SAN DIEGO, Sept. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LPL Financial LLC, a leading wealth management firm, today announced the release of the first-of-its-kind annual Advisor Growth Study (AGS). The comprehensive research study pulls from six years of structured data (2018–2024) from over 14,000 financial advisors across business models, geographies and growth stages to identify behaviors that consistently drive strategic growth.
As one of the largest aggregators of proprietary advisor data, LPL created the AGS to provide insights into industry trends that drive growth for financial advisors and institutions. The data is enhanced through supervised machine learning and explainable AI to identify behaviors that lead to sustainable growth in the wealth management industry.
Advisor Benchmarking: From Instinct to Insight to Action
Leveraging the firm's scale and data, LPL converted the AGS insights into the Advisor Growth Index (AGI or Index), an early-stage diagnostic tool for advisors and institutions that affiliate with LPL. Working in a 1:1 consultative process between LPL and advisors, the AGI evaluates advisor and institution performance across client acquisition, development and retention — allowing advisors and institutions to benchmark themselves against industry top performers and identify the most productive path forward for growth.
According to the study, the advisors and institutions with the highest AGI scores demonstrate the most consistent growth patterns, with businesses in the top quartile growing assets under management (AUM) three times the rate of median performers, on average. The AGI score is intended to provide advisors and institutions with clear insight into their performance patterns and outline a practical starting point for making meaningful improvements.
AGI scores are dynamic, letting advisors and institutions track progress over time, visualize the effectiveness of business changes and evolve their strategies with support from the LPL ecosystem.
"With the Advisor Growth Study, LPL sought to answer the question, ‘What separates top-growing advisors and institutions from their peers?'" said Matt Enyedi, chief client officer at LPL Financial. "By analyzing six years of proprietary performance data from thousands of practices, spanning all business models, affiliations and stages, the AGS is unlike traditional benchmarking tools that rely on self-reported surveys. We're drawing from objective data, enhanced through supervised machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify behaviors that lead to sustainable growth.
"These are not anecdotal guesses; these are actionable learnings, backed by data, tested across business models and proven in the field," he added.
Four Traits of Successful Advisors
The AGS uncovered four behaviors that distinguish top-growing businesses from their peers. On average, advisors and institutions who exhibited even two of the following four areas saw growth rates over five times when compared to their peers.
- Establish Growth Foundation: Top growers prioritize clients with long-term potential, build operational efficiency and align infrastructure with scalable growth. They establish clear growth priorities, using data to identify one to two areas of focus and take targeted action. For example, study data shows that top growers maintain a well-balanced client mix with:
- A median client aged 60 or younger, and
- Typically, less than 35% of clients in the decumulation phase.
- Segment Clients: Every client has unique needs, and top-performing advisors and institutions segment clients and refine service models based on factors like AUM, life stage, planning complexity, growth potential and personal fit. Segmentation best practices demonstrate that:
- 30-60% of growth comes from clients with the top 10% of AUM, and
- Approximately 35% of growth comes from clients who have $500,000 or more under management.
- Deeply Serve Clients: The most successful advisors and institutions prioritize thoughtful planning and tailored support for complex needs. They focus on deepening engagement with existing clients and the next generation using the planning process as a gateway to richer conversations and sustained relationships. Data shows that:
- Advisors and institutions holding 60%+ of client assets in advisory saw consistent gains over brokerage year-over-year.
- Drive New Client Acquisition: With an intentional approach to new client acquisition, high-growth businesses use data to target high-potential prospects by leveraging strategic M&A opportunities, centers of influence and digital marketing. Study data highlights that top advisors and institutions:
- Achieved high rates of new client acquisition — 10%+ of clients are new each year — with the average new client AUM increasing year-over-year.
"In today's advisory landscape, growth is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity," said Kraleigh Woodford, executive vice president of growth strategy and enablement, LPL Financial. "As the demand for advice continues to build, advisors and institutions will need tools and solutions that help them scale and grow on their terms. We see both advisors and the industry leveraging LPL's Advisor Growth Study and the Advisor Growth Index as essential tools to inform growth with confidence."
LPL's annual Advisor Growth Study (Research) and Advisor Growth Index (Diagnostic Tool) are part of the company's Advisor Growth System — a comprehensive, data-driven framework that helps advisors and institutions benchmark their performance, identify growth opportunities and execute strategic improvements with LPL's support. The complete system is available at no cost to LPL advisors and institutions.
To download a copy of the annual Advisor Growth Study, please visit: go.lpl.com/advisorgrowthstudy.
About LPL Financial
LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace, LPL supports over 29,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $1.9 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 7 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.
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