OUR ROOTS BEGAN IN TAX Our origin began with a CPA operating a tax and accounting practice. Like you, he was facing a growing need from his clients for financial advice. His solution was simple – refer them to someone else. But he discovered this solution was far from simple for several reasons. First, his clients were often placed in the wrong investments, resulting in tax implications. Second, someone else was getting paid for his very advice. Disgruntled by his situation, he began lobbying to allow tax professionals to offer financial services. With the conquest of this milestone, he founded HD Vest in order to help others experiencing the same frustrations.

Many CPAs/tax professionals seem to be offering more financial services than they take credit for, such as retirement planning and estate planning. While identifying themselves as “without financial services offering,” 15% of these respondents said they offer retirement planning and 18% said they offer estate planning. Many CPAs/tax professionals may be missing an opportunity to embrace and expand on services already in their repertoire.1

1Source: SourceMedia Research Survey, February 2014

LEVERAGING YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

We understand the unique needs of a tax professional. Why? Because we were founded by one, and we’ve helped thousands of tax professionals realize their potential and develop a bustling business by adding financial services alongside their tax practice. Let’s be honest: most investment planners are unaware of the tax implications associated with certain investment decisions. That’s why your tax knowledge makes you the ideal financial advisor. Taxes are ultimately an integral part of any financial plan. As a tax professional, being able to consider the tax equation when working on a financial plan gives you a unique advantage and more importantly, helps your clients better manage their financial future. At HD Vest we’re committed to helping you leverage this knowledge to your advantage and our model proves it.

You’ve built a successful practice based on your tax advice. But how are you leveraging that knowledge to support your clients’ growing needs? Today’s clients are becoming savvier than ever before with demands that extend beyond tax preparation. Chances are you’ve seen this change firsthand. According to a recent survey conducted by the research unit of SourceMedia (publisher of Accounting Today), many firms have yet to take advantage of this opportunity to better serve their clients, increase loyalty and broaden their revenue bases.1 It’s critical to begin positioning yourself as their sole financial advisor so you can not only retain these clients, but also remain competitive in the industry.

TOP FIVE REASONS TO ADD FINANCIAL SERVICES

1. Increase value to clients2. Increase income3. Provide a single source of expertise for clients and remain competitive4. Increase client retention and referrals5. Establish recurring and diversified revenue streams

Of the 316 CPAs/tax professionals surveyed, more than half said they did not offer financial services. And the numbers are even more dramatic for small firms: nearly 80% of sole proprietors don’t assist their clients with financial services.1

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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: Start in an area you are comfortable with – taxes.

• 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 allocation2 based on their risk tolerance, 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 truth is, offering financial services is actually a natural extension of your tax practice. While you use the 1040 to provide clients with tax advice, it can also be leveraged to identify financial needs. At HD Vest we’ve built a smart model that includes a roadmap for doing just that. That roadmap is the 1040 Analyst.

2Asset allocation and diversification do not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot eliminate the risk of investment losses.

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THE 1040 ANALYST A UNIQUE TOOL AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH HD VEST

You’re comfortable offering tax solutions – it’s second nature. You want the same comfort level when providing financial advice to your clients. The 1040 Analyst can provide that comfort. So what is the 1040 Analyst? It’s a unique mining tool brought to you exclusively through HD Vest with automation that allows you to seamlessly integrate your clients’ tax data from the Form 1040 and provide a customized client report highlighting financial services opportunities that may help them chart a new course. This roadmap provides a thoughtful forum for financial services conversations.

Exclusively available through HD Vest and meticulously designed with our Advisors in mind, it is specifically intended for tax professionals offering financial services and streamlined to integrate the top four tax software programs used by most tax professionals:

Leveraging technology that you are currently using, it saves you time and money, while allowing a deeper cultivation of client relationships. Put simply, no other Advisors can approach the financial services conversation this way.

Innovation You Can Depend On

The 1040 Analyst allows you to illustrate your clients’ financial opportunities and blind spots based on their actual, individual tax data, which results in fully customized reports.

Completely scalable, you can upload one or all of your clients’ tax data into the 1040 Analyst and a highly sophisticated algorithm analyzes that data and generates a customized, client-presentable report that highlights their specific vulnerabilities and opportunities. The tool not only provides you with an easy, repeatable process, but the customization helps you “make it personal.” That personal experience, coupled with the right recommendations, is what drives your clients back to you and compels them to refer you to their friends and family.

