Wealth management

Advisors rule the financial services industry for now -- but keep an eye on direct-channel “self-serve” distribution, Chip Roame said Tuesday at his firm's semiannual CEO Summit.

Baird has opened a second office in Houston with the addition of a branch manager from UBS and seven advisors from Wells Fargo.

Beacon Pointe is actively looking for more advisory firms with a CPA tie-in as it plots an expansion strategy of reaching 35 to 40 offices around the country in the next 10 years, Cooper says.

Stories about advisors cheating their clients are far from rare, and therefore, advisors must do a better job at educating and appeasing concerns, says Daniel Bernstein, director of research and development of MarketCounsel, a so-called advisor for advisors.

Focusing on a client niche can boost a planning practice. Among high-performing firms with a target client profile, just 3% pursue opportunities outside of that profile (versus 11% for all other firms surveyed), according to the 2012 Fidelity RIA Benchmarking Study.

Advisors' tech priorities -- and needs -- have shifted dramatically over the last 18 months, says Steven Crosby, head of PricewaterhouseCooper’s U.S. wealth management unit.

Dynasty Financial Partners, the fast-growing outsourcing provider for high-end wealth managers and breakaway brokers, is expanding its reach in the Midwest.

New legislation means big changes for estate planning. Here's what you need to consider.

Recent tax changes mean that planners may have to rethink the ways they invest clients' assets.

With a team approach focused on transparency and employee development, Truepoint continues to succeed not just on financial marks but also on the two metrics it tracks: client and employee satisfaction.

Advizent, the would-be marketing and branding consortium for independent advisors, closed down Thursday, one year after its ambitious launch by industry heavyweights Steve Lockshin and Charles Goldman.

Here are 6 steps in how to segment your book of business. This how-to comes courtesy of regular Bank Investment Consultant contributor Todd Colbeck.

In the April issue of Bank Investment Consultant, we detail how financial advisors can boost their business by working with small business clients.

What do former president George W. Bush, country songwriter Pat Green, four days of advisor-focused panels, and a dance party have in common? They are all aspects of Raymond James' 2013 national conference.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, Wall Street pay is down, double-digits. But, over the sweep of the past quarter century, it's a different story. SOURCES: Office of the New York State Comptroller, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

FSI has added Derek Bruton of LPL and Seth Miller of Tranamerica Financial Advisors to its board.

The happiness of the independent advisor appears to be slightly overrated. By a slight but significant margin, advisors in RIAs aren’t as happy with their careers as those in wirehouses.

Barnaby Grist, Cetera’s executive vice president of wealth management and a high-profile hire from Charles Schwab in 2010, is stepping down to care for his parents in England and his wife’s parents on the East Coast, says a spokeswoman for the broker-dealer network.

Dallas should be a dream market for independent advisors. But unlike the San Francisco, it has not been as hospitable to independent wealth management firms.

Whether they distract you from your daily work or serve as filters for the abundance of daily news, here is a handful of the most influential blogs for financial advisors.