Enough about the financial crisis already. It’s a long forgotten memory and what remains is a clear and present landscaping of highly capitalized global wealth management brands. Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, UBS, and Merrill Lynch.
Reconstituted, recapitalized, and to some extent rebranded. So the question is this, if you are a sought after recruit or multi-million dollar team: Are there legitimate benefits to joining one of the above firms? The answer is yes. And we’ve got four of them to share with you.
1. Even today, branding matters. It may not matter to advisors and it may not matter to industry insiders – but it matters to clients with millions in assets and value ‘size’ when it comes to protecting those assets. Having one of the logos of the above firms next to your name lends instant credibility.
2. Investment banking benefits. Many of the wealthiest clients in the world need and expect investment banking benefits when selling a company, needing a loan ‘of scale’, or advisory services on a partnership. Once again, the names above provide those in spades.
3. Mega teams. Across the wirehouse landscape the idea of creating ‘super teams’ that will cater to every need, want, or even every whim of HNW and UHNW clients. Teams of 20 – 40 advisors and staff managing billions and making themselves daily available to clients. Should you be committed to scaling your team, the wires are already headed that way.
4. ‘The Deal”. Let’s not make this complicated. The biggest deals, per channel, are in the wirehouse world. Yes, Ameriprise, Rockefeller, and a few others can stretch into the wire stratosphere; but each wirehouse starts the conversation at 325%. Starts. If you want a massive payout as part of your commitment to what wires have to offer, you won’t find a bigger deal.
The value that exists at the wires remains real and valuable for the right advisor and client. Make no mistake about it. But what comes with that is a culture that you will have to come to terms with and remain committed to, cause it’s the choice you’ve made.
