Commission-based compensation

The potential acquisition would unite two firms that custody assets for more 7,000 independent advisory firms.

he potential acquisition would unite two firms that custody assets for more 7,000 independent advisory firms.

As Bob Dylan once sang, “the times they are a-changin.”

Clients opened 142,000 new accounts last month after Schwab escalated the brokerage industry's price war.

Advisors will be able to offer “different types of lending,” CEO Walt Bettinger tells planners at the company’s Impact conference.

With tens of thousands of certificants affiliated with giant BDs, the documents required by the new standards are making their conflicts of interest plain as day.

Strategies may include building out RIA channels and cash sweep programs in efforts to make up for revenue declines.

By slashing fees, custodians are also eliminating special ETF platforms they had spent the past five years building out.

The move follows similar offers from other major brokerages in the last two weeks, as firms race to woo clients with the lowest-priced products possible.

Advisors are not "non-for-profits,” CEO James Gorman said.

In a little-noticed rule change, mutual funds no longer disclose their shrinking BD commission load-sharing payments.

The low-cost brokerage followed its competitors for retail clients and will offer the new pricing to RIAs in November.

Even though it now claims six million accounts, the free trading platform may still need to expand its offerings to stay competitive, experts say.

As custodial pricing continues to fall, it’s still unclear where firms will make up the the money — but analysts and advisors agree other custodians will follow suit.

It's the latest move in the race to offer products at the lowest possible prices.

James Gorman dismissed any speculation after the unit posted record revenue and pretax profit in the second quarter.

Though the fees are controversial, there may not be an easy way for the industry to abandon them.

The largest increases came from the only firms in the sector reporting jumps of at least 20% or more in 2018.

This interactive tool provides the full collection of data from Financial Planning's 34th annual study of the largest firms in the space.

When the board's new Code and Standards take effect in October, fee-only advisors will be expected to step up their compliance operations.