RIAs

To continue its expansion in Atlanta, United Capital announced Monday it bought the majority of the assets of Atlanta-based PPA Advisors.

On the morning after the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act, Vikki Lenhart of Hart & Patterson Financial Services conducted a financial assessment for one of her same-sex clients and realized they are entitled to $36,000 in additional Social Security income.

Gen Y planners foresee RIAs booming and perceive fundamental flaws within the wirehouse model. They see advisors making big mistakes with next generation clients. They have fears about the future of the industry along with some ideas on how society should change to create a more financially secure world.

The PFM Group announced Thursday that it has acquired an advisory firm in Washington State as part of its continued expansion in the Northwest region.

RIAs love the flexibility of running their own business, but, when your bedroom becomes your office, it becomes difficult to keep a schedule. Dave Grant says he loves the flexibility of being self-employed, but internally he's screaming for a schedule. Check out some of his ideas and offer him some ideas that have worked for you.

Thanks to video conferencing, RIAs have a much broader array of hiring options to consider.

Now that I'm entering my second week of running my own RIA, it's time to get out there and find clients. While I have prepared many avenues in which to do this, one worked out quite well already.

LPL Financial hired an ex-SEC official as its new general counsel as the firm continues to restructure its management team.

LPL Financial, the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer, has reached $50 billion in total RIA assets under custody, doubling its year-ago total.

The process of switching to independence does not happen overnight. Here are 10 steps to consider when making the move to the RIA segment from Schwab Advisor Services.