Succession Glossary

NEW RESOURCE: THE GLOSSARY OF SUCCESSION TERMS

The Succession Alliance has launched its new Glossary of Succession Terms, a practical guide to the language used across financial planning succession, acquisitions and business sales.

Succession is one of the most important events in the life of a financial advice business, but whether you're buying or selling, it can introduce a whole new language - particularly when different organisations use different terms to describe the same thing.

The glossary aims to create a more consistent language around succession and support clearer conversations and better-informed decisions.

VIEW IT NOW

THE SUCCESSION CHALLENGE

Succession is one of the most significant events in the life of a financial planning business and has long-term implications for clients, employees and the wider profession.

There are a range of succession routes, none of which have a set of minimum standards and largely are governed by negotiation, custom and commercial pressures.

This lack of consistency has led to a number of wellrecognised challenges, including:

Poor transparency and disclosure
A lack of internal succession options forcing external sale
Misaligned incentives between buyers, brokers and sellers
Inconsistent treatment of clients during and after transactions
Variable deal quality and outcomes for sellers
Pressure on the FSCS

OUR AIMS

Sector Leadership
Providing clear leadership on succession across the financial planning profession.

Profession-Led Standards
Establishing shared expectations for what good succession looks like.

Better Client Outcomes
Promoting transparency, fairness and accountability in every ownership transition.

Education and Insight
Equipping buyers and sellers with the knowledge to make informed decisions.

Constructive Engagement
Working with professional bodies, policymakers and regulators to improve alignment.

Trust and Stability
Strengthening confidence in the profession through planned, well-governed transitions.

In association with our Founder Sponsors

ABOUT THE SUCCESSION ALLIANCE

The Succession Alliance launched under the banner of the Consumer Duty Alliance in March 2026 to improve the quality, consistency and professionalism of succession in all forms across the financial planning profession. Its purpose is to bring together a representative group of industry participants to identify good practice, address poor market behaviours, and develop profession-led standards that improve succession outcomes for business owners, their team and clients.

The Succession Alliance Board is chaired by Ben Wright, Chief Innovation Officer at Melo. Find out more about the Succession Alliance Board.

Cookie & Privacy Policy

Cookies user preferences

We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.

Accept all

Decline all

Analytics

Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.

Google Analytics

Decline

Save