Articles published 3/2012
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In his first big move in his new job as TD's RIA chief, Tom Nally picks the replacement for his old one
Peter Dorsey is ex-Fidelity and ex-Bear Stearns but also a real veteran of the TD sales staff
March 30, 2012 at 4:01 PM
Two advisors debate the financial viability of serving as a fiduciary to small accounts amid DOL's new rules
Larry Steinberg expresses big doubts but Jeff McClure sees advisors wedging in like Ace Hardware amid Home Depot and Lowe's
March 30, 2012 at 6:09 AM
J.D. Power and Associates hints strongly at wirehouse deficiencies as it puts Commonwealth Financial and Raymond James on a pedestal
The two firms ranked one and two for independent advisor satisfaction among financial investment firms; Schwab is third in the employee-advisor category
March 29, 2012 at 10:34 PM
Is Hartford Financial's market exit a death knell for the annuity crowd or just more Hartford haplessness?
SunAmerica, John Hancock and Hartford are all in retreat mode but trade groups say aggregated industry sales are still solid
March 29, 2012 at 5:32 AM
How Washington Wealth is using a million-dollar carrot to lure centers of massive wirehouse influence
The Virginia-based firm is surpassing its growth targets by going way up the ladder for recruits
March 28, 2012 at 4:46 AM
Gus Fleites joins an Oregon venture with a plan to revolutionize the 401(k) business
The former president of State Street Global Advisors' fund business is joining Darwin Abrahamson at Invest n Retire to accelerate ETF proliferation in DC accounts
March 28, 2012 at 4:25 AM
Breaking away from Merrill with $1 billion of assets, a HighTower RIA returns to scoop up $200 million more
The advisors were on separate teams so Pagnato-Karp Group tested the waters then gave the all-clear signal to Charles Holt
March 27, 2012 at 4:07 AM
What went down at Barron's Top Independent Advisors Summit in the Arizona desert
Many of the biggest and best RIA stars showed up and put Bernie Clark, Mike Durbin, Tom Nally, Mark Tibergien, Bill Dwyer, Charles Goldman and Barnaby Grist in one room
March 26, 2012 at 3:31 PM
Where RIAs should draw the line in rewarding clients for referrals
By expressing your gratitude in a tangible form, you run the risk of turning your client into a solicitor
March 26, 2012 at 5:50 AM
Fidelity goes deep dish on marketing in Chicago with 25 advisors -- including how to make bios more punchy and casual
A hard-charging 86-year-old advisor and a Twitter-savvy 28-year-old were among the kaleidoscope of characters who showed up
March 23, 2012 at 3:20 PM
Unfazed by declining assets, VC-backed Covestor has another go with a new CEO and some concessions to the old-fashioned machinery of investment advice
The good news is that it has 400 clients -- up from 150 a year ago -- but can the company still be seen as primarily web-based?
March 23, 2012 at 4:25 AM
As DOL contemplates stiff fiduciary-related penalties on advisors, NAPFA and FPA find rare concord with FSI
The more RIA-focused groups agree with the IBD trade group that holders of smaller IRA accounts will not be able to pay for advice under new rules
March 22, 2012 at 4:07 AM
Tiburon Strategic Advisors signs on ex-IBD CEO and ex-Moss Adams consultant as it strives to meet rising demand
Matt Lynch is coming aboard with Chip Roame as a principal after heading up Capital Analysts for the past five years
March 22, 2012 at 4:03 AM
AMG makes a dramatic entry into wealth management arena, buying majority stake in $10B Veritable
Veritable LP is the first in a series of very big RIAs the giant asset management firm has its eye on
March 21, 2012 at 5:42 AM
Michael Kitces becomes partner at Pinnacle, ambassador for its new TAMP-like service
Pinnacle Advisor Solutions will provide outsourcing options as an arm of the wealth management firm
March 21, 2012 at 5:41 AM
Former Fidelity rainmaker lands at Schwab after both big custodians reshuffle their East Coast staffing
Scott D'Alessandro could boost Schwab's efforts to gain better traction with aggregators like United Capital and HighTower
March 20, 2012 at 5:00 AM
Former Morgan Stanley and UBS wealth management chief flirts with roll-up model then pivots to management consulting
John Straus knew there was a market for his expertise, but a funny thing happened on the way to becoming an aggregator
March 20, 2012 at 4:14 AM
Why RIAs are shunning mobile apps and why Black Diamond, Orion, Fidelity and others are still placing their chips on an iPad future
Many providers are stuck at 10% mobile adoption rate, but Fidelity has hit 40% and Orion 30% with their RIA clients
March 19, 2012 at 5:48 PM
Opinion: How Goldman Sachs exposed its jaw to a massive PR blow from The New York Times' op-ed page
The investment banking giant showed reporters little respect for years, and bringing on a new communications chief came a little too late
March 19, 2012 at 4:37 PM
Why RIAs should avoid the carnival barker approach to publicity
