HD VEST FOR

FINANCIAL ADVISORSREINVENT YOURSELF

HD VEST FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS

A MODEL BUILT AROUND YOUYou’ve built a practice from the ground up. Seeing all your hard work come to fruition is what you care about most. Partnering with the right broker/dealer can be pivotal to helping you truly optimize your practice to its fullest potential. At HD Vest Financial Services®, our client-centric focus is built around helping you attain this important goal, and our model proves it.

You come first, from day one.

THE V4 CLIENT EXPERIENCETM

In our over 30 years of experience, we’ve learned that our top Advisors follow a repeatable client process to solidify relationships, provide ongoing client services and deliver an experience unlike anyone else in the industry. We recognized that in order to thrive and protect your client relationships from competitive forces, all Advisors need to utilize a systematic approach to consistently deliver an exceptional client experience.

We developed the V4 Client Experience, a four step process for HD Vest Advisors that is unique, indispensable and repeatable. Using this proven process will allow you to provide your clients with a repeatable experience every year starting with their tax return because individuals’ goals, wealth management needs and family dynamics are constantly evolving.

Step 1: As an Advisor, obtaining a client’s tax statement is standard procedure.

• Based on information on your client’s Form 1040, you can use our 1040 Analyst® tool to create a highly customized report outlining areas of vulnerability and opportunities.

Step 2: Prioritize the financial issues most meaningful to clients and their families.

• This is done by defining the 8 Wealth Management Issues® that affect everyone at some point in their lives.

Step 3: Develop an investment plan tailored to your client’s unique situation.

• Our VestVision® proprietary planning tool can help you provide the indispensable answer of whether your client is on track to reach their goals on an ongoing basis.

Step 4: Invest in service to the plan through investment strategies such as asset allocation1 based on their risk portfolio, diversification and disciplined rebalancing.

• By utilizing our VestAdvisor Select® portfolio management option, you can delegate the investment management responsibility to the home office so you can spend more valuable time with your clients.

THE 1040 ANALYST®

The 1040 Analyst is a unique mining tool brought to you exclusively through HD Vest. As an Advisor you may be missing a natural opportunity to analyze your clients’ tax information from the Form 1040. The 1040 Analyst tool fills that gap by delivering a customized set of potential investment solutions based on their data. The fully customized report illuminates potential blind spots and identifies areas of opportunity. It also provides a smooth transition to a planning discussion as the report is framed with the key wealth management issues each client is currently or will be facing in the future.

1Asset allocation and diversification do not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot eliminate the risk of investment losses.

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TECHNOLOGY

Technology is one factor that differentiates you from the competition. And it’s also one that differentiates us as a firm. We recognize one of the best ways to ensure the utmost efficiency and accuracy in your business is by enabling you to manage your entire practice with the click of a mouse. That’s why ensuring you have cutting edge tools is just one of our commitments to you. Take a look at some of the ways we can enhance your business:

Tool Benefit

HDVLink® Comprehensive portal to support Advisor productivity

• Allowsyoutomanageallyourfinancialservicestasksthroughasingle,secureportal

• Providesaccesstotrainingmodulesforpracticeandprofessionaldevelopment

• Deliversupdatesonindustrynews,compliancepoliciesandcorporateevents

• Displaysimportantinformationandactionitemssortedbypriority

• Offerspracticemanagement,security,salesandmarketingtipsandmaterials

Vest360TM Full-service hub for managing client assets

• Offersathree-tier,real-timeviewofyourentirebookofbusinessfromonelocation

• Generatesclientlists,performancereportsanddocumentationwithamouseclick

• Addsnewclientsautomaticallyandpromptsyoutoupdateexistingclientinformationorresolveerrors

VestVision®

Best-in-class investment and retirement planning tool

• Helpsyoueasilyidentifyclientprioritiesanddevelopinvestmentplans

• Offersflexibilitytomakeupdatesasthemarketorclient’slifestylechanges

• Providesstatusupdatesbasedonpersonalbenchmarks

1040 Analyst®

Automated tool to help tax professionals capture financial services opportunities

