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Q. How many LPL Financial advisors are there?
A. 11,000 financial advisors across the United States

Q.How many back office employees?
A. Nearly 2,600 employees support LPL Financial advisors

Q. What other lines of business does LPL Financial support besides the independent advisor?
A. LPL Financial also has a bank channel called LPL Financial Institution Services.  The firm also performs custom clearing for other broker/dealers such as AXA Advisors.

Q. When was LPL Financial started?
A. LPL Financial was formed in 1989 through the merger of two small but successful brokerage firms, Linsco (established in 1968) and Private Ledger (founded in 1973).

Q. Why do you have multiple headquarters?
A. Linsco was headquartered in Boston, Private Ledger in San Diego so both headquarters were kept after the merger in 1989 to have national coverage.  The Charlotte office was opened in 2006.

Q. What kind of advisory platforms does LPL Financial offer?
A. The LPL Financial competitive fee-based platforms allow advisors to manage assets themselves or have a third party manage assets for them.

Strategic Asset Management - A fee based asset allocation platform, provides unlimited flexibility to personalize clients' portfolio with access to more then 4,600 no-load/load-waived and institutional mutual funds, stocks, bonds, alternative investments, conservative options strategies and a multi-manager variable annuity.

Manager Select - A consulting wrap platform, is a simple yet sophisticated solution for high-net-worth clients seeking access to institutional portfolio managers. Manager Select has over 100 institutional money managers available representing 50 investment styles.

The Optimum Market Portfolios - Available in both a brokerage and advisory platform, the Optimum Market Portfolios account allows you to increase the capacity of your practice by outsourcing asset allocation, fund selection/monitoring and rebalancing.

Personal Wealth Portfolios - This innovative platform packages both best-in-class mutual funds and separate account managers selected and monitored by LPL Financial Research with a range of overlay portfolio management services.

Q. Can I charge hourly fees?
A. Yes.  You can either charge using the LPL Financial RIA or your own RIA.

Q. Can I sell insurance through LPL Financial?
A. Yes! By placing insurance through LPL Financial Insurance Associates advisors can maximize your insurance sales as you will receive 100% commission payouts, 100% conference credits and 100% production bonus credits on your fixed life business. This incremental difference can have a tremendous impact on your profitabilty and club level over time.  

Q. Does LPL Financial offer real estate?
A. Yes.  LPL Financial offers public and private REITS and access to REIT mutual funds on its advisory platforms.

Q. What kind of financial planning software does LPL Financial offer?
A. As an independent advisor you have access to any financial planning software on the market.  LPL Financial supports a proprietary, integrated version of eMoney Advisor called WealthVisionSM.  WealthVision is available to LPL Financial advisors at a reduced cost of $300 per month for unlimited clients.

Q. Can I use a DBA?
A. Yes.  Financial Advisors that clear through LPL Financial can use the LPL Financial brand or a unique DBA.

Q. Can I office out of my home?
A. Yes.  Where you locate your office is completely up to you.

Q. Can I add staff/advisors to my office?
A. Yes.  Many LPL Financial advisors have large staffs including other registered representatives.  It is also possible to become an OSJ for several offices.

Q. What are the club levels at LPL Financial?
A. Club Levels at LPL Financial are based upon annual GDC (Gross Dealer Concessions) and the benefits for each level vary. The Club Levels minimums for 2009 are as follows:

Executive Council:  $2,250,000
Chairman’s Council:  $1,250,000
Chairman’s Club:  $700,000
Patriot’s Club:  $525,000
Director’s Club:  $325,000
Freedom Club:  $225,000