RISK FACTORS

         Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. You should carefully consider the information in this prospectus, including the matters addressed under "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," and the following risks before making an investment decision. The trading price of our Class A common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Capital Markets and Competition

Our financial results largely depend on wealth management fees received by our partner firms, which are impacted by market fluctuations.

        The substantial majority of our revenues are derived from the wealth management fees charged by our partner firms for providing clients with investment advice, financial and tax planning, consulting, tax return preparation, family office services and other services. Wealth management fees may be adversely affected by prolonged declines in the capital markets because assets of clients may decline. Global economic conditions, exacerbated by changes in the equity or debt marketplaces, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates, the yield curve, financial crises, war, terrorism, natural disasters or other factors that are difficult to predict affect the capital markets. If unfavorable market conditions, actions taken by clients in response to market conditions (such as clients reducing or eliminating the amount of their assets with respect to which our partner firms provide advice) or volatility in the capital markets cause a decline in client assets overseen by our partner firms, such a decline could result in lower revenues from wealth management fees. If our partner firms' revenues decline without a commensurate reduction in their expenses, their net income will be reduced and their business will be negatively affected, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The historical returns of existing investment strategies of our partner firms may not be indicative of their future results or of the future results of investment strategies they may develop in the future.

        The historical returns of our partner firms' existing investment strategies should not be considered indicative of the future results of these strategies or of the results of any other strategies that our partner firms may develop in the future. The investment performance that our partner firms achieve for their clients varies over time, and the variance can be wide. The performance that our partner firms achieve as of a future date and for a future period may be higher or lower, and the difference may be material. During times of negative economic and market conditions, our partner firms may not be able to identify investment opportunities within their current or future strategies.

Our partner firms may not be able to maintain their current wealth management fee structure as a result of poor investment performance or competitive pressures or as a result of changes in their mix of wealth management services, which could have an adverse effect on our partner firms' results of operations.

        Our partner firms may not be able to maintain their current wealth management fee structure for any number of reasons, including as a result of poor investment performance, competitive pressures or changes in their mix of wealth management services. In order to maintain their fee structure in a competitive environment, our partner firms must be able to continue to provide clients with investment services that their clients believe justify their fees. Our partner firms may not succeed in providing the investment services that will allow them to maintain their current fee structure. If our partner firms' investment strategies perform poorly, they may be forced to lower their fees in order to retain current, and attract additional, clients. Such decline in a partner firm's revenue could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

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The wealth management industry is very competitive.

        We compete for clients, advisors and other personnel with a broad range of wealth management firms, including public and privately held investment advisors, firms associated with securities broker-dealers, financial institutions and insurance companies, many of whom have greater resources than we do. The wealth management industry is very competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, wealth management fee rates, the quality of services provided to clients, the ability to attract and retain key wealth management professionals, the depth and continuity of client relationships, adherence to the fiduciary standard and reputation. A number of factors, including the following, serve to increase the competitive risks of our partner firms: (i) many competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing, name recognition and other resources and more personnel than our partner firms do, (ii) potential competitors have a relatively low cost of entering the wealth management industry, (iii) some competitors may invest according to different investment styles or in alternative asset classes that the markets may perceive as more attractive than the investment strategies our partner firms offer, (iv) some competitors charge lower fees for their wealth management services than our partner firms do and (v) some competitors may be able to engage in more widespread marketing activities or may have access to products and services to which our partner firms do not.

        If we are unable to compete effectively, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Operations

Because clients can terminate their client service contracts at any time, poor wealth management service or performance of the investment strategies that our partner firms recommend may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

        Our clients can generally terminate their client service contracts with us at any time. We cannot be certain that we will be able to retain our existing clients or attract new clients, and these client service contracts and client relationships may be terminated or not renewed for any number of reasons. In particular, poor wealth management service or performance of the investment strategies that our partner firms recommend relative to the performance of other wealth management firms could result in the loss of accounts. Moreover, certain clients specify guidelines regarding investment allocation and strategy that our partner firms are required to follow in managing their portfolios, and the failure to comply with any of these guidelines and other limitations could result in losses to clients, which could result in the obligation to make clients whole for such losses. If we believe that the circumstances do not justify a reimbursement, or our client believes that the reimbursement it was offered was insufficient, the client could seek to recover damages from us in addition to terminating its client service contract. Any of these events could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition and harm our reputation.

Our results of operations could be adversely affected if we are unable to facilitate smooth succession planning.

        We cannot predict with certainty how long the principals or employees of our partner firms will continue working, and upon the retirement or exit of a principal or employee, a partner firm's business may be adversely affected. If we are not successful in facilitating succession planning of our partner firms, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

If our reputation is harmed, we could suffer losses in our business and financial results.

        Our business depends on earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of our partner firms. Our reputation is critical to our business and is vulnerable to threats that may be difficult or impossible to control and costly or impossible to remediate. For example, failure to comply with applicable laws, rules or regulations, errors in our public reports or litigation or the publicity surrounding these events,

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even if satisfactorily addressed, could adversely impact our reputation, our relationships with our partner firms and our ability to negotiate acquisitions and partner firm-level acquisitions with wealth management firms, as well as adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our reliance on our partner firms to report their results to us may make it difficult to respond quickly to negative business developments, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

        We rely on our partner firms to report their results to us on a monthly basis. We have implemented common general ledger, payroll and cash management systems that allow us to monitor the financial performance and overall operations of our partner firms. However, if our partner firms delay reporting results or informing us of negative business developments, we may not be able to address the situation on a timely basis, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our controls and procedures may fail or be circumvented, our risk management policies and procedures may be inadequate and operational risks could adversely affect our reputation and financial condition.

        We and our partner firms have adopted various controls, procedures, policies and systems to monitor and manage risk in our business. Some of our risk evaluation methods depend upon information provided by our partner firms and others and public information regarding markets, clients or other matters. In some cases, however, that information may not be accurate, complete or up-to-date. While we currently believe that our operational controls are effective, we cannot provide assurance that those controls, procedures, policies and systems will always be adequate to identify and manage the internal and external risks in our business in a timely manner. Furthermore, we may have errors in our business processes or fail to implement proper procedures in operating our business, which may expose us to risk of financial loss. We are also subject to the risk that our employees or contractors, the employees or contractors of our partner firms or other third parties may deliberately seek to circumvent established controls to commit fraud or act in ways that are inconsistent with our and our partner firms' controls, policies and procedures. The financial and reputational impact of control failures could be significant.

        In addition, our businesses and the markets in which we operate are continuously evolving. If our risk framework is ineffective, either because it fails to keep pace with changes in the financial markets, regulatory requirements or our business, counterparties, clients or service providers or for other reasons, we could incur losses, suffer reputational damage or fall out of compliance with applicable regulatory or contractual mandates or expectations. Any of these events could adversely affect our reputation and financial condition.

Failure to maintain and properly safeguard an adequate technology infrastructure and to protect against cyber-attacks may limit our growth, result in losses or disrupt our business.

        Our business is reliant upon financial, accounting and technology systems and networks to process, transmit and store information, including sensitive client and proprietary information, and to conduct many business activities and transactions with clients, advisors, vendors and other third parties. The failure to implement, maintain and safeguard an infrastructure commensurate with the size and scope of our business could impede our productivity and growth, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Further, we rely heavily on third parties for certain aspects of our business, including financial intermediaries and technology infrastructure and service providers, and these parties are also susceptible to similar risks.

        Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify them as circumstances warrant, our computer systems, software, networks and mobile devices, and those of third parties on whom we rely, may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, breaches, unauthorized access, theft, misuse, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. Further, our back-up

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procedures, cyber defenses and capabilities in the event of a failure, interruption or breach of security may not be adequate. If any such events occur, it could jeopardize our, as well as our clients', employees' or counterparties' confidential, proprietary and other sensitive information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our or third-party computer systems, networks and mobile devices or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our, as well as our clients', employees' or counterparties' operations. Despite our efforts to ensure the integrity of our systems and networks, it is possible that we may not be able to anticipate or to implement effective preventive measures against all threats, especially because the techniques used change frequently and can originate from a wide variety of sources. As a result, we could experience business disruptions, significant losses, increased costs, reputational harm, regulatory actions or legal liability, any of which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We may in the future be required to spend significant additional resources to modify existing protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, including hiring third-party technology service providers and additional information technology staff. Additionally, we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are either not insured against fully or not fully covered through any insurance that we maintain.

Our inability to successfully recover from a disaster or other business continuity problem could cause material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.

        Should we experience a local or regional disaster or other business continuity problem, such as a terrorist attack, pandemic, security breach, power loss, telecommunications failure, earthquake, hurricane or other natural or man-made disaster, our continued success will depend, in part, on the availability of personnel and office facilities, and the proper functioning of computer, telecommunication and other related systems and operations. Further, we could potentially lose client data or experience adverse interruptions to our operations or delivery of services to clients in a disaster recovery scenario, which could result in material financial loss, regulatory action, reputational harm or legal liability.

