A registered investment advisor is an individual who is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and whose main job is to provide investment advice and manage investment funds for others. In order to be an RIA, the personal financial advisor must manage over $25 million worth of investment assets to be able to register with the SEC. Otherwise, the advisors can only register at the state level. Unlike other types of financial advisors, an RIA gets paid based on a fee (for instance, 1% of the money you invest), rather than by commission. Some have argued that the commission-based salary model causes conflicts of interest and may present some detriment to the consumer.

A registered investment advisor works to sell investment products to clients to help them achieve predetermined, long-term goals. Different firms have different sales techniques, fee structures and business models, but these advisors will undoubtedly be skilled in sales and customer service to stay successful. Lastly, an RIA attends training courses, seminars and conferences to network with other advisory professionals and learn all about new product offerings. Many people like working with a financial advisor because they don’t have the time or knowledge to manage their own assets but they enjoy having a trusted friend managing for them.

More and more Americans are moving away from wire-houses to independent financial advisors, according to a June 2009 TD Ameritrade survey of registered and independent investment advisor professionals. Over 80% of RIAs surveyed reported an increased influx of clients over the last six months. The top three reasons why new clients transferred to the RIA advisory services include dissatisfaction with service, advice performance or fees at full-service brokerage firms (34%); to receive better advice that is in their best interest, rather than the broker’s best interest (21%); or to receive more personalized service with a more competitive fee structure (17%).

The career path of a registered investment advisor usually begins with a Bachelor’s Degree in business, finance, accounting or economics. Many RIAs then go on to work for a wire-house or large investment/stock products firm. After a few years of experiencing the burn-out firsthand, these workers will transfer over to a RIA advisory services firm like Schwab, Ameritrade or Fidelity. To make the switch, workers will need to obtain an RIA certificate from the state. Next, they usually have to take an exam and pay the $150 fee. To grow one’s business, a financial advisor usually holds lunches with prospective clients and conducts many meetings to get the business going. According to www.payscale.com, the average salary for an RIA is around $60,000, although portfolio managers can make over $80,000.

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The Low Cost Franchise business has expanded over the past few years to be one of the most popular business choices for a lot of people looking to start their own organisation. There are 2 major areas that a Franchise Opportunity falls into, the start up Franchise can fall under a fast growth class, or if the organisation is an extension of an established organisation then it will fall under the slow growth class. There are a lot of Franchise For Sale preferences to decide on but in order to make the organisation a success it will be important to consider the costs and advantages of both business models and decide on what will match you and your needs in the long term. Both of these business models have a great deal of benefits and problems that attract some prospective owners but put off others. When weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of these business models you must take into account the risk, the experience and the prospective that each delivers and then decide on whether you choose the slow growth or the fast growth opportunity.

Lets start with the slow growth business opportunity, these are companies or a Franchise Opportunity that require a small investment to cover your training, the start up cost and the formation of a business plan. This business model will already have a business plan in place and will be looking to develop into other sectors with their plan that already has been successful. The slow growth Low Cost Franchise preference grows through the constant advertising and marketing strategies that have been successful in the past, and relies on the management structure in place to drive the Franchise Opportunity forward. These models do have their disadvantages, they don’t develop quickly, and are often in direct competition with other companies providing the same product or service in the district. Most of theses have a very rigid structure and manual that you must apply your franchise too, and as a result there is not much room for innovative ideas or concepts. This is because the organisation has already grown a business model that works and has been developed to stick to certain guidelines. These slow growth choices normally come will a higher percentage taken by the franchisor at the end of each month or year so your income will be slightly less.

Lets move onto fast growth franchises, these are normally thought of as new start up organisation on the market. Everyone will be involved in getting the organisation started, starting with the owners and filtering down to the staff. These business models are started from the beginning so there is no manual or set way to do things, this gives the opportunity for new ideas and concepts to be brought to the table and as a result leading to a potentially higher return, lower franchise costs and the opportunity to develop quickly. Like the earlier model there are disadvantages to this, some of the managers or staff will be inexperienced in the area, this may lead to improved training and extra costs to develop the Low Cost Franchise. The major disadvantage when finding a Franchise For Sale like this one is that the business model is not a proven one and has not been established. To add to this the brand may not be well known within the market so this will require the organisation to push their advertising and marketing while you are developing yours, this plays into the competitions hands, as while the brand is rising, the competition are taking customers from your area.

There are many factors in making the decision between both models but they both can be successful. This depends on your business expertise and personality but assess these pros and cons before choosing the right Franchise Opportunity for you.