RIAs

The line between independent firms and wirehouses is beginning to blur, causing advisors to rethink their options, writes recruiter Louis Diamond.

The firm will compete against a growing group of rivals, but its founders expect to attract a billion-dollar advisory firm by the end of the year.

The $2.4 billion request for the Wall Street regulator would put 1,434 officers on the compliance beat, up 4% from seven years ago.

The forced merger with rival UBS was "the best among bad solutions."

Although the new leaders at Merrill could offer advisors new hopes, the firm could well suffer further attrition after Andy Sieg's defection last week to Citigroup.

Some 70 million Americans born after 1996 stand to inherit huge sums of money in the coming decades. But they think about investments, saving and spending in ways often unfamiliar.

The amount of massive advisory practices across the industry more than tripled in a decade, leaving firms like Equius Partners with scale and succession challenges.

Plaus had planned to leave the bank after March 31. But Merrill head Andy Sieg's sudden departure for Citigroup triggered an executive shuffle.

As the big firms keep getting dramatically bigger, industry consultant Advisor Growth Strategies says smaller advisory practices should find scale or get a niche.

Personalization, customization, flexibility and adaptability are the goals, writes the technology director at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management.