Ask most advisers what consumes the hours between client meetings, and paraplanning is near the top of the list. Statements of Advice, Records of Advice, research and modelling all take time, and that time comes directly out of the hours available for client-facing work.
The challenge is that advice documentation cannot simply be rushed. Strategy needs to be accurately reflected, research needs to be current, and the final document needs to meet the practice's own standards before it reaches the client. That combination, high stakes and high volume, is exactly the kind of work that benefits from a dedicated, well-trained resource rather than being squeezed into an adviser's remaining hours.
Delegating paraplanning does not mean delegating responsibility for the advice. The adviser retains full ownership of the strategy and the final document. What changes is who prepares the first draft: research, modelling and documentation are prepared for the adviser's review, refinement and sign-off.
Practices that make this shift typically describe the same outcome: more consistent turnaround on advice documents, and more adviser time available for the meetings and relationships that actually grow the practice.