Industry

"Branding initiatives are critical today, and the CFP Board should be applauded for its effort, but it's really difficult to assess the effectiveness of a national campaign on a local level," says marketing expert April Rudin.

Two veteran advisors went independent with Dynasty, dwarfing the firm's previous recruits.

The bank's former head of branch banking and private banking now directs private wealth management, wealth planning, and trust and estate services as well as UnionBanc Investment Services and HighMark Capital Management.

Merrill Lynch lured back three advisors after seven years with rival UBS.

Leaving the wirehouses for independence can be worth it, but be prepared for the unexpected, advisors say.

"LPL is a different place than when we started there 11 years ago," says CBD Wealth Management partner Robert Comeaux, Jr.

Things have changed and will continue to do so; advisors shouldn't be deterred.

KeyCorp in Cleveland has hired Gary Poth as head of its family wealth division at Key Private Bank.

A Morgan Stanley exec and other industry experts urge financial planners to embrace this approach to making investments, popular with both millennials and women.

JPMorgan sued six former executives who defected to rival Morgan Stanley, seeking a court order blocking them from enticing clients to follow.