Danielle Reed

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation has named Tom Bradley its new president of retail distribution. Bradley was previously president of TD Ameritrade Institutional, the unit of the firm that serves independent advisors.

Succession planning is on a lot of advisors' minds right now. But it's not only owners who need to prepare for succession — employees also need to get ready. Financial Planning talked to Deena Katz, chairwoman of Evensky & Katz and associate professor of personal financial planning at Texas Tech, about her thoughts on this topic.

Sharing select personal details can help advisors win over prospects, one planner says at TD Ameritrade conference.

Just over three-quarters—76%—of advisors who have recently shifted to an independent business model say they're better off financially, according to a new study by Fidelity Investments. And 64% of those who say they're better off were better off within six months of their move, according to the study.

Fidelity Charitable, operator of the nation’s largest donor-advised fund program, said its donors set records in 2011 both in the amount of money contributed to the fund and in the amount that was taken out of the fund and granted to charities.

Alex Murguia, managing principal of McLean Asset Management and CEO and founder of inStream Solutions, believes advisors should be aware of major changes underway in the planning profession—and should take proactive steps to safeguard their practices. Financial Planning talked to Murguia about his views on the outlook for RIA businesses.

Just a few days after Bob Oros left Trust Company of America as national sales manager, Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services has confirmed he will start next week as executive vice president of RIA sales and relationship management.

Retirement can be daunting — but having sound financial advice makes Americans feel like they have a better handle on it, according to a survey by Franklin Templeton.

National Planning Corporation has expanded its new business development team by hiring two new full-time recruiters, doubling the size of the recruiting team at the independent broker-dealer.

Advisors don’t only have to bemoan the U.S. Postal Service’s decline — there are ways to profit from it. It’s worth at least considering an investment in ETFs that have exposure to companies like FedEx and UPS, according to an analysis by S&P Capital IQ.

Succession planning is preoccupying many independent advisor firms. But what are some concrete steps owners can take to make sure their firms continue to thrive far into the future? Financial Planning talked to Dave Grant, CFP, a financial planning analyst with Vantage Financial Partners Limited about how RIA firms can create a working environment that will attract — and keep — younger hires.

New York Life Insurance Company has reorganized into two business units: the Insurance Group and the Investments Group.

New York-based RIA firm HS Management Partners has hired Robert Gebhart as its new senior vice president and senior investment officer.

The Financial Services Institute has gained another 225 members, as Mountain View, Calif.-based broker-dealer and RIA Foothill Securities announced it has signed up all its advisors.

After a gloomy 2011, this year the outlook for regional banks seems better, according to S&P Capital IQ.

Financial services industry groups are ready and willing to help the Labor Department do a formal study of the potential impact of a redefinition of fiduciary responsibility, according to a new letter several trade organizations wrote to the department.

Americans overall aren’t saving enough for retirement, and as a group, women especially seem not to be prepared. Only 8% of women workers believe that they’re building a large enough retirement fund for themselves, according to a new study.

Retirement plan clients can now get on-the-go portfolio analytics from BNY Mellon’s new iPad app, P Mobile Dashboard.

Raymond James has named a former Goldman Sachs Investment Management vice president to the new position of director of retirement solutions.

Zephyr Associates, a financial analytics software provider to financial advisors, is seeing a steady increase in the percentage of RIA firms among its clients.