Finance

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

The regulator's Investor Advisory Committee said policymakers could abandon asset and income thresholds for determining who can put money into private markets and instead adopt a "sophistication" standard.

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.

Wealth management firms can purposefully create an atmosphere centered on growth — but it takes effort and intention, said Daniel Crosby of Orion and Brad Johnson of Triad Partners.

Older and younger Gen X clients have very different needs, goals and outlooks. Advisors who treat them as one group risk missing the mark.

College athletes with name, image and likeness contracts present unique opportunities — and responsibilities — for wealth managers.

Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank seeks niche private equity opportunities for its ultrawealthy clients, while Goldman looks to retirement savers and Wells Fargo to everyday investors.

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.

RBC executives say the firm's recent string of recruiting wins comes with temporary costs but also the promise of boosting income over the long term.

At 42, an Idaho store clerk dreams of retiring by 55. His ultra-frugal freegan lifestyle could make it happen, but advisors have one major concern.

Transitioning emotionally invested clients out of concentrated stock positions and legacy funds takes time, tact and a tax-savvy mindset.

Find all of the figures from Financial Planning's latest annual study of brokerages whose financial advisors aren't employees of the firms.

Edward Jones reported a sharp decline in net new client growth for the second quarter, even as it brings on more advisors to the business.

Private assets promise potentially greater returns and more diversification for investors, but financial advisors say their opaque and illiquid nature makes them less than ideal for most 401(k) plan participants.

Financial advisors are not mandated reporters, but they can often be a trusted first point of contact when clients are expressing suicidal thoughts.

Niche smart, market human and outsource wisely: insights for financial advisors looking to grow, from the Morningstar Investment Conference.

CEO Rich Steinmeier reiterated LPL's goal to retain 90% of Commonwealth's assets and headcount while listing reasons why advisors might think twice about leaving to start their own RIAs.

The decision to rejoin the CEO and chairman roles comes roughly two months after regulators removed an asset cap that had stunted the San Francisco-based company's growth for seven years.