We hear a lot about buying a practice, but we don't often hear from advisor that has successfully sold a business. Leesa Cattley retired from the industry at the end of 2012 and has not looked back. She has some great insights with the benefit of several years of distance from the transaction. Listen in to hear how she did it and the lessons she learned.

Curious about what production level you should be at when you are considering independence? In this episode, I'll talk about payouts, expenses and what you'll expect to take home when you go independent. 

We work in a highly regulated industry, so it can be tricky to communicate with the world in a way that fits your business. A large company has to deal with the reality that ten to twenty thousand advisors are potentially putting them at risk. With those two factors, it's nearly impossible to escape the lowest common denominator approach to marketing, branding, social media, etc.

An advisor acquaintance of mine--who is an employee of a large firm--recently shared a very personal story on a personal social media account and got an outpouring of responses. I immediately thought about how useful it could be in showing clients and prospects what she is all about---IF she was independent. In this episode, I discuss 3 major ways that you can improve your communications when you are an independent advisor.

For more info on going independent, check out our website www.HowToGoIndependent.com

Today I interviewed a transition specialist that assists advisors with the transition process. Teresa McCandless has a ton of industry experience, and is a great asset to our firm and those advisors she helps transition.

Going independent can help you create a more satisfying lifestyle while still serving your favorite clients and remaining active in the business. 

The upcoming implementation of the DOL ruling has some advisors questioning if they'll stay in the business. We'll discuss some things for those advisors to consider, as well as potential opportunities for those who are sticking around.

Today I'll talk about an example of why saving ONE minute a day is easily worth $100/year and other ways to maximize your time when you're a financial advisor. 

When considering your options to go independent, you may also consider the economics of employee firm recruiting deals. In this episode, I'll suggest a framework for how to consider the spectrum of tradeoffs between payout and upfront money.

Planning and executing a transition does involve some risk. You can't predict the future, but you can plan for mitigating the biggest and most obvious ones. We'll cover the biggest risks in making the move. 

VOIP---Voice Over Internet Protocol--is a great technology that gives you numerous benefits as an independent financial advisor and business owner. If you are considering establishing your own practice, do yourself a favor and make sure you explore VOIP solutions for your phone system.