Our insurance coverage may be inadequate or expensive.

        We maintain voluntary and required insurance coverage, including, among others, general liability, property, director and officer, errors and omissions, network security and privacy, fidelity bond and fiduciary liability insurance and insurance required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"). Such entity insurance costs were approximately $4.8 million and $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 and the three months ended March 31, 2018, respectively. Recently in the insurance industry, premiums and deductible costs associated with certain insurance coverage have increased, and the number of insurers has decreased. While we endeavor to purchase coverage that is appropriate to our assessment of our risk, we are unable to predict with certainty the frequency, nature or magnitude of claims for direct or consequential damages. Our business may be negatively affected if in the future our insurance proves to be inadequate or unavailable. In addition, insurance claims may harm our reputation or divert management resources away from operating our business.

If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential shareholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our Class A common stock.

        Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop and maintain our internal controls will be successful, that we will be able to maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future or that we will be able to comply with

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our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. For example, Section 404 will require us, among other things, to annually review and report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. We must comply with Section 404 (except for the requirement for an auditor's attestation report) beginning with our second annual report on Form 10-K after becoming a public company. Any failure to develop or maintain effective internal controls, or difficulties encountered in implementing or improving our internal controls, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock.

Risks Related to Our Partnership Model and Growth Strategy

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to make successful acquisitions.

        Our continued success will depend, in part, upon our ability to find suitable partner firms to acquire, our ability to acquire such firms on acceptable terms and our ability to raise the capital necessary to finance such transactions. We compete with banks, outsourced service providers, private equity firms and other wealth management and advisory firms to acquire high-quality wealth management firms. Some of our competitors may be able to outbid us for these acquisition targets. If we identify suitable acquisition targets, we may not be able to complete any such acquisition on terms that are commercially acceptable to us. If we are not successful in acquiring suitable acquisition candidates, it may have an adverse effect on our business and on our earnings and revenue growth.

Acquired businesses may not perform as expected, leading to an adverse effect on our earnings and revenue growth.

        Acquisitions involve a number of risks, including the following, any of which could have an adverse effect on our partner firms' and our earnings and revenue growth: (i) incurring costs in excess of what we anticipated; (ii) potential loss of key wealth management professionals or other team members of the predecessor firm; (iii) inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset transaction costs; (iv) inability to retain clients following an acquisition; (v) incurring expenses associated with the amortization or impairment of intangible assets, particularly for goodwill and other intangible assets; and (vi) payment of more than fair market value for the assets of the partner firm.

        While we intend that our completed acquisitions will improve profitability, past or future acquisitions may not be accretive to earnings or otherwise meet operational or strategic expectations. The failure of any partner firm to perform as expected after acquisition may have an adverse effect on our earnings and revenue growth.

Contingent consideration payments could result in a higher than expected impact on our future earnings.

        We have typically incorporated into our acquisition structure contingent consideration paid to the sellers upon the achievement of specified financial thresholds. The contingent consideration is paid upon the satisfaction of specified growth thresholds typically over a six-year period. This arrangement may result in the payment of additional purchase price consideration to the sellers for periods following the closing of an acquisition. We anticipate that future acquisitions will continue to include contingent consideration. For business acquisitions, we recognize the fair value of estimated contingent consideration at the acquisition date and contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period until the contingency is resolved. Since the contingent consideration to be paid is based on the growth of forecasted financial performance levels over a number of years, we cannot calculate the maximum contingent consideration that may be payable under these arrangements. Contingent consideration payments could result in a higher than expected impact on our future earnings.

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We may incur debt, issue additional equity or use cash on hand to pay for future acquisitions, each of which could adversely affect our financial condition or the market price of our Class A common stock.

        We may finance future acquisitions through debt financing, including significant draws on our first lien revolving credit facility, issuance of additional term debt, the issuance of equity securities, the use of existing cash or cash equivalents or any combination of the foregoing. Acquisitions financed with debt could require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to principal and interest payments. Acquisitions financed with the issuance of our equity securities would be dilutive to the share value and voting power of our existing Class A common stock, which could affect the market price of our Class A common stock. Future acquisitions financed with our own cash could deplete the cash and working capital available to fund our operations adequately. Difficulty borrowing funds, selling securities or generating sufficient cash from operations to finance our activities may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our growth strategy depends, in part, upon continued growth from our existing partner firms. However, the significant growth we have experienced may be difficult to sustain in the future.

        Over the last three years, our total revenues, our net income, our Adjusted EBITDA and our Adjusted Net Income CAGRs were 26.7%, (259.2)%, 28.9% and 20.0%, respectively. Please read "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—How We Evaluate Our Business" for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. The continued growth of our business will depend on, among other things, the ability of our partner firms to grow through acquisitions, to retain key wealth management professionals and to devote sufficient resources to maintaining existing client relationships and developing new client relationships. Our business growth will also depend on their success in providing high-quality wealth management services, as well as their ability to deal with changing market conditions, to maintain adequate financial and business controls and to comply with new regulatory requirements arising in response to both the increased sophistication of the wealth management industry and the significant market and economic events of the last few years. In the future, our partner firms may not contribute to our growth at their historical or currently anticipated levels.

Our acquisition due diligence process may not reveal all facts that are relevant in connection with an acquisition, which could subject us to unknown liabilities.

        In connection with our acquisitions of new partner firms and acquisitions by existing partner firms, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to such transactions and expect to use our resources to enhance the risk management functions and diligence of our business and our partner firms' businesses going forward. When conducting due diligence, we evaluate important and complex business, financial, tax, accounting, legal and compliance issues. Outside consultants, legal advisers, accountants, regulatory experts and other third parties may be involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the type, size and complexity of the acquisition. When conducting due diligence and making an assessment regarding a transaction, we have and will continue to rely on the resources available to us, including information provided by third parties. Our diligence efforts with respect to RIAs that were newly formed in connection with our Focus Independence program may be limited due to the short operating history of such firms.

        Since commencing acquisition activities in 2006, there were certain instances where we discovered matters about acquired partner firms that were not uncovered during the due diligence process. These instances did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows, and our acquisition agreements include standard sellers' representations and warranties and indemnification provisions that provide us with some financial protection in the event of an

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undiscovered or undisclosed matter. However, the due diligence investigations that we have carried out or will carry out with respect to any transaction may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts that may be necessary or helpful in evaluating the transaction, which could subject us or our partner firms to unknown liabilities that could adversely affect our or our partner firms' results of operations and financial condition.

The success of Focus Independence depends upon our ability to lift out teams of wealth management professionals from traditional brokerages and wirehouses.

        Our ability to lift out teams of wealth management professionals from traditional brokerages and wirehouses depends on our ability to offer more favorable opportunities than those provided by their current employers, many of which have substantially greater financial resources and may be able to entice their current employees to stay. If we are not successful in attracting and lifting out suitable wealth management professionals for our Focus Independence program, it may have an adverse effect on the growth of our revenues and earnings.

We may encounter complications in implementing Focus Successions related to transitioning and administering client assets and obtaining required client consents.

        We have succession agreements with prospective advisors as part of Focus Successions . No succession transition has been initiated to date, but several of the succession plans have been converted into acquisitions by our partner firms. In the future, we may encounter complications as we implement these succession agreements, including problems transitioning and administering client assets at the custodians and difficulties in obtaining any required client consent. Furthermore, because we are unable to predict when any particular agreement might take effect or what acquired assets would be transferred at such time, we are unable to quantify the potential cost of completing succession transactions in the future. Difficulties implementing Focus Successions could have an adverse effect on the growth of our partner firms.

We may face operational risks associated with expanding internationally.

        Our business strategy includes expanding our presence in non-U.S. markets through acquisitions. This strategy presents a number of risks, including: (i) greater difficulties in supporting, or the need to hire additional personnel to support, the operations of foreign partner firms, (ii) language and cultural differences, (iii) unfavorable fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, (iv) higher operating costs, (v) unexpected changes in wealth management policies and other regulatory requirements, (vi) adverse tax consequences and (vii) more complex acquisition structures. If our international business increases relative to our total business, these factors could have a more pronounced effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Business Model and Key Professionals

Our partner firms' autonomy limits our ability to alter their management practices and policies, and our dependence on the principals who manage the businesses of our partner firms may have an adverse effect on our business.

        Under the management agreements between our partner firms and the new management companies formed by the principals, the management companies provide the personnel who manage the partner firm's day-to-day operations and oversee the provision of wealth management services, the implementation of employment policies, the negotiation, execution and delivery of contracts in connection with the management and operation of the partner firm's business in the ordinary course and the implementation of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Such individuals also maintain the primary relationships with clients and vendors. As a consequence, we are exposed to losses resulting from day-to-day decisions of the principals who

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manage our partner firm, and our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by problems stemming from the day-to-day operations of a partner firm, where weaknesses or failures in internal processes or systems could lead to a disruption of the partner firm's operations, liability to its clients or exposure to disciplinary action. Unsatisfactory performance by the principals could also hinder the partner firms' ability to grow and could have an adverse effect on our business. Further, there is a risk of reputational harm to us if any of our partner firms, among other things, have engaged in, or in the future were to engage in, poor business practices or were to experience adverse results.

