Whether you are just starting out as a financial advisor or you are simply looking to expand your established business, buying an existing book of business could be the right move for you. Opportunities for business acquisitions are becoming ever more common, as the average age of many financial advisors edges closer to retirement.

As an incentive to motivate hard-working key employees, private employers can issue phantom stock, also known as “shadow stock,” as equity compensation. While the value of these phantom shares will rise and fall in line with the company’s stock, the employee will not gain any actual ownership over the company or minority shareholder rights.

Those employed as financial advisors will likely come to a time in their career where they would like to make a vertical move. Once this stage is reached, there are few clear paths available. Some may decide to dig their heels in and open their own financial advisory firm, scrounging up clients where they can and providing the best possible service to ensure the success of their practice.

The pandemic has not only upheaved our personal lives over the past year and a half but it is doing the same to our professional lives as well. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 4.3 million Americans (2.9% of the entire workforce) quit their jobs in August. This is another record-breaking month after the previous record-breaking months. At the end of July, there were 10.9 million open positions in the U.S. In a survey conducted by Morning Consult for Prudential in mid-September, they found that 46% of full-time employed U.S. adults were either actively looking for or considering a new job search. Why have so many workers decided to forge a new path and call it quits with their current employer? And what does it mean for small business owners?

On August 24, 2015, the SEC implemented FINRA Rule 2040. This rule is related to whether and how people who are not registered as broker-dealers can receive compensation that derives from financial transactions.

On June 5, 2019, a new set of regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was introduced. The package aims to “enhance the quality and transparency of retail investors’ relationships with investment advisers and broker-dealers, bringing the legal requirements and mandated disclosures in line with reasonable investor expectations, while preserving access (in terms of choice and cost) to a variety of investment services and products.”

As any employee knows, there’s more to hope for at a job than just the salary. One of the biggest factors of whether or not someone will accept an offer is the benefits package. These are the things that help them feel supported in ways beyond their paychecks, and they can have a huge impact on employee experience.

As a business grows and develops, there may come a time to consider selling it. You might even be approached with an offer. And while plenty of owners decide they are happy to continue forward at full steam, there are good reasons to think through all the options.

While it is easy for publicly traded companies to know their valuation, only around 1% of businesses are traded on the public market. All the rest are privately held, and for them, the prospect of knowing how much their companies are worth is far more challenging.

As much as we would like to just balance our revenue and expenses, there are a lot of reasons for businesses to know their valuation. To understand your business valuation, you need to determine the value of all of your assets — things like the fair market value of company stocks, fixed assets like buildings or equipment, and intangible assets like brand recognition or customer lists.