Industry News from Financial Planning

In a series of webinars and journal articles, two lawyers and a financial planner are leading a collaborative discussion about how estate planning professionals can better serve African American clients and, in turn, all customers.

Osaic expected advisor departures during its massive consolidation of nine separate broker-dealers within its corporate structure. But CEO Jamie Price says the effort positioned the firm well for a future liquidity event. Here's how the independent broker-dealer is rebuilding.

Megadeals and private equity transactions usually draw the biggest headlines, but potential acquirers can take their pick from any number of possible sources of financing.

Deals can falter when firm owners misjudge what it costs to replace themselves.

Merrill and Morgan Stanley executives' recent statements on recruiting seem to reveal starkly different approaches. But industry recruiters say they are just masking similarities.

Advisors are still slow to plan for handing down their businesses, in part because of difficulties finding new owners they can trust.

A gathering for LGBTQ advisors and allies the day before LPL's flagship Focus conference drew executives, big-name sponsors and a standing-room crowd. So Marci Bair and other organizers are planning a standalone event next spring.

Interactive Brokers, also known by its hot ticker symbol of IBKR, shares much more fee information than most custodians, without revealing much in the way of its scale among RIAs. Can it gain greater reach in a competitive channel?

Justin Duke's move from BNY Wealth to Simon Quick Advisors shows how higher fees, rising asset minimums and tighter client constraints are pushing some bank advisors toward RIAs.

A $5,000 scholarship from Cary Carbonaro and the CFP Board aims to help break financial barriers for women seeking to enter financial planning.

One year after $300M deal, referrals through Robinhood that put younger investors in the pipeline and an ongoing clearing relationship with Wells Fargo reflect how TradePMR is a growing rival to the giants of the custody channel.

RIAs who work with Charles Schwab have long worried Schwab competes with them for business. Could Vanguard's pending purchase of Altruist put Altruist RIAs in the same position?

Some midsize firms joined three giants of the industry in surpassing their peers among independent brokerages, in terms of the percentage increase in their average payouts per financial advisor last year.

After his firm agreed to one of the most impactful deals in wealth management of 2026, Altruist CEO Jason Wenk sat down with FP to discuss the negotiations, his firm's strategy and the new tool he says can build higher-quality plans in much less time.

The largest firm in the independent brokerage channel is also the fastest growing. But the industry's rapid expansion alongside rising equity values over the past three years may be hiding some firms' vulnerabilities.

Marketing experts suggest alternative ways for firms to promote themselves after a $6 million "gift" received by a former top editor at Forbes was seen as tarnishing the publication's industry awards and rankings.

SER Summit co-founders Vanessa Martinez and Ana Trujillo Limón preview the professional development and networking in store for attendees next week in Denver.

Industry experts say custodial firms' services have largely become "commoditized." The acquisition of Altruist opens the door for Vanguard to have cutting-edge services related to tax planning, cash sorting and more.

More than half of the independent brokerages participating in this year's IBD Elite study declined to disclose the share of women among financial advisors at their firms. Those that did provide data have done more to advance women than many of their rivals in the independent brokerage channel of wealth management.

Recruiter Jeff Nash of Bridgemark Strategies created five calculator tools that aim to help financial advisors understand the key contributors to their revenue, expenses and take-home compensation as they weigh their potential next moves.