LPL Financial

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.

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.

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

Over the past decade, the annual revenue gap between LPL and any other independent brokerage has soared to more than 100% from less than 1%. But that doesn't mean that the No. 1 firm can rest on those laurels.

Executives from some of the largest firms in the channel — Ameriprise, Kestra Financial, Cetera, LPL Financial and Osaic — discuss how clearing and custody fits into their approaches to recruiting and retaining financial advisors.

An industry recruiter said departing Commonwealth teams tend to stick with brokerages because their objections are less to IBDs and more to LPL. Generous transition deals also help.

Brokerages are too dependent on the billions they make every year from clients' uninvested cash, industry analysts say. LPL is responding with a long-term review of its pricing.

LPL saw its net income swell while considering price changes meant to lower payouts on client assets.

JD Power's closely watched survey of financial advisors' satisfaction with employee and independent brokerages crowned its perennial winners, with one interesting exception.

Retaining Bartholomew & Company comes as a big victory in LPL's bid to hold on to AUM and advisors from its acquisition last year of Commonwealth Financial Network.

Gary Carrai draws on his previous experiences as a financial advisor to recognize what sorts of technical advances are most likely to be useful to LPL advisors and clients — and how much change they can tolerate at once.

The report by ISS Market Intelligence displays both a large uptick in moves by financial advisors and other reps last year and trends over the past decade or more.

An industry recruiter says two big questions remain: Can Raymond James keep up its recruiting momentum after most Commonwealth advisors are settled? And how will LPL Financial respond?

Thirty advisors recruited by LPL Financial from Ameriprise had objected to a court order that they turn over their cell phones, computers and other devices to be searched by a third-party forensic examiner.

In an unusual development, LPL saw its advisor total decline slightly in the first quarter. And client assets brought in through advisor recruiting were down 55% year over year.

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.

The rising tide of asset values led to compensation increases above 200% in some cases, but small ticks down for the chiefs of two firms.

Gabe Lapito thinks many RIA owners who sell their businesses are looking for a big check to fund their retirement. But he and his partners, almost all in their 30s or early 40s, instead set their sights on adding new clients and assets.

The LPL–Commonwealth megadeal set off a two-sided scramble. As LPL fought to retain advisors and assets, rivals raced to poach both.