COVER STORY
That creates an opening for the young associates who can anchor their value in the clients’ minds and thus aid in the retention of the client and help increase the wallet share. These are areas the younger advisors can often influence directly.
“ If a client is satisfied with the meeting, and I did all the content for it, then that should count,” Ragatz says.
Young advisors can also display their worth by“ owning” certain subject areas. Atricia Roberts, the operations manager and partner at Curo Private Wealth in Richmond, Va., for instance, made it her job early in her career to improve her firm’ s process for handling required minimum distributions.
Marti Bott, a financial planner at $ 350 million Archer Investment Management in Austin, says she proved her value to her firm by tightening its workflows so that it was better able to stay on top of its clients’ life events, such as when somebody retired( and perhaps lost benefits) or the family grew in number.“ Maybe the client no longer has short-term or long-term disability insurance because they’ ve retired from their job, or their life insurance was maybe a group policy that has now gone away,” Bott says.
Unlike peers pursuing rainmaking roles, Bott defines success through topic mastery and service.“ I don’ t define my success so much by how many assets we’ re bringing in the door,” she says.
At Curo, a firm with $ 600 million in AUM, Roberts says she structures compensation for junior advisors— a salary plus bonus— by taking into account what associates can realistically control.“ That bonus is based on two parts,” she says.“ One part is how well the overall business did, and the other part is based on the role the associate plays in client retention.”
The approach reflects a broader shift, she says.“ We’ re not transactional advisors anymore.” Deeper relationships with clients are the goal, and associates can contribute to that.
Even in firms slow to evolve, Squires says associates can push for responsibility incrementally.“ They might start by owning the portfolio review— something cut and dry— and expand from there,” she says.
This gradual ownership of subject areas builds the associates’ confidence and creates visible proof for the owners of their junior advisors’ ability to face clients. It also helps firms skirt an uncomfortable choice: that they’ ll either have to promote technical experts without relationship skills— or relationship builders without technical depth.
But from a productivity standpoint, one of the fastest ways associates can demonstrate value is by reducing their managers’ workload.“ Look for the secret Venn diagram between the stuff you really like doing and the stuff your manager really dislikes doing,” Squires says.“ Own that.”
Documentation matters. Meetings handled, follow-ups
Without early indicators of momentum— client exposure, measurable contributions, expanded responsibility— associate advisors often conclude that the profession itself is the problem rather than the structure around them.
completed, clients served— these become leverage during compensation discussions.
Client feedback is another underused tool. Ragatz says associates are often hesitant to ask for it, but firms that create an environment in which clients feel free to talk will likely see stronger development and higher referral rates.
Credentials Matter— But Only To A Point
While tacking on more certifications can be tempting, Kitces research suggests that advisors seeking to add letters to their name will see diminishing returns beyond the marks of“ CFP.” That designation generates roughly $ 125,000 more in revenue per advisor. But credentials don’ t earn higher responsibility by themselves.
Ryan Marshall, 43, now a partner at ELA Financial Group in Wyckoff, N. J., agrees.“ Just because you have a designation after your name doesn’ t make you a rainmaker,” he says.
Marshall entered the industry as an intern at ELA, and after an unhappy stint at a much larger firm, he returned in a salaried support role, building his own book after hours.“ I grew my business from zero to about $ 20 million,” he says. His work ethic had him devoted to the firm from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m., while from 5 p. m. to 9 p. m. he was devoted to his own client list. The book he built became his down payment into partnership.
Ultimately, associate advisor productivity is a systems issue as much as a talent issue. Firms that fail to define roles, delegate responsibility or measure contributions will continue to lose talent.
But Moore says associates are not powerless. Those who proactively claim ownership of certain subject areas, who track their impact in those areas, and show their bosses that their work is affecting outcomes for the firm itself will see“ wins along the way” that keep careers on track.
To help associates along, Squires developed a first-year road map that reflects this philosophy, available at the Kitces. com website. She says a young advisor’ s priorities in the first 30 days should be to shadow mentors at meetings and master planning software. By six months, associates should contribute to client onboarding and meeting prep. By a year, they should be responsible for portions of client meetings.
Squires admits that the map is as much for the bosses as the associates, to keep them aware of what they are delegating, and not just to give associate advisors something to wish for in lieu of guidance.“ Sometimes the senior advisor can get a little too comfortable with just having someone in the meeting who takes notes,” she says.
Productivity, in the end, is not about waiting for assets. It is about proving— early and often— that associates are already helping to grow and protect them.
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | 29