as well as complex, which you may or may not have the inclination to oversee. The other way is to form a partnership with an OSJ that specializes in helping financial professionals realize their dreams of owning their firms.
An Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction (OSJ) is not just a back office that assists with compliance; it’s a fully staffed resource of financial industry professionals who can accelerate your transition and add substantial value to your independent practice, both now and in the future.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the crucial services that OSJs bring and how partnering with Evolution can streamline your transition to a stable business and long-term success.
Five Ways an OSJ Can Assist With the Transition to Independence
As a financial professional who wants to own your firm, partnering with an OSJ is the right move if you do not want to do all of the back office work yourself. An OSJ’s expertise and support can make the transition smoother and more efficient, allowing you to spend more time talking to current and future clients.
There are five primary services associated with transition services for financial professionals:
- Training
- Operations
- Technology
- Compliance
- Workflows
Training Services
Nothing is worse than opening your doors for business and not being fully prepared to serve clients the way you want to. A poor first impression can undermine long-term relationships. This is where the training services of an OSJ can produce big dividends.
OSJ training programs are designed to prepare you for the transition process so more of your current clients agree to make the move, and you can hit the ground running.
Operations
A major benefit of partnering with an OSJ is leveraging its team of professionals so you don’t have to do the work yourself. There are only so many hats you can wear and so many hours in a day before many processes begin to wear you down.
An OSJ can do the heavy lifting for you. Often, this can include handling many of the administrative and operational tasks associated with the move to your firm. This lets you focus on your clients and business growth while OSJ professionals manage your operations.
Technology
OSJs provide integrated technologies that help you work smarter by doing much of the work for you. New and existing technologies are designed to be user-friendly and make you more efficient. For example, they can automate numerous manual tasks, such as monitoring the transition process and assisting with the creating of client communications. These tasks can assist in reducing the time needed to complete the transition process.
Compliance
Compliance and playing by the rules are critical aspects of being a financial advisor. So you need a responsive compliance team that keeps you updated with all the rules and the frequent changes. Compliance works closely with you to ensure the transition process complies with the current regulations. This partnership is built on mutual understanding and collaboration to protect you and your clients.
Workflows
Why reinvent the wheel when you can use state-of-the-art workflows based on years of best practices? These workflows have been refined to benefit you and your clients through the use of technology platforms as well as other existing workflows that you may have in place, like a drip email campaign. The more you can automate, the better.
Evolution Financial Advisor Transition Services
At Evolution Financial Advisors, we have an established transition timeline to ensure that you and your team are fully prepared to service clients on day one when you move to your own firm.
Step 1: Laying the Groundwork: A couple of months before you move, we’ll help you develop a plan to keep as many of your clients with you as possible during the switch. In addition, we will also provide important demographic data related to your clients so you can develop specific commuication approaches based on their needs. For example, some of your clients may want to meet face-to-face to discuss the change, while others are more comfortable handling everyone online and through electronic signatures.
Step 2: Ironing Out Details: We’ll develop your transition plan about a month after agreeing to partner. We’ll ensure everything is well-documented so you are confident all T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted. This can include things such as your licensing, website disclosure updates, signage, and marketing collateral.
Step 3: Go-Time: Rest assured, we’ve got your back on the day you make the move. We’re geared to support you and make the process as smooth as possible for your current clients.
Step 4: Hitting Your Stride: For the first three months after you’ve joined us, we’re here to provide comprehensive support services. We’ll equip you and your team with the tools you need, from compliance help to tech solutions to assist with marketing tools and services.
Step 5: Settling In: Once those initial 90 days are behind you, it’s business as usual—only much better. We’ll support you with day-to-day operations, regular compliance check-ins, coaching sessions, and plans to keep your business strong for years.
About Evolution Financial Advisors
When we formed Evolution Financial Advisors, we had one mission: to redefine how independent financial advisors were serviced by OSJs. We live by five guiding principles:
- We provide the support you need to operate independently
- We are laser-focused on comprehensive wealth management and operations
- We provide white glove personalized services
- We are a community that connects independent financial advisors
- Our standard of excellence is to be the best in our class
Whether you’re aiming to grow your client base or striving to deliver unmatched service to the clients you already serve, we’re here to make sure you’ve got the best tools in your arsenal, guided by our five cornerstone principles.
Ready to learn more about Evolution’s transition services for independent financial professionals? Connect today.