• Integratesyourclients’taxdatafromthefourmostpopulartaxsoftwareprograms

• Providesaprofessionally-branded,customizedreportofyourclients’investmentplanningopportunities

• Uploadstaxdataandgeneratesreportsforoneorallclientsatonce

Morningstar® Workstation Recognized research database

• Providespowerfulresearchandanalysis

• Deliversobjectiveinformationeasilyunderstoodbyclients

• OffersFINRA-reviewedreportsandproposals

• Utilizesintuitiveinterfacethatcombinesalltheresourcesneededtoconductfundamentalinvestmentresearchquicklyandefficiently

Trade Management Tool Modeling, rebalancing and mutual fund trading tool

• Streamlinesbuildingthemodelorrebalancingaccountinonesimplestep

• Providessamplemodelstouseasastartingpoint

• Sendsnotificationswhenanaccountisoutofsync

• Setsupautorebalancing

• Submitmutualfundtradesdirectlytothetools

• Savetimewhenitcomestorebalancingaccounts

VestWizardTM

Brokerage account tool• Supportstheabilitytoestablishaccounts24hoursaday,sevendaysaweek

• Administersintuitivenavigationthatresultsineaseofbrokerageandadvisoryaccountopeningandmaintenance

• Allowsaccesstoprintaccountdocumentsbeforefinalsubmission

• Providesimmediateaccesstoembeddedtrainingtools

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PRODUCTS

When it comes to products, we offer you more than just a cutting-edge dual-discretion fee-based solution exclusive to our Advisors. We offer a vast product line representing more than 13,000 mutual funds, 1,800 annuity products, 730 separately managed accounts, 1031 Exchange Strategies, and alternatives. The bottom line is the breadth of our product shelf is pretty hard to beat. And our product line doesn’t end there. We believe in providing a diversified, holistic approach that includes insurance solutions.

Products for Safeguarding Your Clients

ProvidingTax-DeferredGrowth:

Annuities

Fixed-ratedeferredandimmediate

Variabledeferredandimmediate

Indexannuities–nearly10differentcarriers

ProtectingAgainsttheUnknown:

Life Insurance

Term,whole,universal,andvariableuniversallife

Second-to-diefixedandvariableuniversallife

Singlepremiumvariableuniversallife

PlanningforFutureNeeds:

Long-term Care

Comprehensivepolicies

Nursinghomepolicies

Homeandcommunity-carepolicies

Shared-benefitpolicies

PreparingfortheUnexpected:

Disability Insurance

Personalincomeprotection

Disabilityoverhead

Disabilitybuyout

From conservative income to aggressive growth, we continually evaluate traditional and non-traditional investment solutions to ensure you have a product shelf full of the best models in the industry.

“HD Vest provides better support, training opportunities and all the bells and whistles you’d expect. You aren’t left on your own. HD Vest gave me an opportunity to learn how to sell and increase my product knowledge. I’m always able to get the answers I need and if someone doesn’t have the answer, I know they’ll get back with me by the next day.”

– HD Vest Advisor Lenny Miller

A Product to Protect You:

HD Vest offers one of the most competitive errors and omissions (E&O) insurance packages in the industry through Continental Casualty Company – a CNA company. Rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, CNA is one of the leading providers of E&O insurance to Registered Representatives.

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ADVISORY PLATFORMS

It’s no secret fee-based solutions are a great way to build your business. Since 1988, we’ve been helping Advisors build their practice through this personalized service. In fact, we offer several asset management products. We recognize the positive impact that fee-based advisory business can bring to your practice and have built a model that provides you access to an exclusive advisory platform that sets you apart from the competition.

