Wealth management

While return-to-office mandates have proliferated, many say you'll never get them back in the cubicle full-time.

Ted Pick and Paul Shoukry both see advantages in their firms' ability to invest in technology, offer banking services and provide access to alternative investments.

They must file the lengthy and highly specific Form ADV document with the SEC and state-level agencies. And that's just one aspect of the many strategic decisions.

Industry experts say there's theoretically no reason why firms can't keep getting bigger through recruiting deals. But a lack of good M&A prospects could make growth harder for LPL and other independent broker-dealers.

Wealth.com has built a client roster of more than 1,000 wealth management firms and several big-name backers. Now it's launching a yearly industry event.

A unique mutual fund type is gaining ground with advisors, according to the FPA's newest survey. Advisors say the data points to a broader trend of planners shifting away from investment management.

By far the most significant factor behind the jump in this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook (FACO) was the outlook for the overall economy.

Finding the right time to launch a registered investment advisory firm and the importance of building lasting client connections all play into advisor success.

LPL Financial also pulls an advisory team from RBC, and Cetera hires a chief fiduciary officer for its trust subsidiary.

Retired investor Tracy Driver alleges he was encouraged to put millions into a now delisted media company and then lost more through unauthorized sales of "prized" shares in Nvidia, Microsoft and Alphabet.