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.