VestAdvisor® Advisor Managed

VestAdvisor Select® HD Vest Advisory ServicesSM

Flexibilitytoholdmultipleinvestmentsinasingleaccount–stocks,bonds,exchange-tradedfunds(ETFs)andmutualfunds

Over3,000mutualfundsand1,200ETFsavailablefrommajorexchanges

Ongoingportfoliomonitoringandperformancereporting

Discretionarymodelthatenablesyoutodelegateinvestmentmanagementtothehomeoffice

Automaticreallocationensuringportfolioisinvestedaccordingtoobjectives

Preventionofover-concentrationusingavarietyofassetclassesandmutualfunds

Revolutionarydual-discretionplatform

We make sure our model is built around giving you a competitive advantage by helping you efficiently manage your practice so you can focus directly on strengthening your client relationships. That’s why our approach gives Advisors the flexibility to change investment vehicles within an advisory account without the costs associated with commissions – clients know decisions are made based on their interests. Another advantage of our model is dedicated Advisory Specialists. We believe your time should be spent servicing clients and not bogged down with administrative duties. Our specialists help ensure your time is well spent.

Offering customizable fee-based solutions is just the beginning. We know communication to your clients is critical and provide industry-leading performance reports that measure client progress against their financial goals. Evaluating their progress is one thing. Understanding industry developments is another. To help you direct conversations with your clients, our Portfolio Management Team produces Market Updates, Talking Points and Due Diligence reports.

Who is my Advisory Specialist?

Your HD Vest Advisory Specialist helps you identify goals and objectives, select an appropriate portfolio strategy, oversee investment selections, and provide ongoing communication and service. Our specialists possess the highest professional qualifications.

SERVICE MODEL

We offer a dedicated Advisor support model that assigns a Wealth Management Support Consultant to you day one. You don’t have to “earn your way” up to a specialist. As your designated business partner and coach, your consultant supports you in a suite of services as you holistically serve your clients and grow your business. You also have access to specialists in retirement, estate planning, advisory, insurance, and practice management.

“The number one difference between HD Vest and other firms is their client-centric focus. They know client servicing should come first and then the sales will happen. HD Vest has a very different culture and the service they provide me won’t go up or down depending on my production levels. Instead, I have an assigned consultant who I can go to for everything. And, I don’t have to worry about being moved around – that support relationship doesn’t change.”

– HD Vest Advisor Toni Drapkin

We recognize that providing you with superior service enables you to do the same for your clients. That’s why we don’t attach our level of service to your production. It’s only common sense that if your production is teetering along, you need support the most – not the least. When we say we’re here to support you, we mean it – no strings attached!

Who is my Wealth Management Support Consultant:

Your dedicated Wealth Management Consultant is your experienced guide who will assist you in getting up to speed with all that you need to know in order to holistically serve your clients and grow your business. As your business partner and coach, your consultant will support you with answers to questions pertaining to client situations, portfolio reviews, product support, investment recommendations, insurance analysis, retirement reviews, business-planning issues, legacy concerns, and financial planning needs.

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Specialized Support Services

RetirementPlanning Offerssupportconcerningtechnicalretirementissues

Helpsgrowyourclientbasewithretirementsolutions

Deliverstrainingonretirementplans

EstatePlanning Identifiesyourclients’fivebasicestate-planningneeds

Supportssettinguptrusts

Offersprofilingtoolsforclientassessments

AdvisoryServices Openarchitecture,non-proprietaryinvestmentplatform

Multipleadvisoryprogramsincludingdiscretionaryassetmanagement

DedicatedAdvisorySpecialistsandPortfolioManagementTeam2

Insurance Extendsfullunderwritingsupport

Deliversinsuranceillustrationswithin24hours

Providesfullcasedesignassistance

AnnuityMarketing Providessupportforannuitycasedesign

Supportfindingtherightannuitysolution

Offersguidanceonretirementincomeplanningprocess

PracticeManagement VestSuccesscoachingprogram

OffersKolbeCertifiedTMassessments

Supportssuccessionplanning

2VestAdvisor Select® Advisory platform offers portfolio management services through HD Vest Advisory ServicesSM

“I knew this move would be a positive one for me, but I didn’t understand just how efficient HD Vest would be. Everyone I’ve talked to has been exceedingly helpful, honest and professional throughout this process. The thing that has set HD Vest apart from my previous firm is that when someone doesn’t know an answer they don’t guess; they go out of their way to find the correct answer. When I need a question answered I make one phone call and I get the correct answer even if we need to bring a specialist into the conversation.”

