In Search of the Perfect Model: The Distinctive Business Strategies of Leading Financial Planners

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading
Review: In Search of the Perfect Model is the most important practice management book of the year for independent financial advisors. It is well written, insightful, and thoroughly enjoyable!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Profiles of Various Business Models for Planners
Review: Ms. Rowland has covered the financial planning beat for quite a while, and has benefited from watching carefully how the leading firms have developed. Anyone who thinks they need a different business model for their firm, or is about to start a new financial planning firm will benefit from reading and thinking about this book.

What kind of financial planning practice do you want? What kind of life style do you want? What kind of clients do you want to serve? What aspects of service do you want to do yourself, which parts have a staff to do and which parts do you want to outsource? How do you want to be compensated for your work? These are all pertinent subjects that are thoroughly explored in this book through detailed profiles of more than three dozen planners who span the gamut from single practitioners charging by the hour to occasional clients to larger firms that do everything for a single family throughout its many generations.

The book also looks closely at fees, expenses, and income attached to these different structures. No two planners do it the same way, and it looks like you have more choices than you think.

I found it refreshing to find that there's field where top performers can survive and prosper without working in large organizations. I was also impressed by the lifestyle advantages of offering limited, by-the-hour services.

I agree with Ms. Rowland's conclusion that life planning is not so new, and that large firms will not swoop up the whole industry. It wasn't clear where the efficiencies are that would make that possible . . . unless it would be to offer bare-bones planning for those with few assets by using software. But that's not the type of planning that most people in the industry want to do.

The book would have been improved if it had offered more analysis and a process for someone trying to pick a business model. Otherwise, the profiles were quite revealing and interesting. Although I operate as a management consultant, I find myself drawn into financial planning related issues (and yes, even life planning) when I work with entrepreneurs. So I felt it was valuable for me to learn from this book as well.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Profiles of Various Business Models for Planners
Review: Ms. Rowland has covered the financial planning beat for quite a while, and has benefited from watching carefully how the leading firms have developed. Anyone who thinks they need a different business model for their firm, or is about to start a new financial planning firm will benefit from reading and thinking about this book.

What kind of financial planning practice do you want? What kind of life style do you want? What kind of clients do you want to serve? What aspects of service do you want to do yourself, which parts have a staff to do and which parts do you want to outsource? How do you want to be compensated for your work? These are all pertinent subjects that are thoroughly explored in this book through detailed profiles of more than three dozen planners who span the gamut from single practitioners charging by the hour to occasional clients to larger firms that do everything for a single family throughout its many generations.

The book also looks closely at fees, expenses, and income attached to these different structures. No two planners do it the same way, and it looks like you have more choices than you think.

I found it refreshing to find that there's field where top performers can survive and prosper without working in large organizations. I was also impressed by the lifestyle advantages of offering limited, by-the-hour services.

I agree with Ms. Rowland's conclusion that life planning is not so new, and that large firms will not swoop up the whole industry. It wasn't clear where the efficiencies are that would make that possible . . . unless it would be to offer bare-bones planning for those with few assets by using software. But that's not the type of planning that most people in the industry want to do.

The book would have been improved if it had offered more analysis and a process for someone trying to pick a business model. Otherwise, the profiles were quite revealing and interesting. Although I operate as a management consultant, I find myself drawn into financial planning related issues (and yes, even life planning) when I work with entrepreneurs. So I felt it was valuable for me to learn from this book as well.