Recruiting

UBS continues to lose larger advisory teams after making changes to compensation policies last year. Meanwhile, Ashton Thomas and LPL both score advisory teams.

The flow of financial advisors to the independent channels is certainly accelerating. But the traditional brokerage giants still offer advantages for some teams.

The annual SmartAsset study reveals how the industry extends far beyond Wall Street's geography.

Also this week, LPL picks up teams from Cetera and Ameriprise and Stifel draws from Merrill

Also this week, Hightower invests in a large RIA and Bernstein names a new head of wealth management.

Despite the notable flows and valuations, some sellers get locked into an ill-fitting parent firm without many options for getting away.

The dilemmas from data, client demand and recruiting could provide opportunities for upstarts. Here's how wealth and asset management firms are responding.

The industry rivals could still turn to FINRA arbitration to pursue their dispute over allegedly unwarranted data breach notices Ameriprise sent LPL customers.

Also this week, a Dynasty Financial firm picks up a $1.5B team from Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo recruits from PNC Investments and UBS, and LPL draws from Osaic.

For many firms, looming advisor retirements and the need to retain client households through the next generations will create difficult problems.

In an earnings call, LPL's CEO said his efforts to woo Commonwealth advisors have extended to a "rain-soaked" bike ride and wine-tasting tour.

CEO Tony Miller thinks the financial backing Janney draws from the private equity firm KKR allows it to provide a full gamut of advisor support without losing its intimate feel.

Also this week, Focus Financial ups the responsibilities for some top executives and Advisor Asset Management appoints a new CEO.

Edward Jones meanwhile reshuffles its leadership ranks amid its push to become a full-service financial planning firm, and Rockefeller picks up big teams from Merrill.

Jim Cracchiolo told analysts that the firm's retention "is quite good," even though his company, like many of its rivals, stopped providing statistics to verify such claims.

CEO Paul Shoukry also told analysts that the merger and acquisition deals coursing through the industry could open doors for firms eager to bring in advisors and net new assets.

Record revenue wasn't enough to offset costly legal charges that the firm racked up in the first quarter.

The choice of brokerage or RIA firm involves any number of factors and a range of timelines. Here's what the numbers and experts suggest are the main drivers.

In a big week for industry recruiting, Stifel lands practices managing $2.9 billion at Merrill, Merrill recruits a $1.9 billion team from Raymond James and Rockefeller pulls part of a $2.3 billion team from UBS.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon joined JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon in a tie atop the executive compensation rankings for the industry's largest publicly traded firms.