Practice management

At a time when private equity ownership is causing clashes between independent broker-dealers and some of their largest advisory teams, Private Advisor Group found another option.

Every independent RIA has unique access to one niche: the prospects in their own ZIP code. Smart advisors can turn that information into a community-based customer pool.

The printable PDF includes rankings based on the firms' AUM as well as statistics on each firm's employees, client accounts and financial advisors.

Fiduciary laws trace their roots to ancient times, but the terms of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act are still evolving today.

The implications to taxes, hiring and the very legacy of a financial advisor's career demand much more formal documentation than most RIAs have undertaken, experts say.

A growing number of RIAs are offering one-time, flat-fee advisory services as part of a broader embrace of advice-only planning. But not all advisors are sold.

One-third of financial advisors say balancing personalization with growth is the hardest trade-off for them to manage. Doing so successfully means making hard choices about what's most important for clients and the business.

Financial therapist Rahkim Sabree wove his personal experiences into a detailed manual on a problem he and others say is often glossed over by the industry.

Less than a third of firms have a formal, documented plan in place, according to this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook survey. Experts say this is a dangerous state of affairs.

The higher standard deduction since 2017 has dramatically reduced itemization. But the new law provides incentive for teachers to consider whether that's feasible.

Political instability and other pressures are feeding some clients' portfolio fears, advisors say in this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook.

Scary good voice cloning technology means advisors can no longer believe what — or more accurately, who — they're hearing on the phone. Rigorous verification protocols are the new key to gaining client trust.

Minority transactions are increasingly appealing to sellers who are wary of giving up the full control of their firms. But experts say the deals do come with strings.

Americans tend to be overly pessimistic about their own life expectancy — a fact with major implications for retirement planning. But new research shows that certain interventions can help.

Getting it right can help prospects find your firm's website, according to FMG Suite's Samantha Russell at ADVISE AI.

Time savings is generally understood to be among the main advantages of AI note-takers. But advisors who have incorporated them into their practices said the benefits go much deeper.

The Ensemble Practice's annual RIA compensation survey suggests that firms are paying a pretty penny for financial advisors but reaping healthy profits.

Merrill wealth co-head Eric Schimpf says the firm does about as good a job as its rivals in drawing in net new assets. But given Merrill's relationship with Bank of America, "We can do better."

Firms of all sizes have had to think through the compliance concerns and rank AI tasks in order of difficulty, ADVISE AI panelists said.

Deal structure, transition plans and dog and pony shows represent only a few of the thorny difficulties involved with branching into an acquisition strategy, experts say.