Lacerte®

ATX

ProSeries®

ProSystems fx®

UltraTax

Drake®

TaxAct®

Customization To Help You Grow

The 1040 Analyst allows you to work smarter and not harder, as it helps you effortlessly zero in on a client’s needs and communicate clearly to the client their vulnerability, the reason for that vulnerability and a potential opportunity. The result is your ability to save time and provide prospects with tangible evidence of your unique value proposition. More importantly, it helps to establish a clear perception in the client’s mind that their tax professional should also be their investment professional.

For Advisors with large tax practices of 500 or more clients, it provides a fully automated way to identify client opportunities on a large scale, without losing the ability to connect with them on a personal level, and it allows you to mine your book of business more efficiently. Because of the automation, it’s completely transferable to your team, which provides optimal systematization of your practice.

Contact us to find out more about what makes this invaluable tool the roadmap to guide your client conversations, give you confidence in offering investment opportunities, and position your practice for success.

“The 1040 Analyst is positive proof of HD Vest’s strong commitment to listen to its Advisors and deliver tools and technology that enrich the natural way we, as tax professionals, approach the financial services conversation with our clients. They have really outdone themselves with this tool, and I am confident that the automation and customization will help deepen my client relationships and allow me to run a more efficient practice.”

– HD Vest Advisor Gene Bell

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SUPPORT

We also offer a dedicated support model to help you grow your practice with confidence. We recognize tax is your priority. As a result, we’ve built our support model around your unique needs:

• We offer extended hours during tax season

• All training is scheduled outside of tax season

• Our consultants are familiar with tax planning options

“HD Vest knows the mentality of an accountant. They understand our limitations, comfort level and schedule. They’re not going to call me in the middle of March telling me my continuing professional education (CPE) is due because they know I’ll be buried in tax work. HD Vest knows how to work with accountants.”

– HD Vest Advisor Lenny Miller

A Dedicated Partner

Another benefit you receive as an HD Vest Advisor is you’re assigned a dedicated Wealth Management Support Consultant day one to walk alongside you as you holistically serve your clients and grow your practice. As your business partner and coach, your Consultant will help you with everything from business setup to client recommendations. It’s easy to second guess yourself when doing things alone. One of the many advantages of being an HD Vest Advisor is you are never left on your own.

Unlike other firms, you don’t have to “earn your way” up to this support. 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!

Plus, you can alleviate your fear of having to know it all. You have direct access to consultants in retirement, estate planning, advisory, insurance, and practice management. The answers you need to address any client scenario are always a phone call away. Whatever your concern, be it business development or product placement – we’ve got your back.

Specialized Support Services

Retirement Planning Offers support concerning technical retirement issues

Helps grow your client base with retirement solutions

Delivers training on retirement plans

Estate Planning Identifies your clients’ five basic estate-planning needs

Supports setting up trusts

Offers profiling tools for client assessments

Advisory Services Open architecture, non-proprietary investment platform

Multiple advisory programs including discretionary asset management

Dedicated Advisory Specialists and Portfolio Management Team3

Insurance Extends full underwriting support

Delivers insurance illustrations within 24 hours

Provides full-case design assistance

Annuity Marketing Provides support for annuity case design

Support finding the right annuity solution

Offers guidance on retirement income planning process

Practice Management VestSuccess coaching program

Offers Kolbe CertifiedTM assessments

Supports succession planning

3VestAdvisor Select® Advisory platform offers portfolio management services through HD Vest Advisory ServicesSM

*Subject to appropriate licensing. Not all Advisors are licensed to offer all products or services, including investment advisory or financial planning services

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Who is my Wealth Management Support Consultant?

Your dedicated 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 provide 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.

“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

Business Management

At HD Vest your tax business always comes first. The last thing you want or need is to have your time monopolized by administrative duties. Working with HD Vest means having 300+ home office employees a phone call away to meet your every need. We provide a tiered level of support to ensure your office never skips a beat.

Support Services

Operations Support Your administrative team

Facilitates distribution requests and transfers Completes paperwork Solves account setup problems

General Support Single source for all questions

Answers routine questions concerning tools Helps with paperwork Provides conference registration information

Compliance and Sales Supervision Regulatory protector

Ensures accuracy in client communication Provides knowledge regarding compliance standards

Help Desk Technical troubleshooter

Resolves software concerns Guides you in tool usage Troubleshoots technical issues

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Top Five Proven Training Benefits

1. Advisors who attend VestStart increase their rolling gross by 100% within the first 12 months.

2. Advisors who have attended our CONNECTTM Conference, on average, produce six times more revenue. That’s why we send all new Advisors to their first conference for no cost!

