LPL Financial on Wednesday announced the launch of a CFO Essentials offering from its LPL Business Solutions.
The new offering provides "chief financial officer expertise to emerging firms and growth-minded advisors seeking executive-level strategic counsel," LPL said Wednesday. CFO Essentials "delivers individualized financial benchmarking, budgeting, and forecasting strategies provided by experienced financial professionals," it noted.
Dan Arnold, LPL's CEO and president, mentioned CFO Essentials in July, during an earnings call with analysts, but few details were given at the time. Arnold noted it was an example of one of the firm's new streamlined versions of existing solutions to "help advisors who may have less complex" client needs than others.
LPL's flagship CFO Premium solution was "designed for complex, multi-layered practices," the company noted. On the other hand, CFO Essentials is a "lower-priced, lighter-touch bundle of services providing advisors with a dedicated CFO who offers fundamental support and actionable roadmaps for optimization, growth, and efficiency," LPL said.
The price difference between the two offerings wasn't cited by the firm in its news release, and LPL didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Advisors using the CFO Premium solution have seen promising results so far, including in some cases increased average annual business valuations upwards of 30%, LPL said.
Initial Response Positive
In LPL's news release, Stephen Iaconis, owner and advisor at Financial Advice & Consulting, said that his Birmingham, Alabama-based firm participated in a pilot rollout of CFO Essentials in January.