First Allied Securities Launches New Comprehensive Succession Planning And Business Acquisition Center For Affiliated Advisors With Financing Capabilities

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- First Allied Securities, Inc. (First Allied), a leading independent broker/dealer supporting fee- and commission-based independent financial advisors across the nation, today announced the rollout of its new Succession Planning and Business Acquisition platform for affiliated financial advisors. Core to this new platform is the Succession Planning and Business Acquisition Center, a comprehensive online resource that incorporates innovative new tools to help advisors map optimal strategies for ensuring the long-term health and success of their businesses through acquisitions, continuity planning or succession planning, and enables advisors to track their own progress toward these objectives in real time.

Leveraging its diagnostic capabilities, the Acquisition Center also helps advisors identify potential partners for acquisition or succession, educate themselves on best practices with respect to acquisition and succession strategies in order to map their own plans for the future, and coordinate with the First Allied Business Consulting and Transition Support teams to ensure smooth and successful transaction or transition processes.

By empowering advisors to take a systematic approach to their own long-term goals, the Acquisition Center will also enable First Allied to identify appropriate opportunities to finance affiliated advisors' growth through acquisitions of other advisory practices both within and outside the First Allied network. Acquisition loans are to be applied towards the down payment price, and will be offered on highly competitive terms.

Richard Whitworth, Managing Director of the Business Consulting Group at First Allied, said, "By helping our advisors understand their options as they work to position their practices for long-term success–and enabling them to view their step-by-step progress toward these crucial transitions in real time–our new Acquisition Center enables them to manage risks and plan ahead in ways no other competitors are able to match. Without question, a solid road map that tracks progress and is easily executable is absolutely vital for advisors in order to maximize the value they and their families receive through a planned exit from the business. Even more important, having such a road map helps advisors ensure that their practices can continue to thrive and retain enduring value in the event of an unplanned exit due to health or other personal crises."

Mr. Whitworth continued, "The Acquisition Center puts the means to achieve these critical goals in advisors' hands, and gives them up-to-the-minute visibility on their progress as they work to make their objectives a reality."

The Succession Planning and Business Acquisition Center includes the following features:

• The Knowledge Center provides a broad array of resources on best practices related to acquisitions, continuity planning and succession planning, including webinars, white papers, professional references and document templates on critical topics ranging from valuation to deal structuring and financing. These resources can be filtered and searched by topic to help advisors understand the options available to them and identify the optimal game plan for ensuring the longevity and success of their businesses.
• The innovative new Process Tracking Tool, which enables advisors to:
  • Specify the transitional or growth option they want to work toward, whether succession planning, continuity planning or acquisition;
  • View the tactical steps necessary to realize their targeted outcome, including notifying key constituencies, identifying and securing funding sources, and planning ahead to help clients make the transition, among many others;
  • Screen acquisition candidates or potential partners for continuity and succession planning purposes according to the advisor's own criteria, including business model, geographic location, client demographics and more; and
  • Assess whether the advisor is a qualified buyer for acquisition purposes, according to measures such as practice size, experience, compliance record, professional certifications and participation in First Allied educational programs such as First Allied University and the Certified Wealth Strategist® program.
• Transition Support Website Tool, which is the final piece of the overall website, enhances the ability of advisors to execute on a succession plan or new acquisition by engaging First Allied early in the process.  Working with our Transitions team, advisors can minimize client impact through the transition and solidify new relationships to help ensure a high level of client retention.

The information and objectives advisors share through the Acquisition Center will also help First Allied identify opportunities in which the company's own acquisition finance offerings can be most effectively deployed to ensure the growth of advisors' practices. The Acquisition Center will form a valuable part of First Allied's internal due diligence processes, enable the company to further formalize its acquisition financing practices, and strengthen advisors' ability to expand through acquisitions going forward.

Mr. Whitworth concluded, "First Allied Securities' Acquisition Center serves as another demonstration of our commitment to providing our advisors with the comprehensive tools they need to build and manage their businesses for long-term growth and success. We look forward to working with our advisors across the country to address their needs regarding growth and succession planning, and to helping them maximize the potential of their businesses."

About First Allied Securities
Based in San Diego, First Allied Securities is an independent broker/dealer that serves as the firm of choice for independent financial advisors from across the nation seeking to grow their businesses. First Allied's exclusive business development platform has been expertly constructed to provide entrepreneurial advisors with the industry's most comprehensive platform for growth. Dedicated to providing independent financial advisors with a competitive edge, First Allied empowers advisors to successfully compete and win the battle for high-net-worth and ultra-affluent clients. As of September 30, 2013, First Allied had approximately $30 billion in brokerage and advisory assets and 868 affiliated financial advisors. For more information, please visit www.firstallied.com.

First Allied Securities is part of First Allied Holdings. RCAP Holdings, LLC purchased First Allied Holdings in September 2013. First Allied Holdings' subsidiaries also include The Legend Group, a specialized provider of investment and retirement solutions to the not-for-profit space, including 403(b) accounts.

SOURCE First Allied Securities, Inc.