Are Your Partnerships Ready for 2026?
A Year-End Perspective for Advisors Heading Into 2026
Advisors are deep into year-end planning.
Clients are asking bigger questions.
The planning environment keeps shifting underneath everyone.
But there’s one area most RIAs rarely evaluate, even though it quietly impacts client experience, case outcomes, and practice efficiency:
The partnerships supporting their risk-mitigation strategy.
We review portfolios.
We review allocations.
We review plans.
But we rarely stop to review the support structure behind the advice.
And that’s where things often drift out of alignment.
1. When Familiarity Replaces Fit
Advisors tell me they sometimes receive the same product pitches over and over — even when their clients’ situations evolve.
It’s not intentional.
It’s just momentum.
But momentum isn’t a strategy.
The real question heading into 2026 is simple:
Are you getting what’s easiest… or what’s best for the client sitting in front of you?
2. When Support Slows You Down
We don’t talk about this enough:
A lot of advisors end up doing more workload than the back office supporting them.
Slow illustrations.
Follow-up gaps.
Administrative friction.
And in December, when timelines shrink and expectations rise, inefficient support hurts the most.
Your time is your value.
Your support should protect it.
3. When Strategy Needs Depth
Clients aren’t just asking about protection anymore.
They’re asking about income, longevity, taxes, long-term care, and portfolio sustainability, etc.
If your advanced planning support hasn’t kept pace with case complexity, you feel it.
Your clients feel it.
Your team feels it.
Depth matters, especially heading into a new year.
4. When Revenue and Support Fall Out of Sync
This isn’t about payouts.
It’s about alignment.
Partnership structures need to grow as your practice grows.
When they don’t, opportunities slip quietly through the cracks, in efficiency, in process, and yes, in revenue.
Most advisors don’t notice it until someone helps them look.
Heading Into 2026, Alignment Matters
Advisors who take the time to evaluate their partnerships each year tend to find:
Clearer decision-making
Better support
More efficient workflows
Stronger protection planning
Greater confidence heading into Q1
This isn’t about switching partners.
It’s about making sure the support behind you is built for the clients in front of you.
Your clients deserve that.
Your practice deserves that.
You deserve that.
If you'd like a quick, objective partnership review heading into 2026, I’m offering 15-minute sessions throughout December.
No pressure.
No prep.
Just a clear picture of where you’re aligned, and where there may be room to tighten up.
Message me “Review” if you’d like to take a look together.
