Industry News from Financial Planning

The newly formed Cetera Planning Partners is part of the firm's plan to broaden its channel for advisors working as direct employees.

In a Q1 earnings call, CEO Jim Cracchiolo emphasized the firm's recruiting approach that seeks a "built, not bought" advisor workforce.

The Bahnsen Group, founded in 2015 by a former Morgan Stanley team, has grown into a private wealth powerhouse with roughly 100 employees and offices in three states.

Raymond James spent more than $100 million to recruit and retain advisors in its latest quarter. CEO Paul Shoukry says he'd rather do that than buy another firm.

Jess Polito of Turkey Hill Management says she believes her firm is the only M&A advisory firm that exclusively uses retainer fees, rather than commissions.

Proceeds from the sale of Stifel Independent Advisors, aligned with declining litigation costs, helped drive firm-wide revenue to its second-highest level on record.

Adam Cox led the wealth management division of a regional bank for 10 years. His lack of an ownership stake in the business he'd spent so much time building eventually drove him to seek independence.

A consulting and M&A advisory firm presented six prospective sellers to 17 buyers, with striking results for any advisory teams tapping into a frothy M&A market.

Ron Kruszewski led Stifel through a year that saw record revenue and strong advisor recruiting, but also a string of legal setbacks.

A three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit Appeals agrees with Merrill that its deferred compensation policies are a bonus used to reward brokers for loyalty to the firm.

The annual Diamond Consultants advisor transition tracking study identified the winners and losers of 2025. But it also noted how quickly things can change.

A report from the industry tracking-firm DeVoe & Co. finds that 2026 is off to the strongest start for RIA acquisitions ever and broker-dealers like LPL are among the main purchasers.

While the megabank had previously announced an executive shakeup, it revealed that Pershing is part of a newly combined business line moving forward.

CEO Brian Moynihan said the firm recruited twice the number of advisors it did a year ago and is making progress fighting advisor attrition.

Behavioral finance expert Tim Maurer shares how planners can adjust their language and approach to help clients move toward their goals.

Chief Financial Officer Sharon Yeshaya says financial advisors have $400 billion in assets since 2020 from clients who first came to Morgan Stanley either through its workplace or E-Trade businesses.

In the first quarter, the firm's FiNet channel for advisors working as independent contractors recruited advisors with $9 billion in client assets.

Top executive Jane Fraser dismisses speculation Citi wants to buy a U.S. retail bank while touting surging revenues for the megabank's wealth unit and the firm as a whole.

Finance and education veteran Walter Rendon wants to ensure that more young people get the training and mentorships that helped him break into the field.

Touchstone Wealth Partners is the fourth team with more than $1 billion in client assets to join Wells Fargo's FiNet unit this year.