– HD Vest Advisor Aaron Roessler

Top Four Proven Training Benefits

1. Advisors who have attended our CONNECT Conference, on average, produce six times more revenue. That’s why we send all new Advisors to their first conference for free!

2. We offer 100 different Chapter meetings across the U.S. – with nearly 20 years of best practices experience!

3. Advisors attending our signature Advisory and Insurance Summits gain a competitive advantage in offering these solutions.

4. We offer one of the most successful networking programs in the industry!

We offer approximately 750 different training events each year!

TRAINING AND EVENTS

Over 30 years of experience has taught us the best way to grow your practice is by learning from your peers, not fitting under the latest one-size-fits-all training programs. As a result, we have tailored our programs to foster an environment where seasoned Advisors help you hone your skills to ensure you obtain the success you originally sought out to achieve.

CONNECTTM Conference

The CONNECT Conference is more than a series of workshops. Each three-day convention, held across the country, features more than 120 courses and attracts as many as 1,200 Advisors nationwide. These courses are game changers in helping you increase efficiency, generate revenue and more importantly, obtain professional growth! Workshops are designed to meet all Advisor needs regardless of experience and include subjects such as:

•Retirementplanning •Salestechniques

•Economicanalysis •Fee-basedsolutions

•Business-buildingtools •Marketingplatforms

•Estate-planningtechniques •Socialmedia

What makes the CONNECT Conference most unique is the significant networking opportunities to meet staff, other Advisors and investment sponsors and learn from nationally-recognized guest speakers. The connections made at the CONNECT Conference are invaluable as you are able to talk with Advisors and learn their best practices.

“I know I have a Wealth Management Support Consultant to quarterback me throughout the process. Plus, I can make one call and actually talk to someone who will steer me in the right direction. This support has helped build my confidence.”

– HD Vest Advisor Greg Vitale

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MARKETING SUPPORT

HD Vest offers robust marketing platforms to assist you in retaining your clients and growing your practice.

Hearsay Social – social media platform

Hearsay Social is a social media platform that makes it easy for you to engage with existing clients and grow your client base through LinkedIn, Facebook and/or Twitter. Hearsay Social is cost-effective and efficient by providing:

• A library of pre-approved business, industry and lifestyle content to publish to your social media site(s) with just one click,

• A calendar tool that saves time with an auto-publishing schedule,

• A “Social Signals” tool that alerts when connections present buying signals like a new job, wedding, having a baby or buying a home,

• Metrics to show how you are performing on social media compared to your peers,

• A home page “dashboard” with follow up reminders, and

• A vehicle to ensure you stay compliant in an ever-changing regulatory environment.

FMG Suite – websites and e-marketing platform

FMG Suite has developed a completely integrated marketing solution that will help you attract new clients and prospects on a regular basis, including websites that boast:

• Engaging content,

• Entertaining videos,

• Informative online presentations, and

• An optional video-taped personal message from you.

MarketingPro – online marketing library

An extensive online library of marketing messages and new technology that allows you to route items to compliance for approval. Over 3,000 messages are currently available for download – all written by seasoned, professional financial copywriters.

These high-impact messages include:

• Client letters and emails,

• Pre-written financial articles,

• Weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual economic updates, and

• Invitations, reminders, thank you notes, and more – with new content being added every week.

