Professional development

Transitioning from military to civilian life has its own challenges, but these veterans used their backgrounds to their advantage in their new lives as financial advisors.

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.

The share of test takers who pass the CFP Board's exam has risen significantly in recent years, but experts are divided on what's behind the change.

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.

In an ever-expanding and constantly shifting profession marked by messy but important debates, can one of the field's most important organizations keep up with the times?

Many financial advisors say that mentorship was key to their early success. Here's how advisors found and built those relationships.

Resources and personal connections offer significant advantages. But financial advisors and other experts say they only get new RIAs part of the way.

Larry Sprung wasn't looking for love (authors), but he wound up finding a great set of clients.

Wells Fargo also pulls from Merrill and Raymond James again from Commonwealth, while AlphaCore buys up a big RIA and the FPA gets a new CEO.

Much like deciding the right client headcount, choosing whether to fire a customer or turn away new business represents an important step in a firm's development.

Take Financial Planning's latest self-study, general knowledge CE quiz to stay up to date on trends, earn an hour of credit and maintain professional certification.

The awards recognize early-career brokers that have created top production numbers at their wealth management firms.

Janney also adds teams from Morgan Stanley and UBS, while LPL Financial picks up advisors from Janney for its direct employee channel.

The findings suggest that "crises, behavioral biases and interpersonal conflicts are not fringe topics but core aspects of modern advising," the authors of a study say.

The question ties into so many of the factors that distinguish large and small firms, various client niches and decisions about whether or not to hire staff.

The fact that many financial advisors say they do not provide tax planning belies how much value they may add through that service, according to an expert.

Tips and tricks on building a successful niche: This week, Andrew Barninger of Personal Wealth Advisory shares insights on financial planning for business owners looking for an exit.

Some financial advisors may still hesitate to get on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. But experts say growing firms need to be on the social platforms.

Wealth management firms are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence to grow their businesses and reduce time spent on administrative work. Amid the AI boom, firms say education has become their top priority.