1,000 Days. Wealth Management's Real Pursuit

Unspoken Rules For Advisory Transitions

I've been watching advisors for long enough to spot the patterns. Give me thirty minutes with a new advisor, and I can predict with scary accuracy whether they'll still be in the business five years from now. It's not about their background, their connections, or even their firm. It's about what happens in their first 1,000 days—roughly three years—when the foundational patterns get set that will either launch their financial advisor career or limit it forever.

Here's what's interesting: I can also spot veteran advisors who are plateaued or struggling by looking for these same patterns. The issues that kill new advisors don't just disappear when you survive those first three years. They evolve, they hide, but they're still there, creating the invisible barriers that keep good advisors stuck at the same revenue level for years. The industry doesn't teach you this stuff. They focus on product knowledge, compliance, and technical skills. But none of that matters if you don't get the funda…