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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.

Account titling and beneficiary designations could contradict what clients write in their wills, undermining estate planning. Advisors can help keep these current.

August is National Make a Will Month, but advisors say it's important to urge clients year-round to secure their wishes by keeping wills and estate plans fresh.

Retirement savers often don't realize what they're paying in fees or how much they can lose by leaving rollover cash uninvested, but advisors can help on both fronts.

A succession merger deal that was nearly 10 years in the making at Nebraska-based Prairie Wealth Advisors offers a lens into the many factors involved with the wealth management industry's looming financial advisor retirements.

As clients ask advisors for help navigating caregiving resources, advisors who are able to provide trusted referrals may find clients return the favor with referrals of their own.

An industry recruiter said departing Commonwealth teams tend to stick with brokerages because their objections are less to IBDs and more to LPL. Generous transition deals also help.

New York City's new pied-à-terre tax is prompting financial advisors to help wealthy clients reassess their options, from residency status to estate plans.

Four professionals on the ground weigh in on the lasting lessons they took away from their worst client meetings.