Practice management

While return-to-office mandates have proliferated, many say you'll never get them back in the cubicle full-time.

Ted Pick and Paul Shoukry both see advantages in their firms' ability to invest in technology, offer banking services and provide access to alternative investments.

They must file the lengthy and highly specific Form ADV document with the SEC and state-level agencies. And that's just one aspect of the many strategic decisions.

Industry experts say there's theoretically no reason why firms can't keep getting bigger through recruiting deals. But a lack of good M&A prospects could make growth harder for LPL and other independent broker-dealers.

Wealth.com has built a client roster of more than 1,000 wealth management firms and several big-name backers. Now it's launching a yearly industry event.

By far the most significant factor behind the jump in this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook (FACO) was the outlook for the overall economy.

Finding the right time to launch a registered investment advisory firm and the importance of building lasting client connections all play into advisor success.

Contextual guardrails allow financial advisors to put potential losses into tangible and manageable perspective for clients.

A recent report by Cerulli found that more than one-third of affluent investors said they prefer fee-based planning. But advisors on the ground say clients are often confused about fee-related labels and need help understanding pricing models.

A relatively small fraction of financial advisors can speak languages other than English, making multilingual planners a distinctly valuable asset for firms looking to attract and retain clients.