Rooting for the Home Team
Most firms received very high scores for advisors' overall experience. Cambridge Investment Research, FSC Securities and MML Investors Services saw the biggest jumps from last year.
Bringing Home the Bacon
In the IBD industry, many firms are vying for the same advisors. The golden ticket? The highest producing reps. Here are the firms with the highest average producers. (This represents advisors who filled out our survey and is not representative of each firm's total FA force.)
I Can Be Bought
Recruiters say indie advisors are greedier than ever, with many demanding upfront money to move to a new firm. Here are the firms that have offered recruiting bonuses, and the percentage of advisors who received one, according to our survey.
Commissions Still King
In last year's survey, advisors said commissions made up 48.7 percent of their business on average. And despite the growing influence of the fee model, commissions are still king, rising to 54.3 percent of FAs' business this year.
Fee Frenzy
On average, 40.5 percent of advisors' income came from asset-based fees in 2012. But some firms are more fee-centric than others. Here are the top firms with the greatest percentage of income from fees.
Female Persuasion
These are the top five firms with the most women in their ranks, according to the survey.
Fiduciary Duty
Overall, 44.7 percent of independent b/d advisors consider themselves fiduciaries, while 27.7 percent said they don't consider themselves fiduciaries. Here are the firms with the most fiduciary-focused advisors in their ranks.
Leg Up on Practice Management
These days, broker/dealers have to offer other services to their reps to stay competitive, practice management being one of them. Here are the top firms ranked by advisors for their practice management support.
Size Matters
IBD advisor satisfaction varied depending on the size of the firm. Advisors at b/ds with 100 to 499 reps were the most satisfied, while those at the smallest firms (under 100 reps) were the least satisfied.
Transitioning Out of the Business
With the greying of the advisor force, how advisors transition out of their business has become more important than ever. These are the firms with the most highly-acclaimed succession planning support systems. (They happen to be the same firms ranked for practice management support. Coincidence?)
