Dan Shaw

The awards recognize early-career brokers that have created top production numbers at their wealth management firms.

Janney also adds teams from Morgan Stanley and UBS, while LPL Financial picks up advisors from Janney for its direct employee channel.

Along with bringing in new households and assets, the Bank of America wealth management units are turning to loans, alternative assets and other offerings to do more with existing clients.

The largest wirehouse also reported a record quarter for wealth management revenues built on strong asset inflows in the third quarter.

Also remarkable: the size of the teams that are leaving and the types of firms benefiting from the defections, a new report from Diamond Consultants finds.

Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf also points to investments into the firm's independent channel as helping to retain advisors and curtail departures to other firms.

Though advisors keep heading for the door following the sale of Commonwealth, industry analysts believe LPL Financial can still hit its post-purchase goals for retaining assets and headcount.

The purchase comes as Creative Planning seeks to build out its expertise in managing retirement plans.

With deals like Cetera's purchase of Avantax, Morgan Stanley's of Parametric and JPMorgan's of 55ip, big firms are increasingly able to answer high net worth clients' tax questions without having to send them to outside professionals.

Former Morgan Stanley broker Kathy Frazier sued the firm in 2015 and was later joined by six other Black plaintiffs who also alleged they had been systematically excluded from the best advisory teams and client leads.

Rick Meyers, head of client and advisory at Bernstein Private Wealth Management, looks to recruiting, training and possibly even acquisitions to further the firm's wealth management ambitions.

But Commonwealth Financial Network retains its appeal, pulling a team from Morgan Stanley, while LPL draws a large practice from RBC.

Compliance and former SEC lawyers say remaining industry regulators will prioritize preventing imminent investor harm while putting off some paperwork and routine tasks.

Francisco Gil tried to claim his status as an independent contractor entitled him to tax deductions for travel, meals and marketing expenses. The IRS and a federal judge said he was in fact an employee.

Merrill had sought a temporary restraining order to prevent members of a large Atlanta-based team who left last week from soliciting former clients for their new firm.

UBS contends a group of advisors who left this month to form an RIA inherited most of their clients from retired advisors who were counting on being paid from their former books of business.

Also this month in our disciplinary digest, a now-barred 'problem broker' for Stifel lands his former firm another hefty settlement, and an advisor is accused of fraud for trying to poach clients from his old firm.

In a lengthy court reply, advisors who left Merrill this week to form an RIA with Dynasty Financial Partners accuse Merrill of "bad faith" for putting them on administrative leave and failing to reinvest in their business.

Also this week, Raymond James draws from Commonwealth again amid that firm's absorption by LPL Financial, and Osaic adds advisors with nearly $800 million in AUM.

Even as interest rates fall, investors keep piling into money market funds. Advisors think many could be putting their money to better uses.