Industry

Experts say RIA owners often resist making themselves replaceable. But they'll have to choose between an internal or external deal someday.

As CEO Sergio Ermotti says it's almost impossible for the firm's U.S. wealth management business to match rivals' profit margins, UBS seeks to help new and existing advisors sharpen their expertise.

Wells Fargo recruits a $543M JPMorgan team, Raymond James adds a $360M family practice and Beacon Pointe acquires a women-led RIA.

This year the top three firms in FP's exclusive study of RIAs that do not do any commission business manage nearly $120 billion combined.

At a time when private equity ownership is causing clashes between independent broker-dealers and some of their largest advisory teams, Private Advisor Group found another option.

Every independent RIA has unique access to one niche: the prospects in their own ZIP code. Smart advisors can turn that information into a community-based customer pool.

The printable PDF includes rankings based on the firms' AUM as well as statistics on each firm's employees, client accounts and financial advisors.

Fiduciary laws trace their roots to ancient times, but the terms of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act are still evolving today.

The implications to taxes, hiring and the very legacy of a financial advisor's career demand much more formal documentation than most RIAs have undertaken, experts say.