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Nov 15, 2009 10:10 pm

http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091115/REG/311159961/1009/INIssueAlert01



Merrill, Morgan offer 330% recruiting packages

By Bruce Kelly

November 15, 2009, 6:01 AM EST



                    

The broker-recruiting wars are heating up, with wirehouses jacking up their offers to new heights to lure more representatives in 2010.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.‘s Global Wealth Management unit are going toe-to-toe by offering tops reps a recruiting package of up to 330% of annual production.



Those levels are the highest ever offered, sources said.



But because the deals are complicated and tied to a rep’s ability to increase business, it’s impossible to know how much each broker ultimately will receive.



Meanwhile, many wonder how UBS and its new chief, former Merrill Lynch honcho Robert McCann, will react. Some expect him to re-lease details of a recruiting package as soon as this week that will approach the deals of Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.





Robert McCann: A new UBS recruitment package may be coming.



Before Mr. McCann landed at UBS at the end of last month, the firm was flirting with the idea of giving brokers a recruiting bonus of 365%, sources said. But that deal was pulled off the table after Mr. McCann’s arrival, and UBS is currently offering recruits deals in the range of 200% to 220% of their previous year’s fees and commissions.

Merrill has 15,000 reps, while Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has 18,160 and UBS 7,300.



A little more than a year after Wall Street was walloped by the credit crisis, the large remaining firms are hungrier than ever for reps who rank among the top fifth of their firms’ producers.



“There’s still a great amount of competition and demand for the best-performing and targeted teams,” said Andy Tasnady, founder of Tasnady Associates LLC, a compensation consulting firm.



“Firms still think it’s a profitable purchase for them to make,” he said. “Internal growth is off, so firms have to buy it.”





Darin Manis: The recruiting packages "are based on an increase."

The deals are complicated. It would take five years for the rep to reach the top compensation level, which would paid out in the form of a forgivable loan over nine years.



In the case of the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney offer, reps need to increase assets and production by 50% over the first five years, with specific growth targets set for each year.



The new deals are 80 percentage points greater than the old ones, but brokers have two more years to reach the production level tied to the top compensation, said Darin Manis, who heads the recruiting firm RJ Makay.



The recruiting packages “are based on an increase. If advisers exceed production, it’s good for firms,” Mr. Manis said.



UBS’ next move?



When asked about the potential for a beefed-up package for recruits, UBS spokesman Kris Kagel said: “UBS continues to look to recruit top-tier advisers who are attracted to our global platform, commitment to clients and diverse product offerings.”



Last Monday, UBS announced a new retail management team that includes six current members of the executive committee and four new hires from Merrill Lynch — John Brown, Brian Hull, Robert Mulholland and Paula Polito. Their roles at UBS weren’t specified.



Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, which has 16,000 reps, also is keeping mum any changes to its recruiting offer.



“We agree that today, the packages are as generous as ever for experienced financial advisers,” said spokeswoman Teresa Dougherty. “And with this volatile market, we certainly remain competitive.”



Meanwhile, some regional firms are increasing their top offers, though at much more modest levels than the major wirehouses.



For example, Raymond James & Associates Inc., the employee broker-dealer of Raymond James Financial Inc., last month increased its top deal to 100% of a rep’s previous year’s fees and commissions, from 80%.



E-mail Bruce Kelly at [email protected].



Nov 16, 2009 3:21 am

The deals are mostly in stock, and when the mkt resumes it’s downward trend towards march lows and the 2nd lost decade comes, then the deals will really equal about 20 % of trailing 12

Nov 16, 2009 3:23 am

STFU meletio

Nov 16, 2009 3:39 am
Ron 14:

STFU meletio




Nov 16, 2009 4:24 am

Icecold–with all due respect, you are wrong about stock in recruiting deals.

