RIAs

Like any ranking, the list from SmartAsset comes with some caveats. But these firms are catering to a lot of high net worth and ultrahigh net worth clients.

A FINRA arbitration panel sided with a claimant who contended Wells and one of its advisors should have recognized telltale signs of elder fraud when their client decided to give away tens of thousands of shares of Aflac stock.

From trending independence to the rise in AI in wealth management, these stories and series dove deep on issues of utmost importance to financial advisors in 2024.

Cetera also names the next president of its wealth management division and Corient scoops up a $7.9 billion RIA in Maine.

Regulators accused UBS of not doing enough to monitor 22 brokers who generated commissions and sales concessions of syndicate preferred stocks.

The asset sales carry complexity requiring careful thought and expert advice, but they could prove beneficial to some wirehouse breakaways or RIA succession plans.

Amplified Planning is expanding beyond the Externship into a new four-month course and a monthly subscription service for outsourced professional development.

Homrich Berg also acquires a $6.4 billion RIA and Hightower takes a stake in an $800 million advisory practice.

The 10 largest transitions include deals by LPL and Osaic, hybrid RIAs that received private equity infusions and even a new public offering by a SPAC investor.

Critics of mandatory arbitration say it can go against investment advisors' fiduciary duty to always do what's best for clients.