Wealth management

Amid growing economic worries and a shift in investing strategy, advisors say they are bullish about their own firms' profits and assets under management.

Commonwealth Financial Network, the nation’s largest privately held independent broker-dealer, added Schluchter Investment Advisors, which manages more than $300 million in client assets.

National Advisors Trust, an RIA-owned trust company with over $7.5 billion in assets under administration, announced Tuesday that it hired that Joseph Morsman as senior vice president of institutional trust.

"In five years," Brian Holmes of Los Angeles-based Signature Estate and Investment Advisors predicted, "I expect that we'll manage more than $5 billion, with revenues over $30 million."

A sign of confidence in the economy and charitable values, more than three-fourths expect to continue or increase giving by 2017.

Before embarking on first or next dance with the regulators, Jennifer Woods Burke, President of CompliGuide provides her thoughts on the top 7 ways that firms sabotage themselves.

In a new strategic direction, Washington Wealth Management, a two-year old firm that has been growing on a tear by luring advisors from wirehouses, has joined LPL, bringing $750 million in assets under management to the country's largest independent broker-dealer.

On top of a $180 annual fee, the CFP Board's 67,000 members are also each paying a $145 surcharge for the promotional campaign, which includes advertising on NPR and in major consumer publications.

Wirehouses are set to lose 7% market share in the next three years, according to a report released Monday by Cerulli Associates. "These survey findings indicate a shifting advisor base between channels, with a lot of activity moving away from the wirehouse firms," Bing Waldert, director at Cerulli, said in a press release.

The weeks following the November Presidential election that will run up to an impending fiscal cliff, where tax hikes and budget cuts come due, can be summed up with one word: volatility, according to new research from Cetera Financial Group. But both a Democrat or Republican presidential victor will likely have a sway on the markets. Here's a look at how Cetera sees certain sectors faring after the November election.

Before choosing an advisor, Ed Slott believes every client should ask these 10 important questions. (And some top advisors weigh in with their best answers.)

In a bullish sign for the planning industry., Financial Planning's Retirement Advisor Confidence Index - a monthly barometer of business conditions for wealth managers - rose in October.

The Salentica Advisor Desk with the Schwab OpenView Gateway is a platform for independent investment advisors to access real-time information on their clients' financial holdings through the Salentica CRM solution.

Advisors are helping gay and lesbian clients face the unique barriers to achieving their financial goals.

It's a reminder that advisors need to ensure their clients don't venture into the muddy waters of the prohibited-transaction rules.

In light of looming changes in industry regulations and advances in current technology, advisors need to act now when it comes to making data and document management electronic, Timothy Welsh of Nexus Strategy, said at FPA Experience in San Antonio on Sunday.

Stanzak, the principal and owner of Financial Empowerment, in Bloomington, Minn., will begin her term on Jan. 1, 2014, when she succeeds Michael Branham, FPA's 2013 president.

Fort Pitt Capital Group has a split personality. As an RIA, the Pittsburgh firm has $1.2 billion under management. As a fund provider, its Fort Pitt Capital Total Return Fund is 10 years old, with a five-star Morningstar rating for 10-year performance.

The Financial Planning Association announced the winners of its top awards, which will be presented at its annual conference in Texas. The FPA honored David M. King, with its 2012 P. Kemp Fain, Jr. Award; retirement researcher Wade D. Pfau with the inaugural Montgomery-Warschauer Award; and 10 influencers in the profession with Heart of Financial Planning Awards. Check out more information on each of the honorees.

Many advisory firms turn to marketing to expand their practice, but few firms are able to develop an effective strategy. Here are five ways to leverage marketing for optimal growth, according to the 2012 FA Insights Study of Advisory Firms: Growth by Design.