Capital markets

A survey from the investment marketplace iCapital suggests that concerns about private credit have not derailed advisors' growing desires to place more clients in alternative investments.

With retail investors projected to allocate $2 trillion into private equity, credit and similar investments over the next five years, asset managers are increasingly acting as a bridge to previously exclusive opportunities.

Berger Financial Group plans to more than double its footprint and staff, and Investcorp is looking at more opportunities beyond supporting Berger in the "untapped" wealth space.

RIA owners may feel a "moral dilemma" when considering selling their firms to private equity-backed acquirers. But that didn't prevent PE involvement from reaching a record high in M&A deals in the second quarter.

A Deloitte analysis shows that alternative allocations — to private equity, private credit and other vehicles — in DC plans could grow quickly.

As the SEC pushes to widen access to private equity, private credit and other alternative investments, Morgan Stanley and Envestnet are among firms that already have funds no longer aimed exclusively at "accredited investors."

In pitting AI agents against historic 60-40 portfolio results, JPMorgan found AI won every time. But researchers could not rule out the possibility that the systems could have essentially cheated.

For financial advisors, the surge in new wealth highlights continued opportunity for those targeting prospects coming into sizable sums of money.

At Morningstar's conference last month, speakers from companies like Blackstone, BlackRock and PIMCO added helpful context to the recent headlines on risk and alternatives.

Median sale prices for RIAs have long been ticking upward. But some valuation experts argue that impending retirements could lead to an oversupply of firms on the market — and lower price tags.

Clients have many reasons for not divulging details on the assets they have at, including embarrassment. Advisors say it's still important to understand their total financial picture and, above all, not be judgmental.

A note by Morningstar DBRS analysts warned of the risks working against big RIA aggregators' success in consolidating a fragmented channel of the industry so rapidly.

The latest Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook (FACO) finds advisor sentiment turned slightly pessimistic again this month as financial planners looked for ways to insulate clients' portfolios from global economic shocks.

Large wealth managers are chasing a multitrillion dollar opportunity to manage more of their clients' assets. But many high net worth investors give their business to multiple firms, whether out of a desire for protection, habit or a need to shop around for the best returns.

Valuation experts say RIA purchasers are most attuned to organic sources of growth — assets from new and existing clients. But market gains also play a role.

With anticipation mounting on pending IPOs from giants like Anthropic, SpaceX and OpenAI, here's what advisors are saying to eager clients who want in.

A report from the Financial Stability Board said limited transparency in the private credit market makes it difficult for regulators to monitor and understand risks, potentially masking challenges to the financial system.

Bill Hamm's Independent Financial Partners took a rare step in 2019 when the firm left LPL to launch its own brokerage. Now it's offering an interesting recruiting pitch to financial advisors.

Merrill, BMO and Schwab are among many firms helping clients take out security-backed loans against market gains to avoid capital gains tax hits.

Join us next month for a discussion on whether more clients should be in private markets, how advisors can explain the pros and cons of alternative investments, and just where crypto and digital assets belong.