The First Question Every W-2 Advisor Should Ask Before Leaving
When advisors explore a move, the conversation often starts with payout and transition money. That framing is not accidental.
Many recruiters are trained to look at advisors primarily as books of business. Assets to be moved efficiently from one platform to another. When you see the world that way, the most important variables are transactional.
Most of the time (I hope), this is not malicious. It is simply how the system works. Show me the incentives and I’ll show you the business, so it’s said.
The fundamental problem is that advisors are not just books of business. They are business owners, and when conversations are framed too narrowly, the things that actually determine long-term success get pushed aside. (Not to mention quality of life for you and your team.
The better recruiters understand this difference. They are not just thinking about where assets land. They are thinking about what kind of business the advisor is running, and what environment will help it compound.
The First Question You Should Ask
One question quickly reveals which type of conversation you are in:
What would actually be different for my clients, my business, and my day-to-day life if I moved?
If the answer is vague, the move usually is too.
The right move shouldn’t look dramatic from the outside. Portfolios may not change. Clients may barely notice the transition. What changes is how the business operates.
Faster decisions. Less friction. More control. Clearer ownership. Those are not things you see on a payout grid, but they matter far more over time.
Advisors who make second moves rarely regret leaving. They regret how the first move was framed. They were moved efficiently, but not positioned thoughtfully.
Asking what would actually be different forces the conversation out of asset-transfer mode and into business-building mode. It makes tradeoffs clearer and promises harder to gloss over.
Not every advisor should move. Many are exactly where they should be.
Every advisor deserves a conversation that treats what they are building as a business, not just assets on a spreadsheet.
This is how I approach guiding advisors through the due diligence and transition process. Your business should not be walked into the recruiter meat market. Let’s help you find the best place for your team, your clients, and the future of your business.