Commonwealth Guide to Independence | Resources

Commonsense Guide to Independence

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Founded in 1979, Commonwealth Financial Network®, member FINRA/SIPC, is the nation's largest privately held Registered Investment Adviser–independent broker/dealer, with headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California. The firm supports more than 1,778 independent advisors nationwide in serving their clients as registered representatives, investment adviser representatives, and registered investment advisers, as well as through hybrid service models. For more information, please visit www.commonwealth.com.

Blog Post by Commonwealth Financial Network

Taking Control: Exploring Independence

Although the benefits of being an independent advisor are clear—better economics and ...

Protecting Your Legacy: 5 Succession Planning Strategies for Independent Advisors

Regardless of where you are in your life cycle as a business owner, it’s important to ...

6 Social Media Tips and Traps for Beginners

When leaving a wirehouse to start your own independent financial firm, you’ll want to ...

5 Tips for Retaining Clients After Leaving the Wirehouse

You’ve decided to break away from your wirehouse to establish your own firm. So, the next ...

What Does Compliance Look Like as an Independent Advisor?

As a breakaway advisor, your relationship with your compliance team can change—for the ...

Planning for Success: How to Use a Content Calendar

You’re ready to break away from the wirehouse. Your transition plan is in place, and ...

Creating Strategic Relationships with Centers of Influence

If you’ve built a solid reputation among your professional network, you already have a ...

Type: Infographic

Financial Snapshot: 4 Steps to Professionalize Your P&L Statement

Planning for your future as an independent financial advisor. If you're considering a ...

How to Evaluate Your Potential Firm’s Compliance Team

You may recognize that compliance is a critical part of running an independent advisor ...

5 Quick Questions to Help You Break Away the Right Way

Is there life beyond the wirehouse? For some advisors, the answer is yes. But how do you ...

How to Use Content to Turn Prospects into Clients

When opening your own financial practice, one of your immediate goals is keeping your ...

6 Steps to Business Continuity for the Independent Advisor

When you own a business, major unforeseen events and disasters can force operations to ...

Type: Checklist

Breakaway Implications: The Impact Your Firm Partner Can Have On Efficiency

You may think that going independent means having less time for client interactions—after ...

Type: Checklist

A New Hire Checklist: 9 Steps for Setting Your Staff Up for Success

If you’ve taken the leap from the wirehouse to becoming an independent advisor, then it’s ...

Type: Checklist

From Startup to Growth: A Checklist for New Independent Advisors

Transitioning from employee to business owner is exciting, but—as you may be realizing ...

See What to Consider When Leaving the Wirehouse for Independence

What do you need to think about when opening your own practice? Our latest video ...

An HR Primer for Newly Independent Financial Advisors

If you’re considering leaving—or have already left—your wirehouse to become an ...

Will Your Clients Follow You to Independence?

Watch our video for more information about how to retain your clients when you break away.

Driving Long-Term Growth

While you're taking care of your clients and their needs, who's taking care of you?

Understanding the Economics of Independence

Evaluating the cost of independence is a key part of making the decision to break away ...

Type: Checklist

Your Lifeline to Breaking Away: A Compliance Checklist

The right partner firm can make all the difference in helping you to stay compliant. This ...

Type: Infographic

How to Price Your Business

The upside to leaving the wirehouse and becoming an independent financial advisor is that ...

Prospecting for New Clients? Start by Focusing on Current Clients

Becoming an independent advisor means you have the flexibility to manage and grow your ...

Knowing When and How to Make the Leap

Are you thinking about leaving your wirehouse? How do you know if independence is right ...

Type: Checklist

Building a Brand Identity: A Checklist for Breakaway Advisors

For advisors moving from a wirehouse to an independent channel, one of the most important ...

So, You've Decided to Break Away from Your Wirehouse—Now What?

Breaking away from your wirehouse is a life-changing decision. If you know it’s the best ...

Type: Checklist

Client Retention Checklist for Breakaway Advisors

You’ve put time and effort into cultivating great relationships with your clients. As you ...

Breaking Away to Break Through

If you’re thinking about leaving your wirehouse to start your own firm, there’s a lot to ...

Telling Your Brand Story...For the First Time

If you’re thinking about going independent or are ready to make the leap, there are a few ...

Breaking Away from the Wirehouse: Pros and Cons

When opportunities beckon, we often find ourselves faced with difficult choices. If ...

5 Signs It May Be Time to Break Away from the Wirehouse

Is the grass greener in the independent channel? If you’re a wirehouse advisor today, ...

How to Choose the Best Firm Partner for You

Financial advisors rely on their relationship with their firm partner for a variety of ...

Type: Infographic

Evaluating the Cost of Doing Business: Wirehouse Vs. Independence

When thinking about leaving a wirehouse, the change in compensation will likely be a ...

Are You Ready to Break Away from the Wirehouse?

Moving to the independent channel today poses fewer barriers than in years past. ...

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