RIAs

Fidelity Investments is now offering a free version of its WealthCentral customer relationship and portfolio management platform for the iPad.

Zephyr Associates, a financial analytics software provider to financial advisors, is seeing a steady increase in the percentage of RIA firms among its clients.

Among the 27.2% of IMCA members who are independent, 14.2% are RIAs, 7.7% are dually registered and almost 85% of IMCA advisors and consultant provide fee-only or fee-based advice.

2011 may be remembered for its Walls Street thrills and spills, but the merger and acquisition deals made a huge mark on Main Street and the RIA business. Here are 10 unions that reshaped the RIA landscape.

2011 may be remembered for its Walls Street thrills and spills, but the merger and acquisition deals made a huge mark on Main Street and the RIA business. National aggregator and private equity firms accounted for a vast majority of the top deals. Here’s a look at 10 of the most significant deals in the RIA sector in the past year.

Service providers are always looking for ways to serve RIAs, including managing client assets, even if it means buying other firms to gain the expertise.

Web Exclusive: The woman who runs the nation's largest RIA firm, Maria Elena Lagomasino, doesn't have much faith in the non-fiduciary side of her industry. In fact, she says an unfortunate number of planners at large banks and brokerage houses run their businesses to benefit themselves as much – or more than – their clients.

Web Exclusive: It took Oxford Financial CEO Jeffrey Thomasson years to figure out how to recruit and hire the best people. Now, the nation’s second-largest RIA has it down to a science – and the firm is thriving like never before.

Web Exclusive: The nation’s third-largest RIA now has more than $10 billion in assets under management due in large part to its comprehensive approach to managing and maximizing clients’ investments with the taxman in mind.

There is strength in numbers, and practices across the country are banking on size to position themselves for success.