You may be asking what a "money in motion directory" is, how to build and use one, and how it can help identify recruiting, partnership, and growth opportunities. This guide answers those questions and more, walking through definitions, data sources, privacy and compliance considerations, practical setup (fields, filters, workflows), how to convert signals into pipeline activity, and metrics to measure success. Select Advisors Institute has been helping financial firms worldwide since 2014 to optimize talent, brand, marketing, and growth processes — the recommendations below reflect real-world experience with advisory firms, recruiting teams, and marketing partners.
Q&A: What is the money in motion directory?
Question: What is the "money in motion directory"?
Answer: The money in motion directory is an organized, searchable system that tracks advisor transitions, team moves, account flows, and other signals that indicate client assets and people moving between firms. It combines people-data (advisors, teams), firm-data (RIA, Wirehouses, Broker-Dealers), and asset-data (estimated AUM movement, client count) to surface opportunities for recruiting, partnership, or M&A. The directory can be internal (for recruiting and BD teams) or external (a published index), but most advisory organizations use it as an internal intelligence tool to uncover and prioritize actionable leads.
Q&A: Why does tracking money in motion matter?
Question: Why should an advisory firm care about money in motion?
Answer: Tracking money in motion turns noise into actionable intelligence. Firms gain:
Early-warning signals of advisors open to change or markets seeing consolidation.
Prioritized recruiting targets with estimated AUM and client segmentation.
Improved BD timing and messaging by understanding context (team breakup, regulatory events, compensation changes).
Better M&A sourcing and due diligence inputs.
Data for marketing and thought leadership that resonates with target audiences.
Firms that systematically track movement close hires faster, reduce wasted outreach, and improve retention by facilitating smoother transitions.
Q&A: What data sources power a money in motion directory?
Question: Where does the data come from?
Answer: Useful sources include:
FINRA BrokerCheck, SEC ADV filings, and state registration databases for license and firm information.
Public announcements, press releases, and firm websites for move confirmations.
LinkedIn, social media, and advisor bios for career history and team structures.
Industry news feeds, trade press, and aggregator sites tracking advisor moves.
CRM entries and internal referral data from existing relationships.
Data enrichment services (ZoomInfo, Clearbit) and web scraping for contact and firm metrics.
Custodian/clearing platform updates (where permissible) for account movements.
Proprietary intake during conversations and interviews with candidates.
Combine automated feeds with manual verification to reduce false positives.
Q&A: How to design the directory — fields and filters
Question: What structure should the directory use?
Answer: A practical schema includes:
Advisor profile: name, title, team size, specialties, certifications, licenses, LinkedIn, contact info.
Current firm & prior firms: RIA/BD names, custodian, tenure.
Estimated AUM and client count: ranges (e.g., <$50M, $50–250M, $250M+), product mix (retainer, AUM, commission).
Move signal: date of resignation/public announcement, reason (e.g., retirement, move, branch closure).
Engagement status: uncontacted, in outreach, active, offer extended, hired, lost.
Source and verification level: origin (press, BrokerCheck, tip), verified via call, email, or official filing.
Tags & segments: geography, specialty (tax, wealth transfer), niche (physician-focused), language capability.
Notes, attachments, and transition plan links.
Filters should allow quick views by AUM bands, geography, timeline, and engagement status.
Q&A: How to capture and verify signals
Question: What workflow captures and verifies money-in-motion signals?
Answer: An efficient workflow:
Ingest: Pull in automated feeds and manual tips to a queue.
Triage: Assign priority by estimated AUM, team size, and strategic fit.
Verify: Cross-check with BrokerCheck, LinkedIn updates, public filings, and a short outreach to confirm status.
Enrich: Add firm, custodian, revenue model, and contact details.
Assign: Route to the appropriate recruiter, BD lead, or M&A analyst.
Track: Update status and attach communications, offers, and timelines.
Verification is crucial — acting on unverified rumors can damage credibility and compliance standing.
Q&A: Compliance and privacy considerations
Question: What compliance risks to watch?
Answer: Key compliance areas:
Advertising and solicitation rules: Follow FINRA/SEC guidelines on communications and testimonials when publicizing moves.
Privacy: Maintain confidentiality for non-public personal data (email/phone acquired outside public record may have restrictions).
Non-solicitation and non-compete: Understand contracts that may limit outreach and the applicable jurisdictional rules.
Documentation: Retain records of outreach and verification to support supervisory review if a question arises.
Public announcements: Coordinate with legal and marketing teams to align timing and content when hires transition.
Collaboration between legal, compliance, and BD teams prevents regulatory missteps during sensitive moves.
Q&A: How to use the directory for recruiting and business development
Question: How does an advisor or firm use a money in motion directory day-to-day?