We rely on our key personnel and principals.

        We depend on the efforts of our executive officers, other management team members, employees and principals. Our executive officers, in particular, play an important role in the stability and growth of our business, including the growth and stability of existing partner firms and in identifying potential acquisition opportunities for us. However, there is no guarantee that these officers will remain with us. In addition, our partner firms depend heavily on the services of key principals, who in many cases have managed their predecessor firms for many years. Although we use a combination of economic incentives, transfer restrictions and non-solicitation and non-competition agreements in an effort to retain key management personnel, there is no guarantee that these principals will remain with the respective partner firms. The loss of key management personnel at our partner firms could have an adverse impact on our business.

        In addition, compliance with public company requirements will place significant additional demands on our senior management and will require us to enhance our investor relations, legal, financial reporting, corporate communications and certain other functions. These additional efforts may strain our resources and divert management's attention from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business.

If a management company terminates its management agreement with us, our financial condition and results could be negatively affected.

        At the time of the acquisition of a partner firm, we enter into a management agreement with the management company that is substantially owned by the selling principals. Pursuant to the management agreement, the management company provides the personnel who conduct the day-to-day management and operation of the partner firm. These management agreements can be terminated by the management company at the end of the initial term, which is typically six years. Termination of a management agreement could lead to a disruption of the partner firm's operations, which could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.

If our partner firms are unable to maintain their client-oriented, fiduciary-minded culture or compensation levels for wealth management professionals, they may be unable to attract, develop and retain talented wealth management professionals, which could negatively impact their financial results and their ability to grow.

        Attracting, developing and retaining talented wealth management professionals are essential components of the business strategy of our partner firms. To do so, it is critical that they continue to foster an environment and provide compensation that is attractive for their existing and prospective wealth management professionals. If they are unsuccessful in maintaining such an environment (for instance, because of changes in management structure, corporate culture or corporate governance arrangements) or compensation levels for any reason, their existing wealth management professionals may leave the firm or fail to produce their best work on a consistent, long-term basis and/or our partner firms may be unsuccessful in attracting talented new wealth management professionals, any of which could negatively impact their financial results and their ability to grow and may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

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Risks Related to Our Internal Reorganization and Resulting Structure

Our internal reorganization may adversely affect our relationship with certain principals and employees.

        Our performance is largely dependent on the efforts and motivation of our principals and employees. One element of our partnership is an alignment of interests of principals and employees with our goals through their ownership of common units and incentive units in Focus LLC. In connection with the reorganization transactions, Focus LLC will purchase all common and incentive units held by existing owners who are not accredited investors. Many of these existing owners, who will cease to be members of Focus LLC, are principals or employees. Current and future principals and employees may receive grants of restricted Class A common stock or stock options under the Omnibus Plan. The incentives to attract, retain and motivate principals and employees provided by their ownership of Class A common stock and stock options or by future arrangements may not be as effective as the status as, or opportunity to become, a member in Focus LLC.

Focus is a holding company. Focus's sole material asset after completion of this offering will be its equity interest in Focus LLC, and Focus will be accordingly dependent upon distributions from Focus LLC to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements and cover its corporate and other overhead expenses.

        Focus is a holding company and will have no material assets other than its equity interest in Focus LLC. Please read "Internal Reorganization—Structure Upon Completion of Offering." Focus has no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent Focus LLC has available cash and subject to the terms of Focus LLC's credit agreements and any other debt instruments, we intend to cause Focus LLC to make (i) generally pro rata distributions to its unitholders, including Focus, in an amount generally intended to allow the Focus LLC unitholders to satisfy their respective income tax liabilities with respect to their allocable share of the income of Focus LLC, based on certain assumptions and conventions, provided that the distribution will be sufficient to allow Focus to satisfy its actual tax liabilities and to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements that it will enter into with the TRA holders in connection with the closing of this offering and any subsequent tax receivable agreements that it may enter into in connection with future acquisitions and (ii) non pro rata distributions to Focus in an amount at least sufficient to reimburse Focus for its corporate and other overhead expenses. Focus LLC may make tax distributions to its existing owners or tax payments on their behalf before or shortly after the consummation of this offering with respect to the taxable income of Focus LLC for the period ending on the date of such consummation. We are limited, however, in our ability to cause Focus LLC and its subsidiaries to make these and other distributions to Focus due to the restrictions under Focus LLC's credit facilities. To the extent that Focus needs funds and Focus LLC or its subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of their financing arrangements or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, Focus's liquidity and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Focus will be required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements for certain tax benefits it may claim, and the amounts of such payments could be significant.

        In connection with the closing of this offering, Focus will enter into two Tax Receivable Agreements with the TRA holders. The agreements generally provide for the payment by Focus to each TRA holder of 85% of the net cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income and franchise tax that Focus actually realizes (computed using simplifying assumptions to address the impact of state and local taxes) or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances in periods after this offering as a result of certain increases in tax basis and certain tax benefits attributable to imputed interest. We will retain the benefit of the remaining 15% of these cash savings.

        The term of each Tax Receivable Agreement will commence upon the completion of this offering and will continue until all tax benefits that are subject to such Tax Receivable Agreement have been

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utilized or expired, unless we experience a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreements, which includes certain mergers, asset sales and other forms of business combinations) or the Tax Receivable Agreements terminate early (at our election or as a result of our breach), and Focus makes the termination payments specified in the Tax Receivable Agreements. In addition, payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreements will be increased by any interest accrued from the due date (without extensions) of the corresponding tax return.

        The payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreements are Focus's obligations and not obligations of Focus LLC, and we expect that such payments required to be made under the Tax Receivable Agreements will be substantial. Estimating the amount and timing of payments that may become due under the Tax Receivable Agreements is by its nature imprecise. For purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreements, cash savings in tax generally are calculated by comparing Focus's actual tax liability (determined by using the actual applicable U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and local income and franchise tax rate) to the amount Focus would have been required to pay had it not been able to utilize any of the tax benefits subject to the Tax Receivable Agreements. The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of any redemption of units, the price of our Class A common stock at the time of each redemption, the extent to which such redemptions are taxable transactions, the amount and timing of the taxable income we generate in the future, the U.S. federal income tax rates then applicable, and the portion of the payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements that constitute imputed interest or give rise to depreciable or amortizable tax basis.

        The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements will not be conditioned upon a TRA holder having a continued ownership interest in Focus or Focus LLC. Please read "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements."

In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, realized in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreements.

        If we experience a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreements, which includes certain mergers, asset sales and other forms of business combinations) or the Tax Receivable Agreements terminate early (at our election or as a result of our breach), Focus could be required to make a substantial, immediate lump-sum payment. This payment would equal the present value of hypothetical future payments that could be required to be paid under the Tax Receivable Agreements (determined by applying a discount rate of one-year London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus        %). The calculation of hypothetical future payments will be based upon certain assumptions and deemed events set forth in the Tax Receivable Agreements, including (i) that Focus has sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the tax benefits covered by the Tax Receivable Agreements and (ii) any Focus LLC units (other than those held by Focus) outstanding on the termination date are deemed to be redeemed on the termination date. Any early termination payments may be made significantly in advance of, and may materially exceed, the actual realization, if any, of the future tax benefits to which the termination payments relate.

        If we experience a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreements) or the Tax Receivable Agreements otherwise terminate early, Focus's obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreements could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales or other forms of business combinations or changes of control. For example, if the Tax Receivable Agreements were terminated immediately after this offering, the estimated termination payments would, in the aggregate, be approximately $             million (calculated using a discount rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus        %, applied against an undiscounted liability of $             million); this amount could be substantially larger if Focus enters

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into additional tax receivable agreements in connection with future acquisitions by Focus LLC. The foregoing amounts are merely estimates and the actual payments could differ materially. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance any payments required to be made under the Tax Receivable Agreements.

        Please read "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements."

In the event that payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreements are accelerated upon certain mergers, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control, the consideration payable to holders of our Class A common stock could be substantially reduced.

        If we experience a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreements, which includes certain mergers, asset sales and other forms of business combinations), Focus would be obligated to make a substantial, immediate lump-sum payment, and such payment may be significantly in advance of, and may materially exceed, the actual realization, if any, of the future tax benefits to which the payment relates. As a result of this payment obligation, holders of our Class A common stock could receive substantially less consideration in connection with a change of control transaction than they would receive in the absence of such obligation. Further, any payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreements will not be conditioned upon the TRA holders' having a continued interest in Focus or Focus LLC. Accordingly, the TRA holders' interests may conflict with those of the holders of our Class A common stock. Please read "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Internal Reorganization and Resulting Structure—In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits realized, if any, in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreements" and "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements."