  The deals are all cash to go to MSSB, UBS, or Merrill.  The deals for 1st/2nd quintile wirehouse FA's with clean U4, attractive book(high annuitized, no proprietary products, and low to no margin)range from 125%-175% cash up front(on T12) with back end bonuses tied to asset and production hurdles at month 14(two extra months since you just moved), 26, 38, 50,  and 62 between 15%-25% per year for a total between 200%-300%.  My guess is that the 330% in the article referenced above includes the new firm paying for your sales assistant to come with you and/or giving a junior FA on your team a salary for two years in the training program to come with you.     For example my situation was that I started at Merrill and got my S7 in 2003, had T12 of $500k from 10/2008-9/2009, and $75 million in assets.  MSSB offered me 150%($750k) up front in cash.  At month 14, if I bring over 75% of $75 million, then I get 20% of my original move date T12 of $500k.  In other words, $100k in cash.  At month 26, you get 20% of the T12 from month 14-26 if you have brought over 90% of $75 million in assets.  I would get an additional 20% of most recent T12 cash payments for 105% of $75 million in assets at month 38, 120% of $75 million in assets at month 50, and 135% of $75 million in assets at month 62.   For full disclosure, I decided to stay at Merrill and declined the offer.   
Nov 16, 2009 4:51 am

iceco(1)d - Got it thanks for the clarification.

Nov 16, 2009 11:41 am

South   “Icecold” is me, it’s not that thunder-douche, meletio. My name is spelled with the number L at the end, not an 1

Nov 16, 2009 11:43 am

I guess if you’re going to be an imitator, you might as well imitate greatness. What’s the saying? It’s the greatest form of flattery?



It’s not a big deal, I’m used to it; lots of people want to be like me.

Nov 16, 2009 12:34 pm

YES.  I AM ICECOLD.  I AM PRETENDING TO BE ICECOLD BECAUSE I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM.  I THINK THE MARKET HAS A DOWNWARD TREND, ALTHOUGH APPARENTLY I DON’T KNOW WHAT “TREND” MEANS, SINCE LAST WEEK, WE SAW AN UPWARD MOVEMENT.

JUST SO EVERYONE IS CLEAR.  I LIKE LITTLE BOYS.  NOT TO MENTION THAT IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, I WOULD GET DOWN ON MY KNEES FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE I IMITATE, EXCEPT THAT THEY AREN’T GAY.  THAT’S ME!

I’M GAY.

THE MARKET WILL CRASH TODAY AT 8:47:11, BEFORE IT EVEN OPENS, SO YOU SUCKAS WON’T HAVE A CHANCE TO GET OUT.

IT’S TOO LATE, YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO ME.

WATCH IT RAIN ACATS.

LET IT RAIN!

THUNDERCATS HO!

Nov 16, 2009 2:40 pm

[quote=SouthFA]Icecold–with all due respect, you are wrong about stock in recruiting deals.

  The deals are all cash to go to MSSB, UBS, or Merrill.  The deals for 1st/2nd quintile wirehouse FA's with clean U4, attractive book(high annuitized, no proprietary products, and low to no margin)range from 125%-175% cash up front(on T12) with back end bonuses tied to asset and production hurdles at month 14(two extra months since you just moved), 26, 38, 50,  and 62 between 15%-25% per year for a total between 200%-300%.  My guess is that the 330% in the article referenced above includes the new firm paying for your sales assistant to come with you and/or giving a junior FA on your team a salary for two years in the training program to come with you.     For example my situation was that I started at Merrill and got my S7 in 2003, had T12 of $500k from 10/2008-9/2009, and $75 million in assets.  MSSB offered me 150%($750k) up front in cash.  At month 14, if I bring over 75% of $75 million, then I get 20% of my original move date T12 of $500k.  In other words, $100k in cash.  At month 26, you get 20% of the T12 from month 14-26 if you have brought over 90% of $75 million in assets.  I would get an additional 20% of most recent T12 cash payments for 105% of $75 million in assets at month 38, 120% of $75 million in assets at month 50, and 135% of $75 million in assets at month 62.   For full disclosure, I decided to stay at Merrill and declined the offer.    [/quote] Why did you decide to stay, rather than take the deal?
Nov 17, 2009 3:18 am

excitr1011-It was a difficult choice, but when I evaluated the pros and cons of both in my situation, I decided to stay.  I have specifics if you want to PM me for details. 

For those on this board, I'm sure everyone made the decision that was best for them.
Nov 17, 2009 3:24 am
Icecold:

The deals are mostly in stock, and when the mkt resumes it’s downward trend towards march lows and the 2nd lost decade comes, then the deals will really equal about 20 % of trailing 12



damn mel actually got me for a minute.

I knew the iceman was'nt a bear like that