Two of the hottest topics in financial advisory circles today are how best to serve clients who span multiple generations, as well as firm succession planning. We at Real Assets Adviser like to find firms that have tackled these issues head on, in hopes of providing valuable information.

The Center for Financial Planning is such a firm. Founded in 1985 and based in Southfield, Mich., CFP manages about $880 million in assets, working with more than 700 families.

The center has always been a comprehensive financial planning firm, but it kicked off in the mid-1980s with several CFPs who came together in a space-sharing arrangement.

Three of the original founders — Dan Boyce, Marilyn Gunther and Estelle Wade — were each successful in their own right, and yet found over time that not only did they like having the same roof over their heads, but they thought they could get more value and power from their business if they collaborated. That led to the fate