RangeBrands – branding and marketing materials

RangeBrandsusesacost-effectiveapproachtodevelophigh-impact,fullycustomizedmarketingmaterialsdesignedspecificallyforfinancialadvisors.RangeBrandscaptureswhatmakesyourbusiness unique, what your style is and what you’re looking for, and their team of creative talent developsconceptsthatreflectyourfirm’svalues.RangeBrandsoffersafullsuiteofgraphic,copywriting and printing services, such as:

• Logo

• Stationary, such as letterhead, business cards and envelopes

• Brochure

• Ad/Postcard

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STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM

A Referral Growth Model

At HD Vest, we can proudly state that we offer the only truly successful referral growth model in the industry. While many have attempted to build referral models, we’ve been the only firm to actually get it right. The reason: our open partnering culture between tax professionals and financial advisors. We invented an innovative model that partners tax professionals with you. Since its inception in 2003, we’ve seen our most successful partnerships more than double their rolling gross!

By partnering a tax professional with you, another HD Vest Advisor, they have someone they can trust – giving them every incentive to refer their clients. With expert tax knowledge a phone call away, your clients benefit, too. Depending on their involvement, your tax partner can work with you to provide a truly holistic planning approach that harvests both your tax and investment knowledge. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved – especially the clients being served.

“The Strategic Partnerships Program has allowed me to provide a better service to my clients and capture assets that I probably would not have captured.”

– HD Vest Advisor Gary Johnson

Top Five Advantages of the Strategic Partnerships Program:

1. You define the terms of your partnership, not HD Vest. HD Vest assists with the administration of the partnership.

2. A trusted source sends a stream of qualified referrals to you.

3. Partnering with a tax professional can provide you with valuable insight regarding tax advantages.

4. All accounting for the program is administered by the home office. You don’t have to track compensation.

5. Dedicated support – you always have an expert to glean advice.

Five Ways to Partner within HD Vest

Retention•AssetGrowth•Engagement•PracticeEfficiency

AReferringHDVestAdvisorrefers their tax clients to a Planning HD Vest Advisor for financial services

10% (waived at $50k in rolling gross production)

TraditionalPartnerships

Advisory-Focused Partnerships

RecruitedPartnerships

Succession Partnerships

Business Continuation Partnerships

AReferringHDVestAdvisorreferstheir clients to a Planning Advisor for fee-based asset management

10% (waived at $50k in rolling gross production)

A Planning HD Vest Advisor recruits a tax professional to become a ReferringHDVestAdvisorandparticipate in a Traditional partnership

Waived

An HD Vest Advisor arranges with another HD Vest Advisor to transfer ownership of their practice over a DEFINED time period > 36, 48, or 60 months

Waived

Two HD Vest Advisors prearrange with one another to manage or transfer clients in the event of short, long-term, or permanent disability

Waived

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Chapter Meetings

Another great way to grow your practice is networking. That’s why we offer monthly half-day seminars in more than 100 cities across the country. Chapter meetings give you an easy way to connect with the HD Vest community and develop a support network for your career. Plus, you also learn valuable insight and can receive continuing professional education (CPE) credits. Each meeting provides training in current economic events, specific investment services, solutions, technical information, and marketing ideas, as well as a chance to hear about the latest corporate developments. Through the connections made and newly attained knowledge, Chapter meetings perfectly position you to grow your practice!

Benefits of Attending Chapter Meetings:

1. Connect with the HD Vest community, including other Advisors and assistants in your area, Educational Partners and the HD Vest leadership team.

2. Develop a support network for your investment-planning career where you can learn best practices and hear first hand what’s working for your peers.

3. Increase your knowledge of the business with timely modules that you can discuss with clients.

4. Our Chapter Directors are dedicated to helping others succeed. Choose one in your area and get to know them as a resource.

