Industry News from Financial Planning

A consulting firm's report on the future of the channel reveals the ambivalence and frustration many feel about the impact of M&A consolidation.

Jamie Price of Osaic says attrition at his firm was below expectations during its recent internal consolidation of nine separate brokerages and that not having a self-clearing and self-custody business is an advantage these days.

Financial advisors say that retirement planning for transgender clients can come with its own set of considerations, beyond 401(K) contributions or Monte Carlo simulations.

The deal marks the purchase of one private equity-owned firm by a much larger one with majority private equity backing.

RBC Wealth goes to UBS again to pull over advisors with large AUM tallies; Carson Group buys a firm in Colorado, and Goldman Sachs alumni set up an RIA through Dynasty Financial.

The impact of President Trump's push against diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the SEC remains murky, according to a watchdog report.

Ted Pick and Paul Shoukry both see advantages in their firms' ability to invest in technology, offer banking services and provide access to alternative investments.

Industry experts say there's theoretically no reason why firms can't keep getting bigger through recruiting deals. But a lack of good M&A prospects could make growth harder for LPL and other independent broker-dealers.

Wealth.com has built a client roster of more than 1,000 wealth management firms and several big-name backers. Now it's launching a yearly industry event.

LPL Financial also pulls an advisory team from RBC, and Cetera hires a chief fiduciary officer for its trust subsidiary.

A relatively small fraction of financial advisors can speak languages other than English, making multilingual planners a distinctly valuable asset for firms looking to attract and retain clients.

The program to coach Division I players on wealth management concepts comes as they navigate new layers of complexity from new sources of potential pay.

Experts say that there are pitfalls, rules and procedures that departing financial advisors should know. Problem is, too many act first and consult lawyers later.

Brian Mora, senior vice president of experienced advisor recruiting, thinks Ameriprise has the antidote to the high dropout rates seen in most industry training programs.

The transition challenges were great, writes Kimberly Foss; the ultimate rewards for her and her clients, even greater.

UBS continues to lose larger advisory teams after making changes to compensation policies last year. Meanwhile, Ashton Thomas and LPL both score advisory teams.

Even without net new assets, the firm's assets under management and administration were pushed upward by market gains.

Areas around Jackson Hole, Aspen, Palm Beach, Miami, New York, Dallas and Austin are in the group. Other top performers may come as more of a surprise.

Expanded 529 plans and pass-through deductions are a boon for the wealth management industry, but the sweeping tax bill comes with its challenges.

With more than $8 billion in assets under advisement, Simon Quick can comfortably serve high net worth clients. And it's managed to get there without private equity.