Book of business is a financial advisor's customer directory. Lawyers, investment bankers, and financial planners may also have a book of business. Customer accounts provide revenues to the financial advisor, either based upon transactions (commissions, one-time and residual fees, or as a percentage of assets managed). Financial advisors in the insurance industry, asset management, and private banking may also refer to their customer base as a book of business. The book of business was once synonymous to the financial advisor's Rolodex.
A financial advisor working at a large broker-dealer firm generates a reliable income stream from a USD 200 million book of business. He generates an average annual two percent in revenues from his customer base.