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

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

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

We offer approximately 750 different training events on average each year!

What you may not realize is that as a tax professional you already have a wealth of financial services knowledge. Every time you recommend a tax-savings vehicle like an IRA or SEP, you’re offering a financial recommendation with a tax benefit. We’re committed to helping you build upon that knowledge by offering you a suite of industry-leading training programs that will position you as an experienced financial professional to your clients.

VestStartTM

As a new Advisor, VestStart gives you a competitive advantage in generating more revenue from your practice. Held at the corporate office in Irving, Texas, VestStart is an intensive workshop designed to provide practical and direct applications to being a financial advisor. This two-and-a-half-day course ultimately empowers you as you gain a greater comfort level in offering investment planning from the tax return. The most powerful component of VestStart is your ability to gain insight from top-producing Advisors who co-facilitate classes. This training is your opportunity to glean the knowledge of a successful Advisor who has walked in your very shoes and attained success.

TRAINING

CONNECTING WITH LIKE-MINDED PROFESSIONALS

MARKETING SUPPORT

HD Vest offers robust marketing platforms to assist you in retaining your clients and growing your practice. Through our strategic partnerships, you have the opportunity to feature both the tax and financial services sides of your practice together.

Hearsay Social – social media platform

Hearsay Social is our 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 you when connections present buying signals like a

new job, a wedding, a new baby, or a home purchase, • 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.

CONNECTTM Conference

CONNECT Conference is our annual three-day convention that offers 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 subject matters such as:

•Retirementplanning •Salestechniques

•Economicanalysis •Fee-basedsolutions

•Business-buildingtools •Marketingplatforms

•Estate-planningtechniques •Socialmedia

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

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FMG Suite – websites and e-marketing platform

You can feature both your tax and investment offerings on your website. 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

RangeBrands uses a cost-effective approach to develop high-impact, fully customized marketing materials designed specifically for financial advisors. RangeBrands captures what makes your business unique, what your style is and what you’re looking for, and their team of creative talent develops concepts that reflect your firm’s values. RangeBrands offers a full suite of graphic, copywriting and printing services, such as:

• Logo

• Stationary, such as letterhead, business cards and envelopes

• Brochure

• Ad/Postcard

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Being an HD Vest Advisor is more than just having tools and products to use for your practice. It’s being connected to a family of tax and financial Advisors who are committed to seeing each other succeed. More than 30 years of experience has taught us that the best way to grow your practice is by learning from your peers. At HD Vest we offer a family culture where seasoned Advisors are eager to share their best practices to help you reach new milestones. Through our tailored programs, you are able to sharpen your skills and be part of an Advisor force like none other in the industry.

Chapter Meetings

It’s no surprise that networking is a great way to grow both your skill set and practice. 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. You also learn valuable insight and can receive CPE and CE credit. 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 experience new growth!

Top Five 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. Learn from a role model. Our Chapter Directors are dedicated to helping others succeed. Choose one in your area and get to know them.

5. Earn continuing education (CE) credits! Chapter meetings offer CPE and CE for the following designations: CPA, CFP®, CLU, ChFC®, and EA.

Chapter Meeting Locations

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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.

Mentor Program

Our innovative Mentor Program can help you nearly triple your average rolling gross. For more than 20 years, this complimentary program has helped countless Advisors build their knowledge and take their practice to the next level by providing personalized training in goal setting, case analysis and sales presentation skills.

Your Mentor will provide insight on building a business strategy that fits your practice’s model, encourage you to pursue your goals, and provide the support and knowledge they acquired through building a successful business. Other benefits include a better understanding of how to use the resources provided by the home office, more exposure to product sponsors, and additional opportunities to network with other Advisors.

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. AON also provides coverage for both your tax and financial practices.

PRODUCTS

When it comes to offering financial services, you want to make sure you’re not only equipped with the right knowledge, but also the right products for your clients. As an independent broker/dealer we’re able to offer you an expansive product line with more than 13,000 mutual funds, 1,800 annuity products, 730 separately managed accounts, 1031 Exchange Strategies, and alternatives. In fact, we have more than 530 selling agreements alone with the top fund families in America. 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 to help ensure all your clients’ needs are met.