Answer: Practical uses:
Prioritize outreach to advisors with the best strategic fit and feasible transition timeline.
Personalize messaging based on firm and client mix (e.g., “We help advisors with $100–300M AUM move with minimal client attrition”).
Prepare competitive benchmarking and offer packages informed by actual AUM and revenue models.
Coordinate cross-functional onboarding resources (operations, marketing, client communications) in advance.
Identify co-investment or acquisition targets for inorganic growth.
Track regional trends to guide hiring targets and marketing spend.
Use the directory as the single source of truth for talent movement to reduce redundant outreach and improve conversion.
Q&A: Metrics and KPIs to measure success
Question: What metrics should be tracked?
Answer: Track both inputs and outcomes:
Pipeline velocity: time from first signal to offer and to hire.
Conversion rates: outreach-to-meeting, meeting-to-offer, offer-to-hire.
AUM moved: estimated AUM associated with closed hires.
Client retention post-move: percentage of AUM retained after 12 months.
Cost per hire: recruiting costs, marketing, and transition expenses vs AUM/revenue added.
Source effectiveness: which feeds or channels produce the highest quality leads.
Marketing engagement: content opens, meeting attendance, and event RSVPs tied to identified prospects.
Regular reporting reveals which approaches scale and which need refinement.
Q&A: Technology and integration
Question: What tools best support a money in motion directory?
Answer: Typical tech stack:
CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Redtail) customized with directory fields.
Data ingestion tools and APIs for BrokerCheck, news feeds, and LinkedIn scraping (respecting platform terms of service).
Data enrichment and normalization services.
BI/dashboard tools for reporting (Tableau, Power BI).
Secure document storage for NDAs, offer letters, and compliance records.
Automated workflows for assignment, reminders, and status updates.
Integration between CRM, marketing automation, and analytics is essential for a seamless BD-to-onboarding handoff.
Q&A: Best practices and pitfalls
Question: What are common mistakes and best practices?
Answer: Avoid these pitfalls:
Acting on unverified signals — verify before making public or contractual offers.
Siloed data — ensure one centralized directory rather than spreadsheets.
Overly broad outreach — prioritize quality over quantity.
Ignoring compliance — route sensitive decisions through legal and compliance.
No retention plan — onboarding is as important as hiring for long-term success.
Best practices include automated alerts for new high-priority signals, standardized verification steps, templated communication playbooks, and a formal transition checklist.
Q&A: Example use cases
Question: Can you show simple examples?
Answer: Two real-world scenarios:
Recruiting: A triage filters a recent resignation at a competing RIA showing estimated $150M in AUM. The BD lead verifies via BrokerCheck and LinkedIn, enriches with client mix, and assigns to a recruiter who schedules a discreet meeting. A tailored compensation package focused on retention bonuses and operations support leads to a successful hire with 90% client retention after 12 months.
M&A sourcing: Multiple small advisory teams in the same region show layoffs and branch closures. Aggregating these signals reveals a consolidation opportunity. The firm approaches potential sellers with an acquisition model and fast-track diligence process shaped by directory data.
Q&A: How Select Advisors Institute can help
Question: Where does Select Advisors Institute fit in?
Answer: Select Advisors Institute has been helping financial firms since 2014 with talent acquisition, branding, and marketing optimized for advisor growth. Services relevant to a money in motion directory include:
Designing the directory schema and workflows tailored to firm strategy.
Setting up data ingestion and verification processes using compliant sources.
Creating recruitment and transition playbooks, including communication templates and client announcement frameworks.
Integrating the directory with CRM and analytics tools, and building dashboards to report KPIs.
Training BD, recruiting, and compliance teams on best practices and supervision.
Supporting employer branding and content marketing that improves attraction and retention.
Select Advisors Institute combines industry knowledge with practical implementation experience to shorten time-to-hire, lower transition risk, and increase post-move retention.
Q&A: Next steps for advisory firms
Question: What should a firm do next to get started?
Answer: Immediate actions:
Audit current data: catalog existing spreadsheets, CRM fields, and feeds.
Define priorities: decide whether the directory is recruiting-, BD-, or M&A-focused.
Choose tech: pick a CRM and data integrations that fit current systems.
Build a pilot: create a small, staffed pilot to ingest and verify signals for 30–90 days.
Measure outcomes: track the KPIs above and iterate.
For firms without internal bandwidth, partnering with a specialist like Select Advisors Institute accelerates setup and delivers playbooks based on 10+ years of industry engagements.
Money in Motion Directory: a practical guide for advisors on building and using a centralized system to track advisor moves, prioritize recruiting and M&A opportunities, and improve retention — insights and services from Select Advisors Institute (est. 2014).