We will not be reimbursed for any payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreements in the event that any tax benefits are subsequently disallowed.

        Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements will be based on the tax reporting positions that we will determine. The TRA holders will not reimburse us for any payments previously made under the Tax Receivable Agreements if any tax benefits that have given rise to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements are subsequently disallowed, except that excess payments made to any TRA holder will be netted against payments that would otherwise be made to such TRA holder, if any, after our determination of such excess. As a result, in such circumstances, we could make payments that are greater than our actual cash tax savings, if any, and may not be able to recoup those payments, which could adversely affect our liquidity.

If Focus LLC were to become a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, significant tax inefficiencies might result, and Focus would not be able to recover payments previously made by it under the Tax Receivable Agreements even if the corresponding tax benefits were subsequently determined to have been unavailable due to such status.

        A number of aspects of our structure depend on the classification of Focus LLC as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Subject to certain exceptions relating to the receipt of predominantly qualifying income for which we do not expect to qualify, a "publicly traded partnership" is taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The U.S. Treasury regulations provide that a "publicly traded partnership" is a partnership the interests of which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. Under certain circumstances, exchanges of Focus LLC units pursuant to an exchange right (or the call right) or other transfers of Focus LLC units could cause Focus LLC to be treated as a publicly traded partnership. The U.S. Treasury regulations provide for certain safe harbors from treatment as a publicly traded partnership, and we intend to operate such that exchanges or other transfers of Focus LLC units qualify for one or more such safe harbors. For example, we intend to limit the number of unitholders

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of Focus LLC, and the Fourth Amended and Restated Focus LLC Agreement, which will be entered into in connection with the closing of this offering, will provide for limitations on the ability of unitholders of Focus LLC to transfer their Focus LLC units and will provide us, as managing member of Focus LLC, with the right to impose limitations and restrictions (in addition to those already in place), subject to certain consent rights, on the ability of unitholders of Focus LLC to exchange their Focus LLC units pursuant to an exchange right to the extent we believe it is necessary to ensure that Focus LLC will continue to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

        If Focus LLC were to become a publicly traded partnership, significant tax inefficiencies might result, including as a result of Focus's inability to file a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return with Focus LLC. In addition, Focus would no longer have the benefit of the increases in tax basis covered under the Tax Receivable Agreements, and Focus would not be able to recover any payments previously made under the Tax Receivable Agreements, even if the corresponding tax benefits (including any claimed increase in the tax basis of Focus LLC's assets) were subsequently determined to have been unavailable.

In certain circumstances, Focus LLC will be required to make tax distributions to the Focus LLC unitholders, including Focus, and the tax distributions that Focus LLC will be required to make may be substantial. To the extent Focus receives tax distributions in excess of its tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements and retains such excess cash, the continuing owners would benefit from such accumulated cash balances if they exercise their exchange right.

        Pursuant to the Fourth Amended and Restated Focus LLC Agreements, Focus LLC will make generally pro rata cash distributions, or tax distributions, to the Focus LLC unitholders, including Focus, in an amount generally intended to allow the Focus LLC unitholders to satisfy their respective income tax liabilities with respect to their allocable share of the income of Focus LLC, based on certain assumptions and conventions, provided that the distribution will be sufficient to allow Focus to satisfy its actual tax liabilities and to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements that it will enter into with the TRA holders in connection with the closing of this offering and any subsequent tax receivable agreements that it may enter into in connection with future acquisitions. Focus LLC may make tax distributions to its existing owners or tax payments on their behalf before or shortly after the consummation of this offering with respect to the taxable income of Focus LLC for the period ending on the date of such consummation. Under applicable tax rules, Focus LLC is required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its members in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions will be made pro rata based on ownership and based on an assumed tax rate, Focus LLC will be required to make tax distributions that, in the aggregate, will likely exceed the amount of taxes that Focus LLC would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate. The pro rata distribution amounts will also be increased to the extent necessary, if any, to ensure that the amount distributed to Focus is sufficient to enable Focus to pay its actual tax liabilities and any amounts payable under the Tax Receivable Agreements.

        Funds used by Focus LLC to satisfy its tax distribution obligations will not be available for reinvestment in our business. Moreover, the tax distributions Focus LLC will be required to make may be substantial, and may exceed (as a percentage of Focus LLC's income) the overall effective tax rate applicable to a similarly situated corporate taxpayer. In addition, because these payments will be calculated with reference to an assumed tax rate, and because of the disproportionate allocation of net taxable income, these payments may significantly exceed the actual tax liability for many of the existing owners of Focus LLC.

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        As a result of potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to Focus and to the other Focus LLC unitholders, as well as the use of an assumed tax rate in calculating Focus LLC's tax distribution obligations, Focus may receive distributions significantly in excess of its tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements. If Focus retains such cash balances, the continuing owners would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances as a result of their exercise of an exchange right. We intend to cause Focus to take steps to eliminate any material cash balances. Such steps could include distributing such cash balances as dividends on our Class A common stock, reinvesting such cash balances in Focus LLC for additional Focus LLC units (with an accompanying stock dividend with respect to our Class A common stock), and using such cash balances to effect buybacks of shares of our Class A common stock (with an accompanying conversion rate adjustment with respect to the exchange right).

Risks Related to Financing and Liquidity

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under applicable debt instruments, which may not be successful.

        At March 31, 2018, we had outstanding borrowings under our credit facilities of $998.0 million at stated value. Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our indebtedness, including our credit facilities, depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flow from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal and interest on our indebtedness.

        If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay acquisitions or partner firm-level acquisitions and capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance indebtedness. Our ability to restructure or refinance indebtedness will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness. In the absence of sufficient cash flows and capital resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet debt service and other obligations. Our credit facilities currently restrict our ability to dispose of assets and our use of the proceeds from such disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions, and the proceeds of any such disposition may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet scheduled debt service obligations.

Restrictions in our existing and future debt agreements could limit our growth and our ability to engage in certain activities.

        Our credit facilities contain a number of customary covenants, including (i) incurring additional indebtedness or guarantees, (ii) creating liens or other encumbrances on property or granting negative pledges, (iii) entering into a merger or similar transaction, (iv) selling or transferring certain property and (v) declaring dividends or making other restricted payments.

        In addition, our credit facilities require us to maintain certain financial ratios. These restrictions may also limit our ability to obtain future financings, to withstand a future downturn in our business or the economy in general, or to otherwise conduct necessary corporate activities. We may also be prevented from taking advantage of acquisitions or other business opportunities that arise because of the limitations that the restrictive covenants under our credit facility impose on us.

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        A breach of any covenant in our credit facilities would result in a default under the applicable agreement after any applicable grace periods. A default, if not waived, could result in acceleration of the indebtedness outstanding under the credit facilities. The accelerated indebtedness would become immediately due and payable. If that occurs, we may not be able to make all of the required payments or borrow on short notice sufficient funds to refinance such indebtedness. Even if new financing were available at that time, it may not be on terms that are acceptable to us.

Lack of liquidity or access to capital could impair our business and financial condition.

        Liquidity, or ready access to funds, is essential to our business. We expend significant resources investing in our business, particularly with respect to acquisition activity. As a result, reduced levels of liquidity could have a significant negative effect on us and our partner firms. Some potential conditions that could negatively affect our liquidity or that of our partner firms include: (i) illiquid or volatile markets, (ii) diminished access to debt or capital markets, (iii) unforeseen cash or capital requirements or (iv) regulatory penalties or fines or adverse legal settlements or judgments.

        The capital and credit markets continue to experience varying degrees of volatility and disruption. In some cases, the markets have exerted downward pressure on availability of liquidity and credit capacity. Without sufficient liquidity, we could be required to curtail our operations.

        In the event current resources are insufficient to satisfy our needs or the needs of our partner firms, we may need to rely on financing sources such as bank debt. The availability of additional financing will depend on a variety of factors such as: (i) market conditions, (ii) the general availability of credit, including the availability of credit to the financial services industry, (iii) our credit ratings and credit capacity and (iv) the possibility that lenders could develop a negative perception of our or their long- or short-term financial prospects if the level of business activity decreases due to a market downturn. Similarly, our access to funds may be impaired if regulatory authorities or rating organizations take negative actions against us or our partner firms.

        Disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the capital and credit markets may also limit our access to capital required to operate our businesses. Such market conditions may limit our ability to generate revenue to meet liquidity needs and access the capital necessary to grow our business. As such, we may be forced to delay raising capital, issue different types of capital than we would otherwise, less effectively deploy such capital or bear an unattractive cost of capital, which could decrease our profitability and significantly reduce our financial flexibility.

Risks Related to Regulation and Litigation

Our business is highly regulated.

        Our partner firms are subject to extensive regulation by various regulatory and self-regulatory authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, as detailed in "Regulatory Environment." In the United States, our partner firms are subject to regulation primarily at the federal level, including regulation by the SEC under the Advisers Act, by the U.S. Department of Labor (the "DOL") under ERISA, regulation of broker-dealers by the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), state insurance regulations and state securities regulation. As a publicly traded company with listed equity securities, we will be subject to the rules and regulations of the SEC and The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC ("NASDAQ").

