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The main business priorities of RIA firms this year are acquiring new clients, leveraging technology, including customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve productivity, and enhancing strategic planning and execution, according to a new study by Charles Schwab.
The 2019 RIA Benchmarking Study shows that RIA firms' revenue continued to increase in 2018, supporting a strong five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR), along with strong five-year growth in assets and clients, as they remained healthy despite recent market volatility, Lisa Salvi, vice president of Business Consulting and Education at Schwab Advisor Services, told ThinkAdvisor on Wednesday.
The 13th annual RIA Benchmarking Study, which contains self-reported data fielded from January to March this year among 1,310 firms that custody their assets with Schwab Advisor Services and represents $1.1 trillion in assets under management, shows that RIA firms are actively seeking talent, with 71% of them reporting they hired staff in 2018 and 42% recruiting from rival RIAs, according to the study.
"We all know we've been in one of the tightest labor markets in history," Salvi said. "The amount of time and energy advisory firms are putting into hiring is significant," she noted, adding 76% of firms said they're looking to hire people this year.
The study also unveiled findings related to equity sharing and financing options at RIA firms in a new section of the annual report. Options for equity financing expanded recently, with RIA firms now using banks, internal financing and outside investors, it said. Among those offering equity to employees, most often employees are financing the equity purchases, according to the study.
"If you go back about five years, obtaining financing for equity programs was a big pain point for advisors," according to Salvi. "It was very difficult to figure out," she noted. But she said: "We've really seen that, over this five-year period, that has resolved a great deal [and] that most firms have figured" the problem out by turning to the increased set of options available to them. There's also "broader understanding and awareness of the independent model and what those firms are looking for within the broader financial services community," she said.
