Tobias Salinger

Independent financial advisors get a lot of flexibility, but a study by Deloitte and Wells Fargo FiNet delves into the complexity of expanding successfully.

The events for prospective clients may sound old-fashioned or too sales-focused, but marketing experts and advisors explain how they can be powerful lead tools.

Many express frustration with either real or perceived doubts about clients' concerns, but experts say they're missing an opportunity to address them up front.

The new tax law won't completely eliminate the complicated tax incentives for food on the job, but experts suggest businesses may change up their menus.

Over the past 18 years, the independent brokerage channel of the industry has surged massively while also evolving significantly.

Two studies from Morningstar dive into the subtleties across the various categories of funds and the sources of the gap between actual and total investment returns.

Attorneys and other compliance experts say it's important that financial advisors greet any type of negative feedback with a thoughtful response — especially if it could turn into a legal matter.

The numbers look gaudy, but potential estate taxes and prohibitions on future strategies make the big retirement accounts much less appealing, two experts said.

A limited federal tax credit, an above-the-line deduction for non-itemizers and restrictions on those of itemizers represent three of the biggest shifts under the new law.

Fewer than 3% of U.S. advisory firms report registrations with foreign regulators, and the meager ranks reflect the difficulty of breaking into international markets.

A frequent subject of SEC enforcement complaints and examinations can cause newer firms pain if they don't follow the rules.

Cerulli's research based on a survey of wealth and asset management firms suggest that firms have only just begun to address clients' comprehensive planning needs.

A speech by Louis Barajas, a panel on entrepreneurship and a dating game-style mentorship matching event illuminated advisors' hard-earned lessons.

A record high in attendance and backers like LPL, Morgan Stanley, Carson Group and FPA highlight how the industry has taken notice of the SER Summit.

MML Investors Services, ONESCO and Integrity Alliance (formerly Brokers International) top the list as independent brokerages compete for financial advisors.

Errors and omissions policies may not represent the most exciting aspect of launching an advisory firm, but experts say custodians often require firms to purchase this and other insurance.

The Ensemble Practice crunched data from hundreds of advisory practices the consulting firm says are getting tepid growth amid their impressive metrics.

The group of rapidly expanding firms includes mainstays like LPL Financial, but also smaller upstarts that are enlarging their footprints at a notable clip.

The question has turned into something of a paradox because of the related, but different, rise of RIAs and how that has affected independent brokerages.

The use of multiple entities as a means of shifting a high net worth client's yearly income could help rack up bigger breaks, with some caveats.