Lorie Konish

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has hired three financial advisors with $356 million in assets under management from Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo Advisors.

Registered investment advisory firm Concert Wealth Management is getting set to hire about 40 new financial advisors this year following its hiring of veteran Merrill Lynch financial advisor Brad Stratton earlier this month.

RBC Wealth Management has reeled in a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney financial advisor team overseeing more than $350 million in client assets.

As the Baby Boom generation heads for retirement, the traditional notion that turning 65 automatically triggers retirement is changing.

Financial services firm HighTower has continued its national expansion with the hiring of three financial advisors from Merrill Lynch and Presidio Group to work out of its new offices in Baltimore and Los Angeles.

Wells Fargo has had a busy hiring month, adding nine financial advisors to its force from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch, and also hiring a new manager from Raymond James.

Advisor Xi is Tamarac’s comprehensive suite of investment and technology solutions for RIAs. The $54 million deal gives Envestnet’s clients access to those services.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has snapped up four financial advisors from Wells Fargo Advisors and Merrill Lynch.

Bank of America’s health savings account business rose 34% with the addition of 50,000 new accounts last year, as it also integrated that business in its institutional retirement business.

Barclays Wealth has tapped eight financial advisors to join its Los Angeles and Chicago forces in its latest move to bolster its Americas expansion strategy.

UBS Wealth Management Americas has hired six new financial advisors including one Merrill Lynch team previously produced $4 million and oversaw $750 million in client assets.

Wealth management firms are still gradually introducing their financial advisor forces to social media, but three years from now they fully expect the new medium to have fully taken hold in the industry.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said that it saw increased 401(k) savings through its plan sponsors both in the fourth quarter and 2011 year, signaling a positive outlook for the tweaks it has made to its offerings and confidence in the overall economy.

An arbitration panel has ordered Merrill Lynch to pay an investor $1.4 million in a case that called into question the value of the collateralized loan obligation investments the firm sold.

Asset management firm JHS Capital Advisors has hired two financial advisors to serve Florida clients from Tampa, Fla. headquarters.

Ameriprise’s Advice and Wealth Management Business saw its pretax operating earnings fall 14% to $83 million in the fourth quarter compared to the same period one year ago as a result of volatility that gripped the markets and increased investment in the unit, the firm said in its earnings release Wednesday.

Two renowned economists engaged in a fierce debate at the IMCA New York Consultants Conference but both admitted they had no concrete answer to the fundamental question: What can the government do to repair the economy?

After Merrill Lynch financial advisor Alyssa Moeder initiated a relationship with a prospective female client, it took several years before they were able to formally develop a working relationship.

When Raymond James inked a $930 million deal to acquire Morgan Keegan’s brokerage earlier this month, it immediately sparked industry speculation as to whether Morgan Keegan’s financial advisor force would stay.

Raymond James has extended its retention package offers to eligible Morgan Keegan financial advisors with $300,000 and more in gross production.