        Providing investment advice to clients is regulated on both the federal and state level in the United States. Our partner firms are predominantly investment advisers registered with the SEC under the Advisers Act. Each firm that is a federally registered investment adviser is regulated and subject to examination by the SEC. The Advisers Act imposes numerous obligations on registered investment advisers, including fiduciary duties, disclosure obligations, recordkeeping and reporting requirements,

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marketing restrictions and general anti-fraud prohibitions. The failure to comply with the Advisers Act could cause the SEC to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations, including censure or terminating their SEC registrations and could also result in litigation or reputational harm. In addition, our partner firms who are investment advisers are subject to notice filings and the anti-fraud rules of state securities regulators under applicable state securities laws.

        The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") has also issued regulations requiring that we and our partner firms refrain from doing business in certain countries or with certain organizations or individuals on a list maintained by the U.S. government. Our partner firms rely on custodians to ensure compliance with OFAC. A partner firm's failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in fines, censure, suspension of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of the registration of the partner firm as an RIA.

        Our partner firms also rely on exemptions from various requirements of the Securities Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and ERISA. If for any reason these exemptions were to be revoked or challenged or otherwise become unavailable to us, our partner firms could be subject to regulatory action or third-party claims, and our business could be materially and adversely affected. To the extent any of our partner firms manage investment vehicles, those partner firms could also be subject to additional disclosure and compliance requirements. These laws and regulations impose requirements, restrictions and limitations on our business, and compliance with these laws and regulations results in significant cost and expense. If our partner firms were to fail to comply with applicable laws, rules or regulations or be named as a subject of an investigation or other regulatory action, the public announcement and potential publicity surrounding any such investigation or action could have an adverse effect on our stock price and result in increased costs even if our partner firms were found not to have violated such laws, rules or regulations. The failure of our partner firms to satisfy regulatory requirements could also result in the partner firms or us being subjected to civil liability, criminal liability or sanctions that might materially impact our business.

        Certain of our partner firms have affiliated SEC-registered broker-dealers. Broker-dealers and their personnel are regulated, to a large extent, by the SEC and self-regulatory organizations, principally FINRA. Broker-dealers are subject to regulations which cover all aspects of the securities business, including sales practices, trading practices among broker-dealers, use and safekeeping of clients' funds and securities, capital structure, recordkeeping and the conduct of directors, officers, employees and representatives. Continued efforts by market regulators to increase transparency by requiring the disclosure of conflicts of interest have affected, and could continue to impact, our partner firms' disclosures and our business.

        Certain of our partner firms have affiliated insurance brokers. State insurance laws grant supervisory agencies, including state insurance departments, broad administrative authority. State insurance regulators and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners continually review existing laws and regulations, some of which affect certain partner firms who engage in the sale of insurance products through affiliated or unaffiliated entities. These supervisory agencies regulate many aspects of the insurance business, including the licensing of insurance brokers and agents and other insurance intermediaries, and trade practices, such as marketing, advertising and compensation arrangements entered into by insurance brokers and agents.

Our international operations are subject to additional non-U.S. regulatory requirements.

        We have partner firms located in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. We may have partner firms located in other non-U.S. jurisdictions in the future. Failure to comply with the applicable laws, rules, regulations, codes, directives, notices or guidelines in any jurisdiction outside of the United States could result in a wide range of penalties and disciplinary actions, including fines, censures and the suspension or expulsion from a particular jurisdiction or market or the revocation of licenses, any

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of which could adversely affect our reputation and operations and our partner firms in those jurisdictions. Regulators in jurisdictions outside of the United States could also change their policies or laws in a manner that might restrict or otherwise impede the ability of such partner firms to offer wealth management services in their respective markets, or they may be unable to keep up with, or adapt to, changing, complex regulatory requirements in such jurisdictions or markets, which could further negatively impact our business.

        In the future, we may further expand our business outside of the markets in which we currently operate in such a way or to such an extent that we may be required to register with additional foreign regulatory agencies or otherwise comply with additional non-U.S. laws and regulations that do not currently apply to us. Lack of compliance with any such non-U.S. laws and regulations may increase our risk of becoming party to litigation and subject to regulatory actions. We are also subject to the enhanced risk that our differentiated partnership model might not be enforceable in some non-U.S. jurisdictions.

We and our partner firms are subject to anticorruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), the U.K. Bribery Act (the "Bribery Act") and the Canadian Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (the "CFPOA"). Certain of our partner firms are also subject to anti-money laundering ("AML") laws in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia and may be subject to other anti-corruption laws and AML laws, as well as sanctions laws and other laws governing our and our partner firms' operations, to the extent our business expands to other non-U.S. jurisdictions. If our partner firms fail to comply with these laws, they and we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

        We continue to pursue investment opportunities outside of the United States. We and our partner firms are currently subject to anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, the Bribery Act and the CFPOA. To the extent we expand our international operations to other non-U.S. jurisdictions, our prospective partner firms may be subject to additional anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where they are doing business. The FCPA, the Bribery Act, the CFPOA and other applicable anti-corruption laws generally prohibit our partner firms, employees and intermediaries from bribing, being bribed or making other prohibited payments to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. Our partner firms may also participate in collaborations and relationships with third parties whose actions could potentially subject them to liability under the FCPA, the Bribery Act, the CFPOA or other jurisdictions' anti-corruption laws. In addition, we and our partner firms cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which their internal operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted.

        Our partner firms that are SEC-registered broker-dealers are also subject to AML laws and related compliance obligations under the USA PATRIOT Act and the Bank Secrecy Act ("BSA") that require that these partner firms maintain an AML compliance program covering certain of their business activities. While currently there are no AML laws and related compliance obligations with respect to the activities of RIAs, in August 2015, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN"), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, proposed an AML rule that, if adopted, would subject our partner firms that are RIAs to the requirements of the BSA. Our partner firms that conduct business in non-U.S. jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, are also subject to specific AML and counter terrorist financing requirements that require them to develop and maintain AML and counter terrorist financing policies and procedures.

        There is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our partner firms' compliance with all applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, the Bribery Act and the CFPOA and AML laws in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. If we or our partner firms are not in compliance with the FCPA, the Bribery Act, the CFPOA or other

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anti-corruption laws or AML laws, they may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Likewise, any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA, the Bribery Act, the CFPOA or other anti-corruption laws or AML laws by authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia or other jurisdictions where we conduct business could also have an adverse impact on our reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

The regulatory environment in which our partner firms operate is subject to continuous change, and regulatory developments designed to increase oversight may adversely affect our business.

        The legislative and regulatory environment in which our partner firms operate has undergone significant changes in the recent past, including additional filings with the SEC required by investment advisory firms, which have resulted in increased costs to us. Regulatory review or the issuance of interpretations of existing laws and regulations may result in the enactment of new laws and regulations that could adversely affect our operations or our ability to conduct business profitably. We are unable to predict whether any such laws or regulations will be enacted and to what extent such laws and regulations would affect our business.

        In the United States, regulatory uncertainty continues to surround the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), which represented a comprehensive overhaul of the financial services regulatory environment and requires federal agencies to implement numerous new rules, which may impose additional restrictions and limitations on our business as they are adopted. In the United Kingdom, our business may be impacted by financial services reform initiatives enacted or under consideration in the European Union or by the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Compliance with these new laws and regulations may also result in increased compliance costs and expenses, and non-compliance may result in fines and penalties.

        Additionally, on April 6, 2016, the DOL adopted final rules (the "DOL Fiduciary Rules") and related exemptions redefining the term "fiduciary" under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") and addressing conflicts of interest in the provision of investment advice with respect to plans or accounts subject to DOL authority, particularly retirement plans and individual retirement accounts. Part of the DOL Fiduciary Rules became effective on June 9, 2017, but final implementation was delayed until July 1, 2019. On March 15, 2018, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the DOL Fiduciary Rules in their entirety. This ruling is subject to appeal and during the continuing appeals process the DOL Fiduciary Rules remain in effect. While in effect, the DOL Fiduciary Rules and their related exemptions impact how our partner firms provide investment advice to accounts subject to DOL authority (especially retirement plans and individual retirement accounts), the types of fees and compensation they will be able to receive in exchange for such advice and other matters.

        We believe that significant regulatory changes in the wealth management industry are likely to continue, which is likely to subject industry participants to additional, more costly and generally more detailed regulation. For example, on August 25, 2015 FinCEN proposed an AML rule that would, if adopted, subject RIAs to the requirements of the BSA. On April 18, 2018, the SEC proposed a package of rulemakings and interpretations that if adopted would impose a best interest standard of conduct for broker-dealers, require the delivery of a short-form disclosure document to retail investors, restrict the use of the term "adviser" or "advisor" by broker-dealers who are not also registered as investment advisers and clarify the SEC's views on the fiduciary duty that investment advisers owe to their clients. New laws or regulations, or changes in the enforcement of existing laws or regulations, applicable to our partner firms may adversely affect our business. Our continued ability to function in this environment will depend on our ability to monitor and promptly react to legislative and regulatory changes. Changes in laws or regulatory requirements, or the interpretation or application of such laws

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and regulatory requirements by regulatory authorities, can occur without notice and could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Please read "Regulatory Environment."

