RIAs

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.

It wouldn't be easy for elite advisors at the bank to leave, for reasons ranging from loyalty to deferred compensation. But as spooked clients demand stability, some competitors see a rare opening to recruit.

The move comes after Washington State said it would impose a 7% tax on an individual's long-term capital gains exceeding $250,000.

A new scorecard show 13 of 68 companies got an "A" grade for being upfront about inequality in employee pay — and 25 got an "F."