doneUncover key sales insights
doneTarget sales behaviors and performance levels
doneBalance pay mix elements
doneDesign compelling compensation vehicles
doneMaximize clarity and appeal of sales plan and communications
doneUncover key market insights
doneDesign research and tracking
doneConduct qualitative and quantitative research
doneConduct competitive analyses
doneDesign and advise on marketing strategies
Now in 
- COMPENSATION 2026
Firms don't have to tell advisors to chase wealthy clients and big accounts. Their pay policies often do it for them.
And judging by the base pay grids many large wealth managers have adopted for 2026, some "regional" brokerages are pushing advisors to pursue the big accounts once more commonly associated with large wirehouse competitors. Andrew Tasnady, an industry compensation consultant and the founder of Tasnady & Associates, said the trend is particularly evident in the compensation policies of regional firms such as Janney Montgomery Scott and RBC Wealth Management.
Follow these links to Financial Planning for breakdowns of 2026 advisor base pay* at four different production levels:
*All data is provided by the companies, compiled by Arizent and analyzed by Tasnady & Associates.
Compensation consultant Andrew Tasnady, the founder and managing partner of Tasnady & Associates, said it's not uncommon for firms' pay policies to run to 30 or 40 pages. Undergirding them all is usually a fairly simple compensation grid laying out how much money advisors get to keep from the revenue they produce for the firm; the grids tend to be tiered to allow higher producers to retain a larger percentage of the income they generate.
The complication comes in with the many incentives firms use to encourage behaviors like arranging loans to clients or selling insurance products while discouraging others. Tasnady said some firms' plans have "gotten so big that they now have a summary of: here's the basics."
"And then they'll say, but you have to see this other plan for the gory details on each of these individual more esoteric elements," he said. "So the whole thing can certainly be 40 pages."
Meanwhile, Wall Street rivals have been quicker to add independent options. Goldman Sachs, which has a private wealth unit of captive brokers serving the ultra-rich, launched in 2020 an RIA custody business as a way to expand product distribution. Morgan Stanley Investment Management, by contrast, leans on product wholesalers to drive those sales efforts.
Adding an RIA or independent affiliation option boosts scale because many large firms already have the trading infrastructure and other back office services in place, industry consultant Andy Tasnady wrote in an email. Wirehouse brands have customer recognition and financial strength that can appeal to independent RIAs looking to shore up credibility with clients, he added.
Industry consultant Andrew Tasnady, the founder and managing partner of Tasnady & Associates, said some firms no doubt have good reason to be tapping the brakes on recruiting.
"In the short run, that will boost your profits because you are not paying to grow," he said. "But it could slow down your growth rate in the long run. So it's a strategic decision."
Recruiting has likely lost some of its appeal to firms seeking to boost their bottom lines by reducing expenses. Morgan Stanley and UBS, for instance, have made controlling costs a central plank in their plans for their wealth management divisions.
As for the delay, compensation consultant Andy Tasnady told ThinkAdvisor that if UBS aims to help shift the remaining advisors and clients who haven't moved into fee-based relationships to make that change, it "probably is a good idea to give advisors more time to have those conversations with their clients."
Tasnady said the advisors pushing back against the change are probably more senior, not on teams and not the highest producing advisors.
Serving Wall Street, Financial Services, and Other Industries.
New York, NY - Sarasota, FL
516.410.7744
