Financial Performance - For the year ended December 31, 2023, the company reported a net income of approximately 571,000andtotalrevenueofapproximately168.0 million, a decrease from net income of 910,331andtotalrevenueofapproximately178.0 million for 2022[162]. - Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2023, was 31.8million,adecreaseof433.2 million in 2022[164]. - EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2023, was 6.8million,anincreasefrom6.3 million in 2022[168]. - Total expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023, were 167.5million,down5.6177.4 million in 2022[176]. - Commission revenues decreased by 7.4% to 138.2millionin2023from149.3 million in 2022[175]. - Advisory fees also declined by 6.2% to 21.7millionin2023from23.1 million in 2022[175]. - Total commission revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023, was 159.9million,downfrom172.4 million in 2022, representing a decrease of 12.5millionor7.323.9 billion at December 31, 2023, up from 22.2billionatDecember31,2022[163].−Thecompanyexperiencednetnewassetsof(3.6) billion for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 1.6billionforthesameperiodin2022[169].−Thecompanymaintainedbrokerageassetsof21.8 billion at December 31, 2023, an increase of 8% from 20.1billionatDecember31,2022[169].−Brokerageassetsincreasedto21.8 billion as of December 31, 2023, from 20.1billionatthebeginningoftheperiod,withanetnewbrokerageassetdecreaseof3.1 million[183]. - Advisory assets decreased to 2.087billionasofDecember31,2023,from2.129 billion in 2022, reflecting a decrease of approximately 2% due to net outflows[186]. Economic Context - The U.S. economy grew by 2.5% in 2023, with an unemployment rate averaging 3.7% in the fourth quarter[173]. Financial Obligations and Debt - As of December 31, 2023, the outstanding balance of the Oak Street note was 17.6million,downfrom19.5 million in 2022[204]. - The Company had 20.82millionoutstandingunderitsSeniorCreditFacilityasofDecember31,2023[204].−TotalcontractualobligationsasofDecember31,2023,amountedto45.3 million, including long-term debt obligations of 21.5millionandinterestpaymentsof7.2 million[215]. - As of December 31, 2023, 20.8millionofoutstandingdebtwassubjecttofloatinginterestraterisk,butshort−terminterestratechangesarenotexpectedtomateriallyimpactnetincome[229].TaxandInterest−Theeffectiveincometaxratedecreasedto(17.49)1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to an increase in the interest rate of the credit facility[198]. Cash Flow - Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by 52% to 2.5millionin2023from5.3 million in 2022[212]. - Net cash used in investing activities decreased to 0.08millionin2023from0.33 million in 2022, primarily due to reduced purchases of property and equipment[213]. - Net cash used in financing activities decreased to 2.7millionin2023from4.5 million in 2022, mainly due to a reduction in capital distributions[214]. Employee Compensation - Employee compensation and benefits decreased by $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to a headcount reduction of approximately 6%[194]. - The payout rate for financial advisors increased to 77.96% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 75.48% in 2022, an increase of 2.49%[193]. Risk Management - The company has a credit risk exposure primarily from receivables and cash equivalents, with an established allowance for uncollectible accounts to mitigate this risk[230]. - The estimated fair value of reporting units was 257% greater than their carrying value in 2023, indicating no impairment was necessary[221].