RIAs

Profitability and control still rank high on the list of reasons advisors go independent, but the ability to have new and better systems – especially software – also plays a compelling part.

"He called for the male clients, I called for the females," says ex-assistant, who says she knew phone calls to liquidate client assets after a B-D change were wrong.

For buyers, the cost of funds is low now. For sellers, valuations are rich. Cashing out now is an “easy case to make," says AssetMark EVP Michael Abelson. "Or they can keep riding the wave."

Board quietly hires former SEC official; critics call for CEO Keller's departure as well.

Advisor, beware: Funds that use complex, hedge style methods may not be appropriate for client retirement accounts.

An attorney for Jorge Posada and Jose Contreras says ballplayers were "victims of fraud, taken advantage of at every turn."

High-performing firms are almost twice as likely to effectively describe target client profiles to clients and centers of influence.

Raymond James' independent broker dealer lured away two advisors producing $1.85 million from Morgan Stanley.

From the family feud that rocked Nicholas Schorsch's REIT and IBD empires to LPL's regulatory lapses and a wealth management crisis sparked by a CEO's private fund, the advisory industry had a healthy share of lowlights in 2014. Here are some of the most memorable.

With nearly 16,000 firms managing $2.4 trillion in assets, Cerulli predicts the RIA industry will capture 28% of retail investor assets by 2018.