Top 3 Reasons a Formal Continuity Plan is Crucial:
Simply put, your financial advisory business is more than likely your largest asset and this should be reflected in the extent to which you protect it. Regardless of their age, one the best ways an advisory professional can protect the monetary value and efficacy of their business, is to have a formalized emergency continuity plan.
Many advisors have no continuity plan or possess an informal agreement with a friend or colleague. Informal agreements, however, are almost always insufficient and do not anticipate all possible scenarios. Below are the top three reasons a formal and contractual continuity plan is so important:
1. Clients:
Many would argue that a proper continuity plan is a fiduciary provision. If tragedy strikes, to ensure your clients' needs are met and that they will remain with your firm, your continuity plan must be:
a) Understood. (With the plan being well communicated to clients.)
b) Seamless. (With little to no hassle for the clients.)
c) Consistent. (With clients knowing that the efficacy of their service offering will not change.)
2. Loved Ones:
Should the unthinkable happen, to ensure your family receives the full monetary benefit from your business, your continuity plan must be:
a) Contractual. (With a set and clear monetary structure.)
b) Personal. (With a trusted individual who has a relationship with your clients.)
c) Strategic. (With a well-prepared plan of execution.)
3. Yourself:
If a temporary or permanent leave of absence is ever needed, uncertainty is the last thing you need. To protect your utility, business value, and earning power, a continuity plan must be:
a) Comprehensive. (With it applying to all types of situations.)
b) Accessible. (With little to nothing needed from you to execute.)
c) Process Driven. (With workflows and systems in place.)
If you do not have a continuity plan or are interested in receiving guidance from one of our certified consultants to help structure a more strategic plan, please email us at info@AdvisoryDNA.com or contact us through our website at www.AdvisoryDNA.com
