Merge with Other Advisors
As my assets grew, time to do plans declined and the revenue mix flipped. --Neal Van Zutphen
Neal Van Zutphen, Vice President of Delta Ventures Financial Counsel, Inc., chose the team approach to support the continued growth of his business through referrals. After working with a fee-for-service consultancy, Van Zutphen went independent in 1994, and five years later was managing more than $10 million in assets. Most of his revenue came from financial planning and retainer fees to support the financial plans. "As my assets grew, time to do plans declined and the revenue mix flipped," explains Van Zutphen. "Instead of 80 percent planning fees, 20 percent advisory fees, it became 80 percent advisory fees, 20 percent planning fees."
Realizing his ability to service his clients was limited, he merged his practice with Charles Autrey, a veteran investment advisor, to form Delta Ventures in 1999. Today, Van Zutphen handles the planning side, while Autrey is the firm’s senior portfolio manager. Not only do they each benefit from referrals that the other brings into the practice, but clients also get a wider range of services from one resource.
-Neal Van Zutphen, vice president of Delta Ventures Financial Counsel, Inc., in 6 Strategies for Developing a Referral-Only Practice
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