Preparing for retirement is one of the most common phrases agents and advisors across the country use in business. This notion is weighing on thousands of boomers at or nearing retirement, and continually seeping into the minds of younger generations given how their parents and grandparents have been affected by stock market volatility and the recent "Great Recession." Ironically, many of these very producers who have dedicated their careers to helping others retire safely and comfortably have neglected to prepare for their own retirement futures.
The majority of producers today are in their 50s, and many are independent small-business owners. Yet, according to LIMRA, 47 percent of these producers plan to never retire.1 The statistics aren't any more encouraging for RIAs or advisors with a broker-dealer relationship. While it would be logical to assume that smaller advisory firms and solo practices lack the time to invest in succession planning, statistics reveal this trend persists across RIA firms of all sizes and levels of sophistication. In fact, a recent report by Pershing Advisor Solutions shows that 70 percent of advisory firms with $5 million or more in revenues either lack a succession plan completely, or at best have an inadequate one.2
"Few agents and advisors today have a succession plan and are adequately prepared for retirement because most don't know if their businesses are even worth selling," said James Mitchel, the vice president of developmental research at LIMRA. "Research we've conducted indicates that only 11 percent of advisors have had their practice professionally valued. Without an idea of how much a sale will add to other assets, many simply continue working for years to come."
Focus on reality