Our business is subject to risks related to legal proceedings and governmental inquiries.

        Our business is subject to litigation, regulatory investigations and claims arising in the normal course of operations. The risks associated with these matters often may be difficult to assess or quantify and the existence and magnitude of potential claims often remain unknown for substantial periods of time.

        Our partner firms depend to a large extent on their network of relationships and on their reputation to attract and retain clients. The principals and other wealth management professionals at our partner firms make investment decisions on behalf of clients that could result in substantial losses. If clients suffer significant losses, or are otherwise dissatisfied with wealth management services, we could be subject to the risk of legal liabilities or actions alleging negligent misconduct, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and/or fraud. Moreover, our partner firms are predominantly RIAs and have a legal obligation to operate under the fiduciary standard, a heightened standard as compared to the client suitability standard of conduct applicable to broker-dealers. These risks are often difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time, even after an action has been commenced.

        Our involvement in any investigations and lawsuits would cause us to incur additional legal and other costs and, if we were found to have violated any laws, we could be required to pay fines, damages and other costs, perhaps in material amounts. Regardless of final costs, these matters could have an adverse effect on our business by exposing us to negative publicity, reputational damage, harm to our partner firms' client relationships or diversion of personnel and management resources.

Principal or employee misconduct could expose us to significant legal liability and reputational harm.

        We are vulnerable to reputational harm because our partner firms operate in an industry in which personal relationships, integrity and the confidence of clients are of critical importance. The principals and employees at our partner firms could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. For example, if a principal or employee were to engage in illegal or suspicious activities, a partner firm could be subject to regulatory sanctions and we could suffer serious harm to our reputation (as a consequence of the negative perception resulting from such activities), our financial position, our partner firms' client relationships and their ability to attract new clients.

        The wealth management business often requires that we deal with confidential information. If principals or employees at our partner firms were to improperly use or disclose this information, even if inadvertently, we or our partner firms could be subject to legal action and suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships or those of our partner firms. It is not always possible to deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not always be effective. Misconduct by principals or employees at our partner firms, or even unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct, could result in an adverse effect on our reputation and our business.

Failure to properly disclose conflicts of interest and comply with fiduciary duty requirements could harm our reputation, business and results of operations.

        Some of our partner firms have affiliated SEC-registered broker-dealers and affiliated insurance brokers. Certain of our partner firms also have compensation arrangements pursuant to which they receive payments based on client assets invested in certain third-party mutual funds. Such arrangements allow a partner firm to receive payments from multiple parties based on the same client asset and can

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incentivize a partner firm to act in a manner contrary to the best interests of its clients. As investment advisors subject to a legal obligation to operate under the fiduciary standard, these partner firms must fully disclose any conflicts between their interests and those of their clients. The SEC and other regulators have increased their scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest, and our partner firms have implemented policies and procedures to mitigate conflicts of interest. However, if our partner firms fail to fully disclose conflicts of interest or if their policies and procedures are not effective, they could face reputational damage, litigation or regulatory proceedings or penalties, any of which may adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations.

Acquisitions of newly established RIA firms formed by teams of wealth management professionals formerly employed at traditional brokerages and wirehouses expose us to litigation risk.

        As part of the Focus Independence program, we have to date, with limited exceptions acquired substantially all of the assets of new RIA firms formed by teams of wealth management professionals formerly employed at traditional brokerages and wirehouses. These acquisitions may expose us to the risk of legal actions alleging misappropriation of confidential information, including client information, unfair competition, breach of contract and tortious interference with contracts between the lift out wealth management teams and the brokerage or wirehouse. Additionally, in November 2017 two larger brokerage firms withdrew from an industry agreement known as the Protocol for Broker Recruiting or the "Broker Protocol." These withdrawals, and any additional withdrawals by signatories to the Broker Protocol, may increase the potential for such legal actions. These risks are often difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time, even after an action has been commenced. We may incur significant legal expenses in defending against litigation commenced by a brokerage or wirehouse. Substantial legal liability could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition or cause significant reputational harm to us.

In the event of a change of control of our company, we may be required to obtain the consent of our partner firms' advisory clients to the change of control, and any failure to obtain these consents could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition or business.

        As required by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the investment advisory agreements entered into by our investment adviser subsidiaries provide that an "assignment" of the agreement may not be made without the client's consent. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, advisory agreements with registered funds provide that they terminate automatically upon "assignment" and the board of directors and the shareholders of the registered fund must approve a new agreement for advisory services to continue. Under both the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, a change of ownership may constitute such an "assignment" if it is a change of control. For example, under certain circumstances, an assignment may be deemed to occur if a controlling block of voting securities is transferred, if any party acquires control, or, in certain circumstances, if a controlling party gives up control. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, a 25% voting interest is presumed to constitute control. While we have concluded that this offering does not constitute such an assignment or a change of control, an assignment or a change of control could be deemed to occur in the future if we, or one of our investment adviser subsidiaries, were to gain or lose a controlling person, or in other situations that may depend significantly on facts and circumstances. In any such case we would seek to obtain the consent of our advisory clients, including any funds, to the assignment. To the extent of any failure to obtain these consents, our results of operations, financial condition or business could be adversely affected.

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Risks Related to the Offering and Our Class A Common Stock

The initial public offering price of our Class A common stock may not be indicative of the market price of our Class A common stock after this offering. In addition, an active, liquid and orderly trading market for our Class A common stock may not develop or be maintained, and our stock price may be volatile.

        Prior to this offering, our Class A common stock was not traded on any market. An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our Class A common stock may not develop or be maintained after this offering. Active, liquid and orderly trading markets usually result in less price volatility and more efficiency in carrying out investors' purchase and sale orders. The market price of our Class A common stock could vary significantly as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our Class A common stock, you could lose a substantial part or all of your investment in our Class A common stock. The initial public offering price will be negotiated between us and the representatives of the underwriters, based on numerous factors which we discuss in "Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)," and may not be indicative of the market price of our Class A common stock after this offering. Consequently, you may not be able to sell shares of our Class A common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price paid by you in this offering.

        The following factors could affect our stock price:

•

our financial performance;



•

quarterly variations in the rate of growth of our financial indicators, such as revenues;



•

the public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;



•

strategic actions by our competitors;



•

changes in revenue or earnings estimates, or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage, by equity research analysts;



•

speculation in the press or investment community;



•

the failure of research analysts to cover our Class A common stock;



•

sales of our Class A common stock by us or other shareholders, or the perception that such sales may occur;



•

changes in accounting principles, policies, guidance, interpretations or standards;



•

additions or departures of key management personnel;



•

actions by our shareholders;



•

general market conditions;



•

domestic and international economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance; and



•

the realization of any risks described under this "Risk Factors" section.

        The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company's securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management's attention and resources and harm our results of operations and financial condition.

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Certain existing owners will continue to collectively hold a substantial percentage of the voting power of our common stock.

        Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our shareholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or our certificate of incorporation. Upon completion of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares), existing owners, including our private equity investors and other shareholders, will own approximately      % of our Class A common stock (representing      % of the economic interest and      % of the voting power). The continuing owners will own 100% of our Class B common stock (representing 0% of the economic interest and        % of the voting power). Please read "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management."

        Although these existing owners are entitled to act separately in their own respective interests with respect to their stock in us, they will together have the ability to elect all of the members of our board of directors, and thereby to control our management and affairs. In connection with this offering, investment vehicles affiliated with Stone Point and KKR will also enter into nomination agreements pursuant to which they will have the right to nominate an aggregate of three members of our board of directors for so long as they maintain certain ownership stakes. These existing owners will be able to determine the outcome of all matters requiring shareholder approval, including mergers and other material transactions, and will be able to cause or prevent a change in the composition of our board of directors or a change in control of our company that could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares of Class A common stock as part of a sale of our company. The existence of significant shareholders may also have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in management, or limiting the ability of our other shareholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in the best interests of our company.

        Moreover, this concentration of stock ownership may also adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock to the extent investors perceive a disadvantage in owning stock of our company.

The interests of our existing owners may differ from those of our public shareholders.

        So long as our existing owners continue to control a significant amount of our common stock, they will continue to be able to strongly influence all matters requiring shareholder approval, regardless of whether or not other shareholders believe that a potential transaction is in their own best interests. In any of these matters, the interests of the existing owners (including their interests, if any, as TRA holders) may differ or conflict with the interests of our other shareholders. For example, these existing owners may have different tax positions from us which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to dispose of assets, whether and when to incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, especially in light of the existence of the Tax Receivable Agreements, and whether and when Focus should terminate the Tax Receivable Agreements and accelerate its obligations thereunder; provided that any decision to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreements and accelerate the obligations thereunder would also require the approval of a majority of the disinterested directors of Focus. In addition, the structuring of future transactions may take into consideration these existing owners' tax or other considerations even where no similar benefit would accrue to us. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements."

