As we have written many times, custodians are battling it out for RIA and hybrid advisor assets --- and they are offering all kinds of practice-management services to make themselves to invaluable to you.
TD Ameritrade Institutional announced that it has a tool for independentregistered investment advisors (RIAs) who custody assets with it to help them value their firm. The company says RIAs "now have access to the Valuation Analyzer™, an online tool developed by ECHELON Partners1, which helps advisors obtain an estimate of their firm’s value and an understanding of the key drivers of that value."
Charles Schwab and Fideltiy also offer transition support, including practice value metrics. After all, "breakaway brokers" are in the crosshairs of nearly every independent broker/dealer and RIA firm in the hemisphere.
And the TDA Institutional release staes, "According to ECHELON Partners, an investment bank specializing in M&A transactions and valuations within the wealth management industry, the Valuation Analyzer tool can help advisors prepare for a variety of potential business transitions such as merging with a partner; buying or selling a business; configuring buy/sell equity incentives or reorganizing a family-owned business . . . ."