Strategic buyers

The holding company launched only two years ago, but it’s already made two purchases and has several more in the works.

Larry Roth, who was also head of AIG Advisor Group, is offering up his expertise after helping both firms navigate difficult years as their chief executive.

Rockefeller Capital Management poaches Michael Bapis' billion-dollar HighTower team.

Matthew Cooper, the president of Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors, has seen the downfall of many deals. Here he reveals the worst flubs and what could derail the M&A market. Plus, his favorite app.

CEO Rudy Adolf held the RIA acquirer’s first-ever earnings call, following its $564.8 million IPO, but the firm’s calculations drew questions.

An unexpected revelation inspired Elliot Weissbluth to launch HighTower Advisors.

M&A data varies widely among providers.

Weissbluth will step down as CEO and become chairman.

A high valuation is a mixed blessing, industry analysts say.

The IPO price was lowered, but long-term performance is considered key.

The strategic buyer, one of the industry's largest, snags a $1B RIA for its first deal of the year.

Money pouring into the advisory business is making one prominent banker nervous.

The long-standing feud between founder Mark Hurley and majority owner Emigrant Bank has reached the boiling point.

The owner of RIA aggregator Mercer Advisors has pledged to maintain the IBD network’s current structure under the deal.

A frenzied M&A market means owners are getting full payment for acquired firms sooner.

SmartAsset provides personal finance information and tools to over 45 million users per month, says the firm.

As firms position their advisors to compete for future clients, diverging strategies have developed.

Shifts in the annual ranking of the nation's independent broker-dealers show how pressure on IBDs is intensifying.

The aggregator has filed with the SEC, and the aftermath of an offering will be closely watched.

If Cetera ties itself to a culturally unmatched firm, the roadblocks it creates for itself may be too much to overcome, an industry recruiter says.