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Safeguarding Your Clients

Providing Tax-Deferred Growth:

Annuities

Fixed-rate deferred and immediate

Variable deferred and immediate

Index annuities – nearly 10 different carriers

Protecting Against the Unknown:

Life Insurance

Term, whole, universal, and variable universal life

Second-to-die fixed and variable universal life

Single premium variable universal life

Planning for Future Needs:

Long-term Care

Comprehensive policies

Nursing home policies

Home and community-care policies

Shared-benefit policies

Preparing for the Unexpected:

Disability Insurance

Personal income protection

Disability overhead

Disability buyout

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.

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Why IAR vs. RIA?

While the current trend is to offer financial services as a RIA, we believe the IAR model is a better option. Through your affiliation with HD Vest Advisory ServicesSM, you’re able to offer advisory services as an IAR. Unlike the RIA model that opens your practice to increased liability, the IAR model offers you another level of protection. As an IAR, you aren’t responsible for all the supervision and compliance requirements – we are. Take a look at additional factors to consider when determining which model is the best fit for your practice.

Advisory Platforms

It’s no secret that fee-based solutions are a great way to build your business. When it comes to offering these solutions, you have options. At HD Vest, we believe affiliating with a Registered Invesment Adviser (RIA) as an Investment Adviser Representative (IAR) best positions you to help your entire client base. This model provides you and your clients with several options and flexibility by offering both commission and fee-based solutions. And, as an HD Vest Advisor, clients are able to change investment vehicles within an advisory account without the costs associated with commissions. Clients know decisions are made based on their interests alone and not a payout.

RIA VS. HD VEST MODEL

RIA IAR with HD Vest

Compensation Fee-based only. Commission and fee-based.

Regulation You’re responsible for meeting regulatory standards set by the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) and the state(s) in which you are registered.

We assume regulatory responsibility.

Support You’re solely responsible for marketing, product recommendation and training.

We provide product recommendations, training, subject matter experts, marketing support, and practice management support.

Client demographics

High-net-worth clients who can meet account minimums.

Diverse client base looking for a vast array of service offerings.

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.

Since 1988, we’ve been helping Advisors build their practice through this personalized service. As a result, we offer two core fee-based products along with several additional options. Our two core products include a dual-discretionary model, giving you flexibility to choose your level of involvement in the investment management process and defer the rest to the home office. This model ultimately enables you to focus on strengthening your client relationships rather than spending your time performing administrative duties associated with managing accounts.

VestAdvisor® Advisor Managed

VestAdvisor Select® HD Vest Advisory ServicesSM

Flexibility to hold multiple investments in a single account – stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETF), and mutual funds

Over 4,000 mutual funds and 1,200 ETFs available from major exchanges

Ongoing portfolio monitoring and performance reporting

Discretionary model that enables you to delegate investment management to the home office

Automatic reallocation ensuring portfolio is invested according to objectives

Prevention of over-concentration using a variety of asset classes and mutual funds

Revolutionary dual-discretion platform

We make sure our model is built around giving you a competitive advantage by helping you efficiently manage your practice. That’s why we provide a dedicated team of Advisory Specialists to help you determine appropriate investment vehicles and manage accounts. We believe your time should be spent servicing clients – not bogged down with account maintenance. That’s why our Specialists help ensure your time is well spent.

If there is one thing we know, it’s that client communication is critical. As part of our fee-based model, we provide industry-leading performance reports that help you communicate results to clients by measuring 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.

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TECHNOLOGY

Because we specialize in working with tax and accounting professionals who already run successful businesses, we understand the time constraints you face better than anyone. We use that knowledge to equip you with state-of-the-art technology to help you conduct business in a timely and efficient manner. Let’s face it – technology is one factor that differentiates you from the competition. And it’s also one that differentiates us as a firm.

We know 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 we help you manage a paperless office through the latest cutting-edge tools.

