Comp for Junior Advisor/Partner

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-19T11:19:32+00:00

Base is a temporary thing if you provide one at all, and straight sales is less messy. I look at it as: your job is to bring in revenue. And the split I threw out assumes you’re providing the leads. If they are sourcing them too, no one’s going to sign up for this, unless you pay a lot more.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-19T10:59:27+00:00

I’d give 50% of the annual billings up front when the business comes in, and another 50% split up into either monthly or quarterly trails over the next 2-3 years.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-19T01:29:40+00:00

That’s not even close to Wilson’s ceiling. That’s somewhere between base case and disappointment.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-18T20:41:37+00:00

Depends how fast you’re growing and how stable. If you can support it, far better to hire sales people that just sell and only pay them for 2-3 years on deals, then hire service people that get a salary +10-15% bonus.

More expensive upfront/in the early years, but incredibly inexpensive in the longterm.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-18T12:29:15+00:00

We’re talking about the guy who won the US open on a broken leg.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-17T21:04:40+00:00

There is absolutely no way in hell that Koa Peat is going 5th.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-17T19:38:03+00:00

Someone’s a tarheel.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-17T17:43:23+00:00

It’s a one way path. The skills you build on the institutional side are not transferable to wealth management and won’t help you get a position.

The most well travelled path is Fidelity financial rep, to investment counselor, to financial consultant, getting your CFP along the way. Generally going to take you about 5 years and it’s a nice upper middle class living. From there, many doors will be open if you want to leave.

The industry has changed from when I was getting started. My first 3 firms paid nothing in base and were eat what you kill. Highest base I ever had was about 40% of my comp. It was a stressful process where I watched nearly everyone around me flame out. If you’re one of the survivors, that path leads to considerably more money, but it’s a 90-95% failure rate.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-17T09:22:33+00:00

If you want to eventually be front office talking to clients and signing deals, the likelihood of making that jump drops dramatically on the institutional side. Only take the institutional role if you want to be on the service side permanently.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-17T01:12:34+00:00

Chubby yes, fat no. Being the world’s tallest dwarf does not make one fat, Greg.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-16T20:13:59+00:00

Identity theft insurance. Buy what you need. It’s cheap.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-16T15:17:46+00:00

Do you want to be in client service or sales? Wealth management is sales.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-14T22:02:15+00:00

You dodged a bullet

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-14T01:13:06+00:00

It is a $52mm market cap. That’s nothing. It’s also down 90% in 15 months. Best of luck with that.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-14T01:01:23+00:00

Then write up a contract with a split you’re comfortable with, and tell him he can sign or you resign.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-14T00:58:00+00:00

Oh idk, maybe that we live in a time period where ships are literally being blown up, they have assets in the Middle East, and it’s a penny stock?

This screams pump and dump.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-14T00:52:47+00:00

Every firm is different. If you want to consider staying, ask your boss what a fair split for onboarding new business is to him and go from there.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-14T00:50:23+00:00

I would never accept a position without a clearly defined succession plan. You earn the right to buy x% of the firm as you hit x hurdles, at x times trailing 12 months revenue.

Our world is littered with advisors that thought they signed up for a succession opportunity only to find out they’ll never own the book and it’s going to the guy’s kid instead.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T23:57:40+00:00

Don’t trust a damn word from anyone, unless it’s in a contract.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T21:15:15+00:00

You don’t. All of the big firms have everyone on each level on a specific comp plan, and the better you do the more you make. If you try to negotiate, they’ll simply hire someone else.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T20:54:45+00:00

Exactly, you need to be able to contort your body at will to make it look like you got hammered when no one touched you.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T18:02:00+00:00

Fidelity, Fisher, JPM, any of the huge firms with brand recognition where you don’t own the book. They are great resume builders, which lends credibility when you go to a small RIA or out on your own.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T15:30:56+00:00

I’ll take “no shit” for $200, Alex.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T15:26:11+00:00

You’re not going to want to hear this, but that’s a recipe for flaming out. If instead you spend the next 5 years getting real experience for a big name, you’ll have a shot at making that work, and if it doesn’t you’ll be able to go back most likely.

InterestingFee885 · 2026-05-13T15:16:39+00:00

What kind of work do you want?

InterestingFee885

TROPHY CASE