Independent BDs

This interactive tool provides the full collection of data from Financial Planning's 34th annual study of the largest firms in the space.

The majority of the top 25 firms boosted their business by double digits in 2018, and five of them reeled in more than 20% growth.

Carson Group has recruited $1.2 billion in client assets this year across 13 different firms.

With transparency about conflicts on the rise even as it varies by firm, critics question whether clients really understand complicated technical documents.

One departing practice managed $100 million in assets.

Several of the new recruits had spent more than a decade with Questar.

The team joins Raymond James’ burgeoning brokerage ranks, which recently hit 7,862 independent and employee advisors.

The firm aims for a bigger foothold in a competitive sector with new offerings around tech, service, advisory programs and practice management.

CEO Dan Arnold presented details of the firm's mounting ambition after announcing the acquisition of a brokerage and RIA with $3 billion in client assets.

The IBD last recruited a practice from Cetera in October.

The firm has a particular focus on female clients and empowering women to better control their finances.

The regulator and one of its largest members, LPL Financial, engaged in a back-and-forth on the controversial initiative.

The IBD network has an inside edge for ensuring advisors are ready if equities suffer a sustained fall, according to its president, Adam Antoniades.

The two firms' boosts came amid equity headwinds — and both wealth management units now have nearly 4,400 financial advisors.

Jamie Price and incoming majority owner Reverence promise more of the same for the 6,500-advisor IBD network.

The five advisors with $180 million in AUM opted to bolt for the firm launched by a practice once affiliated with Triad Advisors.

Reverence Capital Partners agreed to buy 75% of the 6,500-advisor IBD network from the ownership team that purchased it in 2016.

Advisor Group unveiled the prize-winning speech on the topic — along with eight new recruits to its IBDs — at its annual W Forum.

Lisa Dolly will give way to COO Jim Crowley later this year, parent firm BNY Mellon says.

In a bid to further enhance its capabilities for advisors, the firm is also slashing ETF transaction fees on select funds later this year.