Economy

"If we don't grow, then we abdicate that opportunity to our competition," says James Weddle, managing partner of Edward Jones, which hopes to surpass Morgan Stanley as the industry's largest brokerage by headcount.

Customers continue to be underwhelmed by banks’ customer service. Even worse, young customers see very little difference in services from one bank to another.

The wirehouse lured away a team that managed $750 million from Barclays, which recently announced a deal to sell its U.S. wealth management division to Stifel.

The wirehouses aren't fading yet, but many independents argue that these firms will need to change dramatically to retain market share.

Two veteran advisors went independent with Dynasty, dwarfing the firm's previous recruits.

Merrill Lynch lured back three advisors after seven years with rival UBS.

Leaving the wirehouses for independence can be worth it, but be prepared for the unexpected, advisors say.

"LPL is a different place than when we started there 11 years ago," says CBD Wealth Management partner Robert Comeaux, Jr.

Things have changed and will continue to do so; advisors shouldn't be deterred.

KeyCorp in Cleveland has hired Gary Poth as head of its family wealth division at Key Private Bank.

A Morgan Stanley exec and other industry experts urge financial planners to embrace this approach to making investments, popular with both millennials and women.

JPMorgan sued six former executives who defected to rival Morgan Stanley, seeking a court order blocking them from enticing clients to follow.

Advisors play a crucial role in keeping clients accountable to their retirement savings plans, according to experts at the Morningstar conference.

Three industry veterans left the wirehouse space to join U.S. Capital Advisors, a small dually-registered broker-dealer and RIA.

These independent broker-dealers reported the highest portion of fee-based business.

These independent broker-dealers reported the highest portion of fee-based business.

Two advisors left the wirehouse to join the large regional brokerage, representing the latest in a recent string of mega teams that have switched firms.

Two brothers working for Merrill Lynch, where they had overseen $620 million in client assets before making the move, join the rival wirehouse.

Compliance experts Brian Hamburger and Robert Molinari offer up best practices for preparing for SEC and FINRA audits.

Two recruits joined the regional brokerage from rivals Merrill Lynch and Wye Financial & Trust.