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

        Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue one or more series of preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and the shares of which may be issued without

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shareholder approval, and which may include super voting, special approval, dividend, repurchase rights, liquidation preferences or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of Class A common stock. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could adversely impact the value or our Class A common stock. Furthermore, if our board of directors elects to issue preferred stock it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. For example, our board of directors may grant holders of preferred stock the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or upon the occurrence of specified events or the right to veto specified transactions.

        In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our shareholders, including: (i) prohibiting us from engaging in any business combination with any interested shareholder for a period of three years following the time that the shareholder became an interested shareholder, subject to certain exceptions, (ii) establishing advance notice provisions with regard to shareholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our shareholders, (iii) providing that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors, (iv) providing that all vacancies in our board of directors may, except as otherwise be required, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, (v) providing that our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our then outstanding voting stock, (vi) providing for our board of directors to be divided into three classes of directors, (vii) providing that our amended and restated bylaws can be amended by the board of directors, (viii) limitations on the ability of shareholders to call special meetings, (ix) limitations on the ability of shareholders to act by written consent, (x) requiring the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting stock held by affiliates of Stone Point and KKR, for so long as they collectively own at least 25% of our outstanding voting stock, to amend, alter, repeal or rescind the certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and (xi) renouncing any interest or expectancy that we have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, any corporate or business opportunities that are from time to time presented to Stone Point, KKR, directors affiliated with these parties and their respective affiliates.

        In addition, certain change of control events have the effect of accelerating the payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreements, which could result in a substantial, immediate lump-sum payment that could serve as a disincentive to a potential acquirer of us, please see "Risks Related to Our Internal Reorganization and Resulting Structure—In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, realized in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreements."

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case

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subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. Unless we consent in writing to the selection of alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the federal securities laws of the United States. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation described in the preceding sentence. This choice of forum provision may limit a shareholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws to be adopted in connection with this offering will provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Our amended and restated bylaws will also permit us to purchase insurance on behalf of any officer, director, employee or other agent for any liability arising out of that person's actions as our officer, director, employee or agent, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit indemnification. We intend to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our current and future directors and officers. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liability that may arise by reason of their service to us and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

        In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be adopted in connection with this offering will limit the liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors, except for liability that cannot be eliminated under the DGCL. Delaware law provides that directors of a company will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors, except for liabilities:

•

for any breach of their duty of loyalty to us or our shareholders;



•

for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;



•

for unlawful payment of dividend or unlawful stock repurchase or redemption, as provided under Section 174 of the DGCL; or



•

for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

        The above limitations on liability and our indemnification obligations limit the personal liability of our directors and officers for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors by shifting the burden of such losses and expenses to us. Certain liabilities or expenses covered by our indemnification obligations may not be covered by our directors' and officers' liability insurance or the coverage limitation amounts may be exceeded. As a result, any claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.

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Investors in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution of $          per share.

        Purchasers of our Class A common stock in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value per share of Class A common stock for accounting purposes. After giving effect to the sale of shares of Class A common stock in this offering and further assuming the receipt of the estimated net proceeds (assuming the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus and after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us), our adjusted pro forma net tangible book value as of March 31, 2018 would have been approximately $             million, or $            per share of Class A common stock. This represents an immediate increase in the net tangible book value of $            per share to our existing owners and immediate dilution (i.e., the difference between the offering price and the adjusted pro forma net tangible book value after this offering) to new investors purchasing shares of Class A common stock in this offering of $            per share. Please read "Dilution."

We do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock. Consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our Class A common stock appreciates.

        We do not plan to declare dividends on shares of our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment in us will be if you sell your shares of Class A common stock at a price greater than you paid for it. There is no guarantee that the price of our Class A common stock that will prevail in the market will ever exceed the price that you pay in this offering.

Future sales of our Class A common stock in the public market could reduce our stock price, and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.

        Unitholders of Focus LLC (other than Focus) may receive shares of our Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of an exchange right or the call right and then sell those shares of Class A common stock. Additionally, we may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or convertible securities in subsequent public offerings or as consideration for future acquisitions. After the completion of this offering, we will have              outstanding shares of Class A common stock. This number includes              shares of Class A common stock that we are selling in this offering and              shares of Class A common stock that we may sell in this offering if the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares is fully exercised, which may be resold immediately in the public market. Following the completion of this offering, the exchanging owners and the blocker owners will own              shares of Class A common stock, representing approximately      % (or      % if the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full) of our total outstanding common stock. All such shares will be restricted from immediate resale under the federal securities laws and under the terms of the Fourth Amended and Restated Focus LLC Agreement, which will be entered into in connection with the closing of this offering, but may be sold into the market in the future. Please read "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Fourth Amended and Restated Focus LLC Agreement—Transfer of Securities." Additionally, except as otherwise permitted by the Fourth Amended and Restated Focus LLC Agreement, continuing owners will only be permitted to exercise their exchange rights on quarterly exchange dates and with respect to one-twelfth of the units held by them at the closing of this offering, with an ability to carry forward unused exchange rights to subsequent exchange dates. The foregoing volume restrictions will apply to the PE Holders as an aggregate limitation on their ability to sell Focus LLC units or the shares of Class A common stock received in connection with the reorganization transactions. We expect that the PE Class A Holders and the continuing owners will be party to a registration rights agreement with us that will require us to effect the registration of their shares in certain circumstances, without being subject to the preceding limitations, no earlier than the expiration of the lock-up period contained in the Fourth Amended and

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Restated Focus LLC Agreement entered into in connection with the closing of this offering. Our director, director nominees, executive officers, all of our other existing owners and persons that purchase shares through our directed share program will, subject to certain exceptions, be subject to certain restrictions on the sale of their shares for 180 days after the date of this prospectus; however, after such period, and subject to compliance with the Securities Act or exemptions therefrom, these persons may sell such shares into the public market. Please read "Shares Eligible for Future Sale" and "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Registration Rights Agreement."

        In connection with this offering, we intend to file a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-8 providing for the registration of              shares of our Class A common stock issued or reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plan. Subject to the satisfaction of vesting conditions and the expiration of lock-up periods, shares registered under the registration statement on Form S-8 will be available for resale immediately in the public market without restriction.

        We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock will have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices of our Class A common stock.

We may seek to finance acquisitions of partner firms by issuing equity securities that would dilute your ownership.

        We may finance future acquisitions through the issuance of equity securities, including common units and our Class A common stock. Acquisitions financed with the issuance of common units could significantly reduce our percentage ownership of Focus LLC. Furthermore, the new holders of common units may receive shares of our Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of an exchange right or the call right, which may have a dilutive impact on your ownership interest.

        Acquisitions financed with the issuance of our Class A common stock could be dilutive to the share value and voting power of our existing Class A common stock, which could affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

The underwriters of this offering may waive or release parties to the lock-up agreements entered into in connection with this offering, which could adversely affect the price of our Class A common stock.

        Our director, director nominees, executive officers, all of our other existing owners and all persons that purchase shares through our directed share program will, subject to certain exceptions, be subject to certain resale restrictions with respect to our Class A common stock, our Class B common stock, any membership interests in Focus LLC or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for such common stock or membership interests for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus. Please read "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Fourth Amended and Restated Focus LLC Agreement—Transfer of Securities" and "Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)—No Sales of Similar Securities." The representatives for the underwriters, at any time and without notice, may upon request release all or any portion of the shares of Class A common stock subject to the foregoing lock-up agreements. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements are waived, then such shares will be available for sale into the public markets, which could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline and impair our ability to raise capital.

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For as long as we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with certain reporting requirements, including those relating to accounting standards and disclosure about our executive compensation, that apply to other public companies.

        We are classified as an "emerging growth company" under the JOBS Act. For as long as we are an emerging growth company, which may be up to five full fiscal years, unlike other public companies, we will not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor's attestation report on management's assessment of the effectiveness of our system of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) comply with any new requirements adopted by the PCAOB requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor's report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of the issuer, (iii) provide certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger public companies or (iv) hold nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, although we will lose that status sooner if we have more than $1.07 billion of revenues in a fiscal year, have more than $700.0 million in market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

        To the extent that we rely on any of the exemptions available to emerging growth companies, you will receive less information about our executive compensation and internal control over financial reporting than issuers that are not emerging growth companies. If some investors find our Class A common stock to be less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

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A LETTER FROM RUEDIGER ADOLF

         This letter should be read in the context of the disclosures made in the entire prospectus, including the information under the heading "Risk Factors" appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

        Going public is a big step in the evolution of any business. It is an even bigger step for a wealth management business that evolved from my kitchen table in 2004.