More PR is not necessarily better -- especially if you're a small or midsize firm
March 16, 2012 at 3:24 AM
A 69-year-old, $2 billion Merrill Lynch breakaway looks to his elder to help expand his firm
John Beirne plucks Phil Sloan, former Merrill Lynch colleague and PaineWebber exec, off the golf course as he escalates his ambitious plans for growth
March 16, 2012 at 3:22 AM
RIAs line up behind Greg Smith as Goldman Sachs reels from exec's New York Times op-ed grenade
The advisory community indulges in a bit of schadenfreude as a departing executive director slams the wirehouse culture
March 15, 2012 at 3:01 PM
'Reformed Broker' and blogger 'Downtown' Josh Brown joins BrightScope's advisory board
On the same day he posts a scathing blog entry about the infamous Goldman Sachs op-ed, financial advisor/web celeb announces his association with the controversial data tracker
March 15, 2012 at 5:24 AM
Ex-Fiserv executives bid to create a new force in RIA custody by taking the Equity Trust bull by the horns
The year-old Denver-based firm touts technology cost savings via its Orion-driven platform
March 14, 2012 at 3:32 PM
Without much ado, Schwab is set to put ex-Fidelity star in charge of its branch system
Jeffrey Carney will get back to his retail roots and could give a needed charge to the San Francisco broker's direct-sale efforts
March 14, 2012 at 3:53 AM
The top 10 people to watch in the RIA business in 2012, Part 2
Keeping an eye on those gaining the most ground in the fleet-footed RIA industry
March 13, 2012 at 4:18 AM
Fidelity follows Schwab's lead on hybrid advisors -- and four other items of RIA interest
Both big custodians like NFP as a partner; in other news, Morningstar warms to alternatives, EP makes a hire, JHS gets bigger by 75
March 13, 2012 at 4:09 AM
The top 10 people to watch in the RIA business in 2012, Part 1
Forces changing the trajectory of the RIA movement
March 12, 2012 at 5:09 AM
ByAllAccounts doubled advisory assets aggregated to $400 billion in 2011
New partners like Redtail Technology, Envestnet and AssetBook helped pave the way
March 12, 2012 at 3:09 AM
With formerly hot TAMP category hitting a cold patch, Envestnet stays on a roll
Genworth had great annual results but hit an asset-gathering wall this summer; Brinker, a dark horse, makes solid showing
March 9, 2012 at 5:16 AM
Nine pitfalls for advisors to avoid when taking on new employees
Pulling the trigger on a hire is difficult, but can become easier with the right protocols
March 9, 2012 at 4:53 AM
A more liquid alternative to alternative investments catches on
Using hedge fund strategies in a mutual fund can offer risk-adjusted returns and a way to bail out to cash
March 8, 2012 at 4:18 PM
A reporter empties his notebook after attending FPA's Business Solutions event
Marty Kurtz lets crowd in on peer review plan, big custodians square off on tech and Eric Clarke yields interesting thoughts in a one-on-one interview
March 8, 2012 at 4:49 AM
Schwab wins long-awaited green light from the SEC on alternative-assets distribution
The no-action letter on a DTCC standard may pave the way for custodians to create supermarkets of hedge funds
March 7, 2012 at 3:47 PM
RIAs overwhelmingly back 529 college plans despite high fees and vanilla investment options
Even if advisors don't buy them, they are steering their clients to college savings plans in spite of their drawbacks
March 7, 2012 at 3:46 PM
After swimming the English Channel, a $1.4 billion Merrill team member crosses over to HighTower
A New York firm with ultrarich family clients charted the tides for over a year before spanning the waters to independence
March 6, 2012 at 4:58 AM
How a swath of billion-dollar-plus RIAs are posing a threat to indie advisors
Forget the aggregators -- a specific segment of RIAs is gunning for mom-and-pop shops and wirehouses alike
March 5, 2012 at 5:00 AM
LPL lures top execs away from Merrill Lynch, MSSB
Such defections from the wirehouse world to the IBD arena would not have happened even 10 years ago, recruiters say
March 5, 2012 at 4:59 AM
Amping up recruiting efforts, giant LPL firm grew its revenue by 300% in 2011
Independent Financial Partners has gotten so big that it's taking a bite out of LPL's business -- and LPL doesn't seem to mind
March 2, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Advent keeps a $2 billion one-foot-out-the-door RIA thanks to Black Diamond buy
RMB Capital Management had been with Advent since it opened its doors in 2005 but was feeling the need for a change
March 2, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Advisor Tested: Market76 is trying to be a better, cheaper platform for advisors -- free, in fact
A former advisor is trying to find the happy medium between jerry-built in-house systems and platforms with too many moving parts
March 1, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Ken Fisher keeps expanding his $42 billion RIA empire despite UHNW head winds
The big West Coast money manager discusses his growing institutional arm, his biggest competition and his unorthodox management style