Tool Benefit

HDVLink® Comprehensive portal to support Advisor productivity

• Allows you to manage all your financial services tasks through a single, secure portal

• Provides access to training modules for practice and professional development

• Delivers updates on industry news, compliance policies and corporate events

• Displays important information and action items sorted by priority

• Offers practice management, security, sales, and marketing tips and materials

Vest360TM Full-service hub for managing client assets

• Offers a three-tier, real-time view of your entire book of business from one location

• Generates client lists, performance reports and documentation with a mouse click

• Adds new clients automatically and prompts you to update existing client information or resolve errors

1040 Analyst® • Integrates your clients’ tax data from the four most popular tax software programs

• Provides a professionally-branded, customized report of your clients’ investment and retirement planning opportunities

• Uploads tax data and generates reports for one or all clients at once

VestVision®

Best-in-class investment planning tool

• Helps you easily identify client priorities and develop investment plans

• Offers flexibility to make updates as the market or client’s lifestyle changes

• Provides status updates based on personal benchmarks

Morningstar® Workstation Recognized research database

• Provides powerful research and analysis

• Delivers objective information easily understood by clients

• Offers FINRA-reviewed reports and proposals

• Utilizes intuitive interface that combines all the resources needed to conduct fundamental investment research quickly and efficiently

Trade Management Tool Modeling, rebalancing and mutual fund trading tool

• Streamlines building the model and rebalancing the account into one simple step

• Provides sample models to use as a starting point

• Sends notifications when an account is out of sync

• Allows auto rebalancing setup

• Submits mutual fund trades directly to the tools

• Saves time when it comes to rebalancing accounts

VestWizardTM Brokerage account tool

• Supports the ability to establish accounts 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• Administers intuitive navigation that results in ease of brokerage and advisory account opening and maintenance

• Allows access to print account documents before final submission

• Provides immediate access to embedded training tools

TRANSITION While you may already be providing financial advice to your clients, you’re not getting paid for that advice. Just as the IRS requires licenses for tax preparation, FINRA requires the same regulatory measures for financial advisors. For this reason, you can’t receive compensation for any of your financial advice without a license. So what does it take to obtain your licenses?

Step 1: Contact a Business Development Consultant to determine which services you’d like to offer:

• Registered Representative As a Registered Representative, you can offer commission-based products such as mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and unit investment trusts.

• Investment Adviser Representative Complement the Registered Representative activities listed above with investment fee and asset management plans on a fee basis.

Step 2: Complete necessary paperwork:

Once you have determined the appropriate affiliation, your Business Development Consultant will help you complete paperwork needed to register with FINRA. This paperwork will include the completion of the following items:

• Licensing application

• Electronic submission of fingerprints

Step 3: Schedule your exams:

Before you can sit for an exam you must be sponsored by a broker/dealer like HD Vest. We not only help you identify the appropriate tests and testing center but also provide you with study materials to help ensure you pass the test on the first try. As you begin studying for your exams, we’ll walk with you every step of the way as you complete this last step in attaining your registration.

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License Offerings Study Time Exam Time Exam Cost

Series 6: Investment Company Products/Variable Contracts Limited Representative Examination

Mutual funds Unit investment trusts Variable annuities (if insurance licensed)

60 hours 2.25 hours $100

Series 7: General Securities Representative Examination

• Mutual Funds• Unit investment trusts• Variable annuities

(if insurance licensed)• Stocks• Bonds• Options• Limited partnerships

120 hours 7.5 hours $305

Series 63: Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination

Securities trading in any state in America. This is required by most states in addition to the Series 6 or 7.

30 hours 1.25 hours $125

Series 65: Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination

Investment advice and services on a fee basis. This is required by most states to register as an RIA or as an agent of an RIA (called an IAR). The Series 65 exam is typically taken by Advisors who have not earned the Series 7 license.

60 hours 3 hours $165

Series 66: Uniform Combined State Law Examination

Securities trading in any state in America; investment advice and services on a fee basis. The Series 66 exam is a combination of the Series 63 and 65 exams. It is generally taken by Advisors who hold the Series 7 license.

65 hours 2.5 hours $155

The choice is yours – you can continue to leave money on the table by not offering financial services or you can build a bustling business offering tax and financial services. According to usnews.com, the average median salary for someone offering financial advice is $81,060.4 Add that amount to your current income and imagine the possibilities. By partnering with HD Vest, we offer you one of the most competitive payouts in the industry – up 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. You have the potential to generate greater income and change your clients’ lives for the better. This opportunity is within your reach. And it only takes a minimal investment on your part – less than $1,000. We have one of the lowest cost affiliations on an ongoing basis as compared to our competition.

4http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/financial-adviser

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.5 Ranked as one of the top 15 independent broker-dealer firms,6 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.

5As of January 1, 2017 6Think 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.

HD Vest Financial Services and its affiliates (collectively, “HD Vest, Inc.”) do not provide legal, tax or accounting services. You should consult your tax and legal professional regarding the tax and estate planning implications of any investments.

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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 1228374 062017