You put in a lot of years for a large finance firm. This sharpened your skills and gave you invaluable experience. You always dreamt of going it alone though, and you’ve broken away from your former company. The beginning has been a success but you need to ensure...
Break Away From The Pack
Year: 2022
Compliance and security challenges for RIAs with remote employees
If you’re starting your own registered investment adviser (RIA) firm, you may have a number of employees who have grown used to working at home and would prefer to continue to do that. Being able to accommodate remote employees can help you attract the best people....
Key points in RIA client agreements
As you set yourself up as a financial advisor on your own, your first step is to build out your client list. While doing this, it's important to use contractual client agreements. These are binding documents that help to define the relationship for both of you. The...
Avoiding conflicts of interest as an RIA
RIAs bear a fiduciary responsibility to act in loyalty, fairness, and good faith to their clients. Part of this responsibility includes freeing oneself from potential conflicts of interest and disclosing those that do exist. Such conflicts can arise from a number of...
It can be complex to start a case over trade secrets
If someone else has misappropriated trade secrets, it generally means that they have obtained or used them in an illegal manner. Perhaps they bribed someone to discover the secrets or they stole the information from a source they weren't supposed to have access to....
What type of executive benefits might you offer?
Starting your own investment firm requires you to ensure you have a good team working with you. One of the ways you can do this is by offering an attractive executive compensation package. You must ensure that your firm can comfortably handle what you’re offering. ...
Did you sign a non-compete agreement?
When you started working for a large financial firm, you certainly signed a contract. At the time, you liked the stability that this contract gave you. You wanted to know exactly what your obligations were, how much you would be paid and other terms of your...
Do you need an employee handbook?
Despite massive advances in technology and changes to how we work, it still pays to give all your employees an employee handbook when they start. Whether you print it or keep it virtual is up to you, but ensure you get a signature to say they have read it. What can it...
Challenges to expect when starting your RIA
You have finally decided to make that big leap and start your own RIA firm. However, uncertainties generally associated with starting on your own abound. While you can’t expect to have it easy, there are some challenges you need to be aware of and ensure you have...
What are some of the biggest risks facing RIAs?
Along with the lucrative career of a registered investment advisor (RIA) comes a number of potential pitfalls, some more serious than others. Advisor Perspectives has outlined some of the biggest professional risks prevalent in the investment industry, which include:...