15th Anniversary of RPAY: Francis Investment Counsel
The practice remains as dedicated to providing top-notch retirement plan services as when it won the 2018 PLANSPONSOR Large Team Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year award.
Joseph Topp
Since Francis Investment Counsel was named the 2018 PLANSPONSOR Large Team Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year, Joseph Topp, principal and vice president of investment consulting services at the firm, says its focus has not changed at all. “We have remained steadfast in our qualified retirement plan advisory work and in providing participants education and financial coaching,” he says. “This is the firm’s sole focus. We do not offer any retail wealth management or other institutional consulting services.”
Q1 2021 Sees ‘Record-Shattering’ Pace of Adviser M&As
Strong market conditions, increased competition from buyers and favorable deals for sellers laid the foundation for the activity, according to the latest data published by Echelon Partners.
Echelon Partners has published its latest quarterly review of adviser and brokerage industry merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, finding the first quarter of 2021 shattered the previous record.
According to Echelon, there were 76 deals that took place in Q1 2021. This is the largest number of deals in a single quarter in the history of the wealth management industry, the report states.
“Strong market conditions, increased competition from buyers and favorable deals for sellers laid the foundation for the record-setting activity,” Echelon reports. “However, anticipation that the new [presidential] administration could introduce higher capital gains taxes that could go into effect in 2022 also accelerated dealmaking activity.”