Tool Gate · How it works
How the Succession Continuity Tripwire gate works
How the Succession Continuity Tripwire scores a firm's continuity posture — then a tripwire forces SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN when a named-ready successor and a continuity agreement are both at zero. No documented client-service and account-transition path is shown for a period when the principal is unavailable. The wire releases the instant either half clears.
How the gate works
This tool grades one advisory firm’s documented continuity controls for a principal’s planned exit or unavailability. It does not predict whether the firm, client relationships or transaction will survive that event. Each control is marked from your own evidence and weighted into a 0–100 score — and then the score is run past a gate that can only make the verdict worse.
The 6 weighted controls
| Signal | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written succession plan | 18 |
| Named & ready successor | 20 |
| Executed continuity agreement located and current | 18 |
| Client-relationship transfer | 16 |
| Funding & valuation | 14 |
| Operational readiness | 14 |
| Total | 100 |
The verdict bands
A named-ready successor and a continuity agreement both at zero is a tripwire — no one positioned to take over AND no agreement to force or fund a transition. No documented client-service and account-transition path is shown for a period when the principal is unavailable. Both zeros force SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN regardless of the score, and the wire releases the instant either half clears.
In the worked sample it scores 62 out of 100 and still reads SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN — Rivera Advisory scores 62 on strong operations, clients, and funding — on the number alone it would read CONTINUITY GAPS. But both tripwire dimensions are at zero: no named successor and no continuity agreement. No documented client-service and account-transition path is shown for a period when the principal is unavailable. The verdict is SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN no matter how polished the rest of the practice looks. Priority control on this sample: Named & ready successor. Marking either tripwire dimension above zero releases the tripwire; the result then follows the score band and the top-band rule.
Common questions
Can something score well on the Succession Continuity Tripwire and still fail?
Yes. The weighted score is run past a worsen-only gate — the Tripwire — that can only make the verdict worse. In the worked sample it scores 62 out of 100 and still reads SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN, because rivera Advisory scores 62 on strong operations, clients, and funding — on the number alone it would read CONTINUITY GAPS. But both tripwire dimensions are at zero: no named successor and no continuity agreement. No documented client-service and account-transition path is shown for a period when the principal is unavailable. The verdict is SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN no matter how polished the rest of the practice looks.
What is a worsen-only gate?
A rule that can only lower a verdict, never raise it. One gate-triggering gap overrides an otherwise-good score, because a single gate-triggering gap shouldn't hide behind a high average. Where something is short, the priority control row names it — here, "Named & ready successor. Marking either tripwire dimension above zero releases the tripwire; the result then follows the score band and the top-band rule.".
Grades a firm's continuity posture from your own marks; it drafts no succession plan or agreement, values nothing, and scores no person. Business-continuity and succession requirements vary by registration status and jurisdiction. Some state-registered advisers are subject to state requirements based on NASAA’s model rule or other state law; SEC-registered advisers may need continuity controls appropriate to their operations and compliance obligations. Record the governing regulator and authority before treating a control as required. Confirm yours, and have any documents drafted, with your CCO or a qualified attorney. Not legal, financial, or investment advice.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif"><a href="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/succession-continuity-tripwire">How the Succession Continuity Tripwire gate works</a> — by <a href="https://redhub.ai">RedHub AI</a>, the AI that tells you when to doubt it.</p>Image + link — a static picture for any blog
<a href="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/succession-continuity-tripwire"><img src="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/succession-continuity-tripwire-share.png" alt="Diagram of the Succession Continuity Tripwire: a continuity posture scored to 0-100 and a tripwire forcing SUCCESSOR / AGREEMENT NOT SHOWN when successor and agreement are both zero." width="760" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:16px"></a>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif"><a href="https://redhub.ai">RedHub AI</a> — the AI that tells you when to doubt it.</p>
This is how Succession Continuity Tripwire works. More diagrams in the Visual Field Guide.