First Allied Securities Launches Pentameter™, A Leading-Edge Practice Management Portal And Business Consulting Process

SAN DIEGO, June 19, 2014 /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 launch of its new Pentameter™ practice management portal and integrated business consulting process. Pentameter™ expands on First Allied's vision of providing a holistic ecosystem of tools and services to help advisors build and strengthen their businesses for the long term, providing an innovative, centralized reporting dashboard that enables advisors to identify and leverage the most appropriate resources within the First Allied platform at each stage of their practice's development to take their business to the next level. The new resource was announced at the firm's annual national conference, bringing together over 1,025 advisors, industry experts and product sponsor partners in San Diego.

The Pentameter™ portal and consulting process helps advisors assess and optimize their businesses according to First Allied's Five Measures of Business Success: business development, operational efficiency, human capital, business management, and succession planning. The new offering is being showcased this week at First Allied's annual advisor conference in San Diego, and will be made available free of charge to all the broker/dealer's affiliated advisors.

Using Pentameter™, advisors can quickly and accurately gauge their practices' strengths and areas for improvement on each of the Five Measures through a targeted diagnostic evaluation and real-time financial metrics that provide accurate visibility into key areas of business health. Based on the results of the assessment, Pentameter™ directs advisors to the appropriate resources within First Allied to address each practice's specific challenges and opportunities. These resources include First Allied's Succession Planning and Business Acquisition Center, Advisor Marketing System, quantitative tools, white papers, best practices guides and practice management templates.

The Pentameter™ assessment also gives First Allied's Business Consulting Group a deeper and more detailed level of insight into the needs and capabilities of each individual practice, enabling them to tailor solutions and serve advisors more effectively and efficiently. After completing the assessment, advisors can use Pentameter's comprehensive, integrated business-planning tool to identify needs, set goals, assign tasks and develop a strategic plan to strengthen their business. Advisors can also choose to work with a dedicated member of First Allied's Business Consulting Group to further develop and implement action items identified through this process. As advisors move to execute their plans, the Pentameter™ portal allows them to track progress against their stated goals, update their assessments and improve their practices' scores in real time.

Richard Whitworth, Managing Director of Business Consulting at First Allied, said, "Pentameter™ represents the next evolution in First Allied's innovative, integrated approach to helping our advisors build sustainable, profitable businesses for the long term. Our goal for each advisor is not only to help them capitalize on the immediate opportunities available to them this quarter, or even this year, it's to help them think like CEOs to maximize and eventually realize the greatest possible value from their individual companies."

Aaron Pearce, Vice President of Practice Management at First Allied, added, "Pentameter™ empowers First Allied advisors to achieve this goal by connecting them to the internal expertise and resources that can most effectively take their practices to the next level. It also provides our Business Consulting Group with a deeper level of insight and scalability in working with advisors, and enables both the practice owner and our consulting professionals to track advisors' progress against their strategic plans across multiple disciplines. It is this combination of business assessment, goal tracking, dedicated consulting and real-time data reporting that makes Pentameter™ a truly unique offering in the independent broker/dealer space."

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. As of December 31, 2013, First Allied had approximately $27 billion in brokerage and advisory assets and 795 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.

©2014 First Allied Securities, Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC

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SOURCE First Allied Securities, Inc.