Practice management

Merrill's digital match program is finding client growth by using an algorithm to pair clients and advisors largely based on personalities rather than asset distribution. Meanwhile, Mercer Advisors uses human matchmakers.

Regulators say Invesco felt pressure to overstate its investment support for environmental, social and governance causes for fear that hundreds of billions in AUM would walk out the door.

Women clients tend to seek advisor referrals from other women and prioritize long-term planning, an Edward Jones study indicates.

Michael Kitces recently warned advisors about AI developers who promise their decision-making algorithm can beat the market. Software providers disagree, arguing advisors will one day need such AI tools.

Financial advisors, tax professionals and their clients will need to make careful planning decisions about claiming Social Security benefits and starting distributions.

Advisors who specialize in working with neurodivergent clients are finding new technology has helped streamline communication and grow their client bases.

Republican President-elect Donald Trump is headed back to the White House, and his party will retake the U.S. Senate, which likely means deregulation and lower taxes.

A complex mixture of new or expiring laws, intersecting retirement planning questions and the threat of so-called stealth taxes could add up to a highly beneficial strategy.

After an exhausting presidential campaign, here are the key policy, investment strategy and practice management topics for financial advisors and their clients.

With 2025 nearly here, year-end tax strategies including gifting, charitable donations, estate planning, retirement plans and more are on the table.

Firms such as Carson Group, Morgan Stanley, Morningstar and Merrill are taking vastly different approaches to naming their AI assistants, with some preferring a human name, a male name or simply no human identifier.

A recent FINRA Investor Education Foundation report, "How Gen X Compares Financially to Other Generations: Doing Alright but Feeling Bad," found few born between 1965 and 1980 reported positive feelings about their financial situation.

AI-powered YourStake has since expanded into a comprehensive advisor platform, offering portfolio analytics and meeting automation, claiming to save five hours a week for advisors.

An industry survey of 200 compliance officers showed that a mere 12% of respondents currently using AI said they also adopted an AI risk management framework; experts said advisory firms need an AI governance plan ASAP.

Cinda Collins alleged before a FINRA arbitration panel that RBC fired her in late 2019 in an attempt to "steal much of her book of business without compensating her for it."

Is your firm promoting diversified advisors? Can your clients relate to you despite cultural differences? Those questions and more were addressed by leaders of top wealth firms and regulatory agencies during FINRA's Diversity Leadership Summit this week.

Advisors must educate themselves on how climate-related risk can impact the lives, portfolios and net worths of their clients — and communicate those risks accordingly.

According to Financial Planning's research, most registered Republicans polled seem to have aligned their personal and business interests, while registered Democrats were nearly evenly split.

Dimple Shah, Osaic head of corporate strategy, said she and other executives expected some advisors to leave during the firm's "Journey to One" and that attrition has been mostly in line with expectations.

Despite most clients expecting holistic planning services, many advisors still don't provide them. And those who do are far from agreeing on how to best charge for them.