The markets have been good to investors this year, leading many to wonder how they will stack up in 2014. For many wirehouse reps, the big question is what next year means for their payout grids.
The wirehouse firms don't want to cut advisor compensation for fear that they will leave, but they are still under pressure to improve profits. "The challenge is how to show shareholders that they are saving money while not angering advisors enough to run for the door," said Danny Sarch, founder and head of Leitner Sarch Consultants, in an interview.
These firms also are trying to capture and influence as many client assets as possible, as RIAs do. Some RIAs charge for assets that are held away from their operations, like within a 401(k) plan or trust, Sarch explains. But, if clients agree, some wirehouse advisors can charge a fee for advising them on how to best invest assets held away from their firm.
Tweaking comp plans is no easy task, the recruiter says. It's a tough balancing act between "what the firms want to accomplish, which is saving money and driving certain behaviors, and the risk of losing advisors and their revenue because your changes are too harsh."
Experts see Morgan Stanley as the firm making the biggest changes to its payout grid in 2014. Many of its 16,500 advisors, who haven't seen major grid changes over the past 10 years, are now being asked to raise their performance by 10% to jump to the next payout level. For example, to reach the 41% payout level, an advisor has to bring in $440,000 in 2014 vs. $400,000 in 2013.
In general, grid payouts at Morgan Stanley range from 28% to 47% of advisor sales. However, advisors who have been with the firm for nine years or more and have production of less than $300,000 get 20%.
Morgan Stanley advisors with clients who take loans from the bank can be considered for bonuses that go as high as $202,500, a big jump from 2013, according to the firm. Also, advisors will be able to get full payout on client households with less than $100,000, provided the households are enrolled in the OneView account aggregation service and have outside assets of at least $150,000.
