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The largest firm in the independent brokerage channel is also the fastest growing. But the industry's rapid expansion alongside rising equity values over the past three years may be hiding some firms' vulnerabilities.

The 2025 tax law changed the factors involved in the decision to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth.

Some financial advisors are becoming enrolled agents in order to provide tax advice, helping to enhance relationships with clients.

More than half of the independent brokerages participating in this year's IBD Elite study declined to disclose the share of women among financial advisors at their firms. Those that did provide data have done more to advance women than many of their rivals in the independent brokerage channel of wealth management.

What's next for banks' wealth management aims? Ida Liu, CEO of HSBC's Private Bank, sits down with American Banker Editor-in-Chief Chana Schoenberger to discuss her strategy , what her clients are asking for, and how technology is changing the role of the high-net-worth wealth advisor.

As clients consider when to claim Social Security, an advisor proposed a strategy to maximize tax-free retirement income using certain benefits and senior deductions.

Recruiter Jeff Nash of Bridgemark Strategies created five calculator tools that aim to help financial advisors understand the key contributors to their revenue, expenses and take-home compensation as they weigh their potential next moves.

As wealth tax proposals pop up around the country, advisors guide clients through assessing how these factors change the equation of financial planning.

Press an "easy button" for an internal succession or go the harder, often more lucrative route of leaving an employee brokerage to sell an independent practice? A new report from one recruiting firm shows which lane most advisors choose.

Rick Simonetti knows it's not easy recruiting private bankers and then moving their clients and assets. That hasn't stopped him from building Fidelis Capital into a $3 billion firm built largely on bankers pulled from Wells Fargo and Bank of America.

Getting a foot in the door to the high net worth market can be a challenge, but there are any number of ways in. Six advisors shared how they landed their first high net worth client, from golfing to finding the right CPA.

A survey found Medicare Advantage customer satisfaction dropped for the second year in a row. Financial advisors can guide clients as they weigh coverage choices.

A new guide from the CFP Board is meant to help advisors through offering 401(k) rollover recommendations, which can be a tricky area for compliance.

Over the past decade, the annual revenue gap between LPL and any other independent brokerage has soared to more than 100% from less than 1%. But that doesn't mean that the No. 1 firm can rest on those laurels.

As analysts raise concerns that AI could undermine the economics of generous transition deals, executives at Ameriprise, Stifel and Raymond James wonder if firms are paying too much to recruit advisors.

With recent changes to tax law, non-grantor trusts have become attractive vehicles for gaining tax efficiencies, such as when making charitable contributions.

Executives from some of the largest firms in the channel — Ameriprise, Kestra Financial, Cetera, LPL Financial and Osaic — discuss how clearing and custody fits into their approaches to recruiting and retaining financial advisors.

The printable PDF includes rankings based on the firms' 2025 revenue as well as the number of financial advisors, compensation, total client account assets and more.

View the exclusive research from Financial Planning's latest annual study of brokerages whose financial advisors aren't employees of the firms — and sort and compare data across the past 15 years.

In a constantly changing industry, clearing and custody fees defy generalizations. The largest independent broker-dealers present financial advisors with the choice of working with a "self-clearing" firm or one that outsources those essential services.