A systematic way to evaluate broker-dealers, RIAs, buyers, and succession paths across the factors that shape both the daily experience and the long-term outcome.
Because payout and technology matter. They just do not tell you whether the move will still feel right years later.
The guide shows what is working, where friction is building, and whether another platform would genuinely serve you better.
Most platform comparisons begin with payout and technology. Those matter, but advisors who lead with the easiest numbers to compare can end up trading one set of problems for another.
No amount of money fixes a cultural mismatch.
The Alignment Check applies all six dimensions to the firm you are with today. In about six minutes, it weighs what matters to you, what your experience is showing, and whether that alignment is improving or eroding.
Start with an honest baseline, then choose the path that matches your decision.
Set priorities across all six Cs while the baseline is still yours.
Use this path when you are considering a move between firms or affiliation models.
Use this path when ownership, continuity, or outside capital is part of the decision.
The guide identifies four recurring paths to transition regret. Each one has a clearer, more disciplined alternative.
Slow technology or a disappointing grid can start the conversation, but one pain point rarely tells the full story.
Score the current firm across all six dimensions first. Then compare every alternative against the same honest baseline.
Every firm presents its best version. The curated referral list rarely shows the full operating reality.
Speak with official references and independently find advisors who are not on the list. Study the gap between those conversations.
A large transition package is visible and immediate. The net-to-me differential compounds for years after it is gone.
Model five-year net economics at current production and projected growth, including every required cost and vesting term.
Succession optionality feels abstract until urgency limits your leverage and narrows the available paths.
Ask how advisors actually exited in the past three years: realized multiples, financing structures, and the real buyer pool.
How the methodology works, where it applies, and what to expect when using it to evaluate a consequential decision.
The 6C Alignment Framework is an evaluation methodology developed by Continuum Search Group that assesses broker-dealers, RIAs, and acquirers across six dimensions: Culture, Community, Compatibility, Capability, Compensation, and Capital. The dimensions are ordered from intangible to tangible because the foundational dimensions usually predict whether an advisor will be satisfied two years after a transition.
The 6 Cs are deliberately ordered from intangible to tangible. Culture and Community shape an advisor's daily experience. Compatibility and Capability determine how the practice operates. Compensation and Capital only matter once the foundation is right. Leading with payout can trade one set of problems for another.
Transition timing varies by firm, business model, diligence needs, paperwork, client notification, and account-transfer requirements. The 6C evaluation that comes before signing typically takes 30-60 days of structured conversations with two to four firms.
Headline transition offers are not directly comparable across channels or firms. Effective deal value depends on payout grid, required costs, forgivable-note terms, equity participation, and what happens in years three through ten.
In M&A and succession, the 6C Framework evaluates buyers, partners, or successors using the same six dimensions used for platforms. Culture and Community measure whether the acquirer treats clients and team the same way the seller does. Compatibility and Capability determine whether operations will integrate cleanly. Compensation and Capital define the deal economics, equity structure, and protection of enterprise value over time.
Using a platform-agnostic recruiter provides access to more opportunities, confidential exploration, negotiation expertise, and guidance through the transition process. Reputable recruiters are paid by the receiving firm, not the advisor. The advantage is structural: a recruiter who only represents one firm has incentives that compete with yours.
An Independent Broker-Dealer (IBD) allows commission-based product sales plus fee-based accounts. A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) operates as a fiduciary charging fees on AUM. Many advisors use a hybrid model with both. Choosing between them is a Compatibility and Capital decision more than a compensation one - the right structure depends on your client mix, planning approach, and long-term equity goals.
Eight focused pages built from thousands of advisor conversations. Use it to challenge the pitch, pressure-test your assumptions, and decide whether moving makes sense at all.
Use the six-minute Alignment Check for an immediate baseline, or talk directly with Rick for a confidential second opinion on your options.
Answer a short set of questions across the same six dimensions.
Start the 6-minute checkAnonymous and built for self-assessment.