For many advisory firm owners, the three pillars of enterprise planning—valuation, liquidity, and succession—have historically operated on separate clocks. Valuation gets addressed when a prospective buyer asks for a number. Liquidity becomes relevant when a deal is on the table. Succession is often triggered by a health crisis, a partner's departure, or an unsolicited offer. That fragmented approach may have been workable when firms were smaller and timelines stretched further apart, but as practices add staff and take on outside capital, the separation becomes untenable.
Decisions about equity ownership directly influence what a buyer will pay. Staffing levels determine how much the business depends on its founder. Financing choices shape which transition options remain viable five or ten years down the road. These interdependencies are the core premise of an upcoming webinar, Value, Liquidity, Succession: Why Advisors Can't Treat These as Separate Conversations, scheduled for August 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET, hosted by InvestmentNews. The session will feature Jeremy Holly, Executive Vice President of Capital Partners at LPL Financial, who will unpack how these three areas increasingly need to be considered together rather than sequentially.
The webinar will focus on the links between value, liquidity, and succession—how a choice in one domain constrains or expands the others, and how owners can plan for all three simultaneously even if a transaction is years away. Attendees will learn to identify risks that erode value when planning is siloed or delayed, risks that often only surface during due diligence. They will also see how routine operational decisions about scale, staffing, and capital allocation build or undermine long-term value—decisions made well before anyone is thinking about a transaction.
A key takeaway will be a framework that aligns business goals, timing, and monetization options, applicable whether a liquidity event is next year or a decade out. The session will also help advisors recognize early signals that current tactics may be narrowing future continuity or exit options. As firms grow, it becomes harder to separate these conversations; each one shapes the others, and ignoring that interconnectedness can lead to suboptimal outcomes.
The event comes amid a broader industry focus on succession planning. A recent Deloitte survey found that 40% of family firms face succession within the decade, yet only half have robust plans. Similarly, Osaic's expanded RISR partnership targets business succession planning for its 11,000 advisors, underscoring the urgency. The $124 trillion wealth transfer is also widening succession gaps in commercial real estate, making integrated planning more critical than ever.
Jeremy Holly's presentation will draw on LPL's experience in helping advisors navigate these complex decisions. LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, offers securities and advisory services through its platform, and the webinar is intended for financial professional use only. The session is designed to provide practical insights, not just theoretical discussion, with a focus on actionable strategies that owners can implement immediately.
For advisors, the message is clear: waiting until a liquidity event is imminent or a succession crisis forces action is too late. By integrating value, liquidity, and succession planning early, firms can preserve enterprise value and maintain flexibility for future transitions. The webinar promises to equip attendees with the tools to do just that, making it a must-attend for any advisory firm owner thinking about the long-term health of their practice.