        As a McKinsey & Company consultant and an industry executive at American Express, I had a deep understanding of the wealth management industry but was saddened by the quality of advice available to investors. It was clear to me that investors receiving "advice" based on the low suitability standard from employees working for too large, inflexible institutions with legacy systems, lack of transparency and limited, often proprietary choices, compensated by commissions and with large overheads and inferior economics was not the model of the future: The traditional market leaders may continue to lose market share for years to come!

        Through my travels, I encountered a superior model that is held to a higher standard of care, that is closer to the client than any large institution could ever be and that—I strongly believe—is more closely aligned with clients' interests: this is the world of the registered investment advisor, or RIA, long working away from the limelight but now the place-to-be for clients seeking superior wealth management services. RIAs are held to the fiduciary standard with a duty to place the interest of their clients above their own and to act in their client's best interest with due care and sense of loyalty, interestingly, principles that date back 4,000 years to the Code of Hammurabi.

        However, the more I learned about the RIA model, the more I believed it could be even more successful. What if a business existed that could:

        (1)   . . . "credentialize" an RIA without forcing it into a singular operating model, like a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval," telling investors they were dealing with a small, accountable firm which simultaneously had the credentials of a much larger organization behind it.

        (2)   . . . add value to these entrepreneurs by introducing them to best practices in marketing, operations and technology; helping them achieve purchasing power when beneficial to their business and clients; and providing them with access to subject matter experts they could never afford to hire on their own.

        (3)   . . . provide access to significant capital for acquisitions, changing the growth trajectory and potential for success of the many already-outstanding RIA firms in the industry.

        (4)   . . . solve the only true "crisis" the RIA industry is facing: succession planning. Many of the advisors I met did not have a viable management succession plan for their firm, creating risks for their clients, their employees and their families . . . successions is where scale and capital matters.

        Equipped with a fresh and differentiated approach, as well as access to plenty of capital, such a business could provide a tremendous service to the RIA industry and its clients.

        There was a final, critical lesson I had learned in my childhood days working for my dad's highly respected accounting firm that he had founded: "Never, never turn a successful entrepreneur into an employee." RIAs are entrepreneurs and, as fiduciaries, they are ferociously independent. As banks that acquire RIAs have consistently demonstrated: "If you turn the entrepreneur into an employee, you destroy what you just acquired!"

        When I walk into the offices of my partner firms or prospects, it often feels like walking into exactly the type of office my father had built. There is tremendous pride in what they accomplish, and most importantly, pride in serving their clients in the best way they possibly can.

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        The opportunity was identified, the objectives were set, but how could such a business be built?

        Focus is a business that really did start with a sketch on a napkin at my kitchen table, followed by talking to many people about the idea (most of whom advised me to "get a real job"). However, two former colleagues from American Express and McKinsey & Company were compelled by the vision: my two co-founders Lenny Chang and Rajini Kodialam. The three of us developed the detailed economic, legal and operational model and inspired our first group of partner firms to join our vision and launch the business in 2006.

        Yes, there were surprises, and it is important to highlight them:

•

RIA Hesitation :  Telling the Focus story before we were "real" was a tremendous challenge. Many people in the industry believed we were "on to something" but thought it impossible to execute. This is where our model of entrepreneurship paid its biggest dividends: a compelling proposition attracts successful players: Buckingham, GW & Wade, The Colony Group, Kovitz, Douglas Lane and SCS Financial Services . . over 50 firms in all. We did not initially envision the quality of firms we ultimately attracted.



•

The Power of Diversity :  Our partner firms are united by their passion for their clients, their expertise and a commitment to the fiduciary standard. But there is also great diversity in their business models from a client focus, breadth of service and investment management perspective. Their diversity is a terrific source of strength: twice a year the principals of our partner firms meet to share their experiences and update each other (as well as to hear about Focus's evolution, welcome new principals from new partner firms to our partnership and meet prospects). This is only possible under Focus's differentiated partnership model.



•

Adding Value :  "Never turning entrepreneurs into employees" does not exclude adding value! Many of our partner firms have more than doubled their revenues since they joined Focus and we have been a catalyst in their journey. Often new partner firms need more scalable technology and operations solutions or need to hire additional talent. Often their marketing capabilities are only in a nascent stage, and almost always they need a new approach toward succession planning. Probably our highest impact is our ability to support their acquisitions with our marketing, capital and deal expertise. Many firms have never done a transaction before and wisely decide not to "moonlight" in the acquisitions business.



•

2008 :  Learning from my and Rajini's years at McKinsey & Company and Lenny's at The Boston Consulting Group, we of course had stress-tested our model in countless scenarios. However, the magnitude of the 2008 disruption we did not test. In 2008, we were just emerging from "start-up" to becoming a "respectable" business after a highly successful 2007. This was not an easy time for our clients, our partner firms or management. However, the prudent advice our partner firms gave to their clients, going well beyond just investments, helped to preserve the balances in their portfolios and led to stronger client relationships with our partner firms and to Focus emerging from 2008 stronger than ever.



•

Breakaway Brokers :  Our initial business plan did not include Focus supporting wealth management professionals as they leave the wirehouses. But as our model gained traction in the RIA space, we started a dialogue with highly successful wealth management teams that felt stifled by the limitations and conflicts of the traditional model. Our first breakaway team joined us in October 2008, creating a tremendously successful advisory business and a model for many more transactions or "lift outs."



•

International Expansion :  Rajini and I are immigrants, so we always thought about Focus as a global opportunity but somewhere "down the road." Focus now has a presence in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and we are convinced that—while there is still significant opportunity in the United States—clients looking for high-quality advice delivered by nimble

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entrepreneurs is a global phenomenon. Regulation in various countries is creating higher standards of care, favoring fee-based compensation and creating transparency and disclosure that at times actually leapfrogs the standards of the United States.

•

Raising Debt :  Raising capital in 2005 for a new enterprise was certainly easier than it would be now—it was also very helpful that there was no "Focus" to compete with as our idea was novel for this industry. However, to our surprise, only months after we closed our first number of transactions, we managed to raise debt, a critical component in our balance sheet structure. From our first $10.0 million credit facility in 2006, scaling to the $1.4 billion in credit facilities that support our business today. Focus has always had the resources to support its rapid growth.

        Our business has achieved considerable success, has strong access to capital and has created attractive returns for our principals and the existing owners of Focus. So why are we considering going public? We believe that Focus will benefit from:

•

Balance Sheet Flexibility :  As a public company, we can tap into additional and more flexible sources of capital. We have never been capital-constrained. However, adding additional tools to our existing financing is a prudent step in our evolution.



•

Public Currency :  Our deals are typically structured as a combination of cash and our equity. Occasionally our private currency is an advantage, in other situations prospects would prefer to "exchange" their private currency for a public currency.



•

Marketing :  No question, a successful initial public offering is a terrific credentializing event for Focus. As such, we expect that the initial public offering will be an important step towards building the Focus "brand" in a way that supports our partner firms' marketing without taking away their differentiated positioning.

        We recognize that being a public company comes with responsibility that goes beyond just the legal standards. We intend to manage Focus with a high level of transparency and continue to invest carefully and manage the business with a long-term perspective motivated by business fundamentals. In this way, we aim to preserve the sense of responsibility I learned through my father's business and that we share with all of the entrepreneurs who are members of our partnership.

        In the same vein, a business that adds value creates shareholder returns. We recognize that Focus's capital will be your capital and that our responsibility is to manage it prudently.

        We are proud of the scale that we have already achieved, but we believe that Focus will continue to have terrific opportunities ahead:

•

The RIA space is our terrific home market. Since our founding, we have created a vast network of relations with prospects and other industry players and significant acquisition expertise. Sometimes the time may not have been right for a transaction, but when the time is right, prospects will give us serious consideration. We believe that acquisitions and our program, Focus Successions, will provide tremendous opportunities for our partner firms and Focus.



•

Selectively, we expect that the breakaway space will remain highly attractive. As the brokerage industry continues to lose market share, it will keep on squeezing its advisors and clients economically. This will continue to create terrific opportunities for Focus. However, we will remain very selective in the type of teams that qualify to join our partnership as we believe only selective brokers can be successful entrepreneurs and are willing to commit to the fiduciary standard.



•

We will continue to develop innovative value-add programs for our partner firms that only a player of our scale and strength can develop. Our partner firms are demanding and they are constantly pushing our innovation.

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•

Our international strategy is at its beginning, but we have the resources and terrific market access and have built the foundation for prudent expansion.

        It is our aspiration to be the partnership of choice for entrepreneurial, growth-oriented and sophisticated wealth management firms who "have their heart in the right place" and are committed to outstanding wealth management services for their clients.

        Thank you for your interest in Focus. I am honored to lead this organization and grateful to our partner firms and the countless people who believed in our vision and trusted our leadership.

        On behalf of our partner firms, my two co-founders and our colleagues, I would like to invite you to invest in our unique business and support our transition to the next level in market leadership!

        Rudy

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