Succession Planning Goes In-House A new crop of programs at IBDs helps advisors find successors—keeping their clients, and assets, close to home. The wealth management industry has long had a succession problem. Few advisors plan for their own retirement, and even fewer have a road map to step away from the business in a way that both monetizes the practice and provides continuity to their clients. Even worse is the lack of a plan in case of an advisors’ sudden death or impairment—the dreaded “hit by a bus” scenario. A 2018 study by the Financial Planning Association and Janus Henderson Investors found that 73% of financial advisors don’t have a written succession plan in place; of those who are within five years of retirement, 60% lack a succession plan.