If you’ve ever searched for ways to ensure that your clients and prospects find your firm in their online searches, you’ve likely come across the phrase search engine marketing (SEM). In a nutshell, SEM includes various methods for improving the chances that your firm will be included in search engine (read: Google) results. Think of it this way: if Google’s job is to find the best answer to searchers’ questions, SEM’s job is to help Google pick your firm as a high-ranking answer. It sounds like a no-brainer, but is SEM right for your firm? As with any decision that will affect your bottom line, there is a lot to consider before making the investment.

While the Department of Labor’s original fiduciary rule was vacated by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in June 2018, the push to expand the definition of “fiduciary” has not completely stopped. Both the Department of Labor and certain states (including Massachusetts and New Jersey) are considering fiduciary rules of their own. It’s still too early to gauge what the overall impact will be, but it’s safe to assume that meeting your fiduciary duty will remain a hot topic.

Being an auditor has given me the opportunity to speak with many of our advisors and see, firsthand, the best practices they’ve implemented for working with clients. But even with their own established procedures in place, they often wonder if what they’re doing is enough, and are curious about how other advisors are managing client expectations.

If you’re in the market to buy or sell an advisory practice, valuation concerns are undoubtedly top of mind. Many well-established methods for valuing an advisory practice exist, but they all involve some degree of complexity and subjectivity. And, of course, a value calculation is not necessarily what a buyer will pay or what a seller will accept. Negotiation according to each side’s interest is what determines the price and the terms of the deal.

The one constant in financial services, as in many other industries, is change. And with change comes opportunity. Right now, for example, we’re seeing a record number of advisors participating in some form of a business transition. Whether it’s acquiring a book of business or preparing for the eventual sale of their own practice, M&A activity is something that continues to be a hot topic across all channels of the industry. So, how do you go about finding the right acquisition partner for your financial services firm while continuing to grow your own book of business?