The U.S. wealth management industry enters 2025 with strong fundamentals and surging demand for advice as Americans accumulate more wealth and face increasingly complex financial decisions. Over the past decade, revenue from fee-based advisory relationships has grown significantly, and the number of human-advised relationships is projected to rise by as much as 34% by 2034. 

However, a looming shortage of advisors—an estimated gap of 100,000 by 2034—threatens the industry’s ability to keep pace, prompting firms to modernize operating models, leverage AI for productivity, and intensify recruitment efforts. Amid this talent crunch, advisor transitions will become more common, and ensuring continuity in client service will hinge on robust recordkeeping practices, including detailed CRM usage and clear documentation of financial plans and client preferences. 

Properly managed data is not just a regulatory requirement—it also allows new advisors to step in seamlessly and sustain trust when client relationships change hands. As firms evolve, the combination of human guidance, well-preserved institutional knowledge, and tech-driven scalability will be critical to supporting the next generation of clients.

Finsum: Leveraging technology to optimize your transition will be key for both new advisors and clients. 

Value investing, long championed by legends like Warren Buffett, has historically delivered strong long-term returns. However, in the past decade, growth stocks have significantly outpaced value due to low interest rates inflating the valuations of high-growth companies. 

From 2011 to 2020, large value funds underperformed growth funds by more than five percentage points annually, and in 2020 alone, the gap was a striking 32.2%. Although value outperformed in 2022, the trend reversed in 2023 and 2024, with growth indexes returning over 40% and 33%, respectively, compared to value’s 11.5% and 14.4%. 

Still, investors looking for long-term value exposure can consider top ETFs like the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV), iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD), and Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR). 

Finsum: These funds offer broad diversification, low expenses, and dividend yields making them attractive options for value-focused portfolios.

In today’s fast-evolving financial landscape, your broker-dealer relationship plays a central role in the success of your practice. Whether you’re seeking greater flexibility, higher payouts, or more modern tools, here are the key factors to focus on when evaluating your next move:

• Payout Structure: Look for a competitive payout that balances high earnings with strong support services.
• Technology and Tools: Ensure the broker-dealer provides modern, integrated platforms that streamline your operations and enhance client service.
• Culture and Values: Partner with a firm that aligns with your philosophy and genuinely prioritizes advisor success.

If your current BD no longer aligns with your goals, values, or client needs, it might be time to explore alternatives.

Finsum: Choosing the right broker-dealer is more than a financial decision—it’s a strategic step toward building the practice and lifestyle you envision.

President Trump’s sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill” has stirred surprisingly little excitement within the retirement industry, largely because it leaves the defined contribution landscape mostly untouched. While the law does expand health savings accounts and introduces a limited Social Security tax break for lower-income seniors, it sidesteps deeper retirement reforms that many industry advocates had hoped for. 

Notably, a bipartisan proposal to unlock more than $100 billion in surplus pension and retiree health assets for worker benefits was excluded, frustrating supporters who saw it as a pro-employee measure. On the positive side, the bill preserves current retirement tax incentives, avoiding feared rollbacks that would have impacted savings strategies. 

Outside the retirement space, the bill’s increase to the national debt ceiling could hasten Social Security insolvency by a year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. 

Finsum: Investors should also consider how the  "Trump Accounts" for children could impact clients’ children

When an advisor leaves and their accounts are reassigned to you, the transition requires sensitivity, strategy, and respect for the client relationship that preceded you. These clients may have had deep trust in their former advisor, and any attempt to immediately assert control or change how things are done can damage the relationship before it begins. 

Instead of declaring, “You’re my client now,” approach them as if they were newly referred—someone you're hoping to earn, not inherit. Start by learning as much as possible about the client’s history, goals, and preferences, using CRM notes and internal records to guide your outreach. 

By demonstrating empathy, professionalism, and a genuine interest in the client’s well-being, you can build trust over time and help ensure they choose to stay with the firm—not because they have to, but because they want to.

Finsum: In your first meeting, listen more than you speak, focus on continuity, and resist any urge to immediately pitch new products.