Economy

Plus, Cetera adds a $1.9B tax-focused firm, Choreo acquires two RIAs, and Modern Wealth expands in New York.

Brokers were worried a new rule intended to lighten their responsibility to monitor advisors' side hustles would ironically mean greater supervision duties with RIAs.

Plus, Wells Fargo and Raymond James pull more teams from Commonwealth/LPL, and Elevation Point takes a stake in a UBS breakaway.

Wells Fargo lands big teams from Merrill and Citi, while Cerity Partners and Mercer Advisors continue their aggressive M&A streaks.

A new proposal would allow firms to tack three additional months onto the amount of time they can place holds on the accounts of clients 65 and older in cases of suspected financial exploitation.

Keith Todd Ashley, an advisor indicted for the murder of a client, has turned to the Fifth Circuit of Appeals to fight his 60-year prison sentence in a related fraud case.

Under a new proposal, clients would have to opt in to receiving account statements and other documents in paper form.

From AI advancements to greater access to private markets to the forces shaping retirement, six experts share their hot takes on what's just over the horizon in wealth management.

The loss of a $129 billion team for Merrill set the high-water mark in a year that also saw the departure of huge teams from UBS, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Oppenheimer.

Rockefeller becomes the latest firm to benefit from a steady stream of advisor defections from UBS this year.

These are the stories and issues that readers gravitated to in the last year.

Also, DayMark Wealth Partners sells a minority stake to Constellation Wealth Capital.

Ameryn Seibold was tasked with manipulating the Excel data that the subprime auto lender regularly sent to its financiers.

The broker-dealer veteran saw her firm's revenue model as a fair trade — even a badge of honor — before going independent.

Also, Independent Financial Partners secures a $700M team from Commonwealth/LPL, and NewEdge Capital names a new CEO.

A new report from Cerulli notes big differentiating factors for firms that specialize in working with clients with $20 million or more to invest.

Consolidation has been ongoing for more than a decade in wealth management, but it accelerated to unprecedented levels this year.

Also, Cresset extends its reach in Texas, Janney recruits from Wells Fargo and Ameriprise, Merrill draws from Wells Fargo and Mercer acquires a $1B firm.

One of the most consequential M&A deals in years leads this roundup of the many ways big independent firms grew in 2025 and how they plan to continue growing in 2026.

Also, Raymond James lands a $420M father-son team from Edward Jones, Cetera recruits a $350M LPL duo, and Cambridge acquires a $1B AUM dual registrant.