Career advancement

The choice of brokerage or RIA firm involves any number of factors and a range of timelines. Here's what the numbers and experts suggest are the main drivers.

In a big week for industry recruiting, Stifel lands practices managing $2.9 billion at Merrill, Merrill recruits a $1.9 billion team from Raymond James and Rockefeller pulls part of a $2.3 billion team from UBS.

Modern Wealth also takes on $1B in AUM through two acquisitions, and LPL hires a chief data, AI officer from JPMorgan.

The M&A flow may suggest that only the giants of wealth management will be able to navigate the business, but that dominating narrative is wrong.

Also this week, Raymond James recruits from Morgan Stanley, and Mercer Advisors and EP Wealth Advisors make big M&A deals.

Experts say those survey results simply reflect successful and experienced teams, but the alphabet soup of certifications presents tough choices for current and aspiring professionals.

Also this week, Ameriprise CEO James Cracchiolo sees a 12% bump in compensation in 2024 and new LPL CEO Rich Steinmeier also sees a hefty pay bump.

Citi's proxy statement praises its head of wealth for bringing in net new assets and talent.

Stifel pulls a $1.35 billion team from Raymond James, while LPL draws from Edward Jones and Wells Fargo, in advisor moves this week.

Organizations that work toward boosting industry diversity say President Trump and other critics may be missing the moral and business implications of their efforts.

Looking back at the past five years of Financial Planning's regional 40 under 40 list offers insights on advisor success — and firm struggles.

Also this week, Captrust scoops up a $1.4 billion RIA, and Mercer Global adds a head of M&A.

In a warning alarm about the industry's staffing needs, McKinsey predicted there will soon be a massive shortage of advisors to meet client demand.

Also this week, Cetera closes on its purchase of Concourse Financial Group, and Raymond James appoints a head of AI.

Across the last five years of Financial Planning's 40 under 40 list, a few key insights have emerged about where the industry is at — and where it's headed.

Also this week, LPL pulls a big team from Raymond James, Merrill from Morgan Stanley and Dynasty from CIBC.

In an industry with too few advisors, many say the failure rate for newcomers remains disconcertingly high. But brokers on Financial Planning's top 40 under 40 list say they wouldn't be where they are without early career training.

The RIA aggregators Prime Capital and Corient also made their marks with big acquisitions.

Following a 47% increase in earnings, Ted Pick is credited for his firm's "outstanding performance" in his first year at the helm.

The payday comes for a year that saw the bank's annual net income rise just over 2% to $27.1 billion.