Chapter Meeting Locations

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

The VestSuccess® Coaching Program

The mission of the HD Vest Practice Management team is to arm you with tools and resources to help you reach new heights while running a more efficient practice. We do this by partnering with you individually and collectively to ensure that you have all the tools and knowledge necessary to do what you set out to do – grow your client base and bottom line through the successful application of financial services. Based on best practices as defined by the industry and some of our most successful Advisors, the VestSuccess Coaching Program targets areas that are proven to enhance your results. The VestSuccess Coaching Program is an interactive, multi-dimensional training program that provides coach-to-peer and peer-to-peer coaching support to help Advisors:

• maximize your client relationships,

• systematize your practice and ultimately,

• grow your revenue.

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TRANSITION

Is it time for a change? At HD Vest we’re a different kind of broker/dealer. And we’ve worked hard to be just that. We’ve built a model focused on you, offering support, products, networking opportunities, training, and more. And that commitment doesn’t just end at our offerings; it carries over to our payout structure.

Unlike our competitors, your payout percentage won’t reset at the beginning of each calendar year. Instead,weusea12monthRollingGrossDealerConcession(GDC)payoutstructure,withpayoutsup to 90%. Plus, at HD Vest you don’t have to worry about hidden fees cutting into your income. We don’t nickel and dime you. Instead, we diligently manage our fees to ensure you keep more money in your pocket. We have one of the lowest cost affiliations on an ongoing basis as compared to our competition. If a firm can’t provide you with exemplary services and technology without puncturing your income, what value are they really providing?

Come home to a family you can trust.

“HD Vest provides a great deal of support without interfering with my business. Everything is centralized (processes included), which makes doing business with HD Vest much easier and streamlined. At the end of the day, I feel like HD Vest is out to help me succeed versus using me to push a specific product set.”

– HD Vest Advisor Katherine Schneider

TRANSFERRING WITH EASE - TRANSITION SPECIALIST TEAM

We understand when transitioning your practice to a new broker/dealer, you need a partner focused on your success. Having successfully helped thousands of Advisors make the move, we have developed a dedicated team and approach to help you along the way.

Our Transition Team will be focused on your “Day One” activities, account paperwork and introducing you to your new broker/dealer platform. They are supported by a team of skilled specialists across a variety of products, back-office processes and can provide general paperwork information.

Our goal is to ensure you have confidence and the knowledge to be able to focus on your clients and growing your practice with your HD Vest partnership.

About HD Vest

Since its inception in 1983, HD Vest Financial Services® has supported an independent network of tax and non-tax professionals who provide comprehensive financial services including securities, insurance, money management services, and banking solutions. We have over 4,400 independent contractors, who manage over $40 billion in assets for individuals, families and small businesses in all 50 states.1Rankedasoneofthetop15independentbroker-dealerfirms,2 we know what it takes to make your practice flourish.

For more information about HD Vest, visit hdvest.com/join or call a Business Development Consultant at (800) 742-7950.

1As of January 1, 20172Think Advisor 2016 Broker-Dealer Reference Guide, which measured/ranked the top 25 independent broker-dealers by annual revenue.

VestVision is based upon the software, patents, copyrights and some of the trademarks owned, developed by or exclusively licensed to Wealthcare Capital Management LLC. (“Wealthcare”). All Wealthcare content within VestVision supports the use of Wealthcare’s method and system for financial advising, its method, system and computer program for auditing financial plans, the system and method for incorporating mortality risk in an investment planning model, and the related terminology specific to its patents are used under license from Wealthcare. (U.S. Patents numbers 6,947,904/7,562,040/7,650,303/7,865,138/7,991,675). HD Vest Advisors are responsible for developing individualized investment recommendations or financial and investment plans for their clients.

The HD Vest affiliated companies exclusively provide financial products and services, and do not provide or supervise tax or accounting services.

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HD Vest Financial Services® is the holding company for the group of companies providing financial services under the HD Vest name. Securities offered through HD Vest Investment ServicesSM, Member SIPC, Advisory services offered through HD Vest Advisory ServicesSM, 6333 N. State Highway 161, Fourth Floor, Irving, TX 75038, 972-870-6000. 1223575 060717