How does your advisory firm stack up?
Comparing a firm's pay to the competition can point out vast flaws.
With talent so hard to find and keep at advice firms, each practice should have a clear handle on how well it is – or isn’t – compensating its brilliant workforce.
The benchmarking data below show the greatest range of salaries occurs in what firms are paying their lead advisers, with the 3rd quartile of firms paying nearly twice that of the 1st quartile.
Of course, salaries are only part of what firms pay to employees. Total income for advisers shows bonuses vary greatly between positions, roughly doubling as professionals climb each rung of the ladder of adviser roles.
The analysis also shows exactly how top performers are pulling ahead of other firms, and the profitability measures and revenue per professional differences are huge.
All figures are from the 2017 Adviser Compensation & Staffing Report, which captures full income statements, assets and client information, management and staffing strategies, and staff compensation for 30 positions at 353 independent firms.
For more information, and to benchmark staffing levels, compensation and income statement data, visit the InvestmentNews dashboard.
| TOP PERFORMERS* | ALL OTHER FIRMS | |
|---|---|---|
| AUM | $447,234,000 | $205,000,000 |
| Clients | 335 | 242 |
| AUM per client | $1,000,000 | $862,706 |
| Revenue | $3,162,500 | $1,448,660 |
| Revenue growth, 2015-16 | 7.3% | 4.3% |
| Revenue per professional | $730,231 | $412,386 |
| Operating profit margin | 41.1% | 14.8% |
| Pretax income per owner | $729,473 | $286,003 |
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