Private equity

With retail investors projected to allocate $2 trillion into private equity, credit and similar investments over the next five years, asset managers are increasingly acting as a bridge to previously exclusive opportunities.

Berger Financial Group plans to more than double its footprint and staff, and Investcorp is looking at more opportunities beyond supporting Berger in the "untapped" wealth space.

RIA owners may feel a "moral dilemma" when considering selling their firms to private equity-backed acquirers. But that didn't prevent PE involvement from reaching a record high in M&A deals in the second quarter.

At Morningstar's conference last month, speakers from companies like Blackstone, BlackRock and PIMCO added helpful context to the recent headlines on risk and alternatives.

Median sale prices for RIAs have long been ticking upward. But some valuation experts argue that impending retirements could lead to an oversupply of firms on the market — and lower price tags.

A note by Morningstar DBRS analysts warned of the risks working against big RIA aggregators' success in consolidating a fragmented channel of the industry so rapidly.

A report from the Financial Stability Board said limited transparency in the private credit market makes it difficult for regulators to monitor and understand risks, potentially masking challenges to the financial system.

Bill Hamm's Independent Financial Partners took a rare step in 2019 when the firm left LPL to launch its own brokerage. Now it's offering an interesting recruiting pitch to financial advisors.

Join us next month for a discussion on whether more clients should be in private markets, how advisors can explain the pros and cons of alternative investments, and just where crypto and digital assets belong.

Evaluating private equity performance is notoriously difficult due to lack of transparency. Asking these 3 questions makes it easier for financial advisors.

The new money will be used primarily to pay off investors who provided capital when Reverence first bought a majority stake in the former Advisor Group in 2019.

The intersection between HNW clients and private markets is no longer about distribution, but integration.

PE money eviscerates an RIA's client-first culture, leading to advisor burnout and turnover.

There's "no free lunch investing in private assets," the research firm said in its latest study of semiliquid assets — released a week before Blue Owl permanently shut the gate of a closely watched private credit fund.

The sales pitch that private equity funds outperform publicly available investments is drawing much more skepticism. Here are the murky signals in the sector.

Private equity in 401(k)s may face significant liquidity strains, reducing returns and complicating plan management, according to new Morningstar research.

Blue Owl's decision to halt withdrawals from one of its private credit funds raises further questions about the already obscure world of private credit.

Retail investors increased their allocations to private equity, private credit by a whopping 36% last year as advisors look for diversification and strong returns.

Virtually every major firm on Wall Street has joined the push into private markets, with many trying to get in early on the biggest "next big thing" to hit financial services since the exchange-traded fund.

Private equity-backed M&A activity has steadily risen. Owners may do great in a sale, but what about advisors lower in the organization?