Going independent

The four advisers joined the more than 500 lost by the wirehouse in the last nine months.

What used to be a complex and expensive barrier to entry for independent RIAs has now become much simpler and cheaper.

The two advisers bolted in a quarter that saw their ex-firm lose 130 advisers.

"With 15,000 financial advisors, it's hard to change financial planning software. It's hard to change the day-to-day stuff," adviser Jim Denholm III says.

The platform provider has inked partnerships with 45 RIAs since 2010 and 10 so far this year.

The firm isn't the only one benefiting from a still strong breakaway movement.

Two large RIAs cut ties with HighTower but new hires include a branding strategist who created Jim Cramer's 'Mad Money.'

Here's how to create a corporate culture that advisers and clients want to be associated with.

Demographics and competitive forces are destined to weaken the determination to avoid expensive recruiting packages.

The group says it wanted to offer clients greater transparency.