Articles published 4/2012
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John Furey is creating a think-tank out of six big RIAs that want to grow like roll-ups without the pressures of an IPO
Apr 30, 2012The Alliance for RIAs includes Savant Capital, Carson Wealth, Beacon Pointe, Stratos and Highline
Christopher Street Financial's president becomes the 'Talk of the Town'
Apr 30, 2012The New Yorker magazine article capped a banner week for the head of an advisory practice that caters to the gay community
Finance Logix makes a splashy bid for RIA business with its inaugural conference in Las Vegas
Apr 30, 2012The coming of Windows 8, the cloud, the massive adoption of mobile technology and tools for retirement income planning were hot topics at the Sin City confab
Walt Bettinger explains to Wall Street why some prospects are balking at investing in Schwab franchises
Apr 27, 2012The Schwab CEO tells listeners of the interim update that the $10 million asset-gathering quota is a psychological hurdle -- but one that can be overcome
How an ex-University of Chicago endowment chief is teaming up with a $4-billion AUM RIA to go after $500-million institutional accounts
Apr 27, 2012Sharing resources with the Presidio Group, Peter Stein will lead a charge to provide customized outsourced CIO services to small and midsize foundations and endowments
How Frank Campanale's E.F. Hutton resurrection, a TD management hire and upbeat advisors electrified IMCA's annual conference
Apr 26, 2012More than 1,500 advisors came to the Potomac -- including more than a few of Campanale's Smith Barney Consulting alumni
Avoiding FINRA oversight may depend on talking sense to an options-trading House Republican
Apr 26, 2012Spencer Bachus, known to expertly trade options for his own account, seems to be down with what transactions-based advisors like
Why a pair of Zero Alpha RIAs are combining and out-and-out avoiding roll-ups and private-equity money
Apr 25, 2012Savant Capital and Monitor Group will have a combined $2.7 billion of AUM and hot prospects for gobbling up more firms
TD Ameritrade poaches 'bowled over' Morgan Stanley Private Bank exec to fill key role
Apr 25, 2012Christine Gaze has picked up best practices secrets in the full-service world that she's now taking to TD RIAs
Stephanie Bogan: Put me in, I'm ready to play
Apr 25, 2012The CEO of Quantuvis is leaving the Genworth unit and actively seeks an executive position with a yet-to-be-determined hot RIA venture -- after a Caribbean sabbatical
What the reincarnation of E.F. Hutton says about the pace at which RIA business is moving
Apr 24, 2012It's the latest in a series of recent ventures marked by infectious enthusiasm by founders -- and few details about their business plans
How Gerald Graves grounded a high-flying career trajectory to get back to basics -- with a 6-foot-11 former NBA player at his side
Apr 24, 2012After top executive spots at Schwab Institutional and M Financial, Graves started Filagree Advisors from scratch and is careful to avoid 'scope creep'
How RIAs like Aspiriant and United Capital are working to put financial planning back at the center of financial planning firms
Apr 23, 2012It's expensive, hard work, hard to charge for, difficult to deliver and adds real value
After a short engagement, Gus Fleites splits from his CEO spot with an Oregon 401(k) platform provider
Apr 23, 2012Invest n Retire is shifting to pouring resources into technology right now after looking at a sales buildup that Fleites was expected to facilitate
DFA takes on life cycle funds by putting an alternative offering in the hands of 401(k)-minded advisors
Apr 20, 2012Managed DC is the first in a series of such products, hints David Booth, but a critic says the premise on which they're built is all wrong
fi360 lures an executive away from Wells Fargo Private Bank to help thousands of advisors deliver fiduciary care
Apr 20, 2012Kathleen Stewart wore many hats at the big wealth manager and has worked for an RIA and Goldman Sachs alike
LPL cannibalizes executive talent and launches mass-market entity
Apr 19, 2012If anyone can crack the uncrackable low-end market, it's Esther Stearns, analysts and headhunters say
Why some RIAs are jumping through hoops to custody assets with JPMorgan
Apr 19, 2012After selling its RIA unit to RBC, its marquee name, sterling reputation and a new platform continues to draw advisors
Roll-up-like deals back on the rise in first quarter as RIAs look for succession plans
Apr 19, 2012National acquisition firms accounted for more than half of deals, with HighTower the big buyer
8 notable takeaways from the spring 2012 Tiburon CEO Summit
Apr 18, 2012The breakaway movement still depends more on Wall Street's moves than Main Street's moxie
'Little' TD Ameritrade keeps moving toward being a big custodian
Apr 18, 2012The custody unit continues to roll at a 100 breakaway per quarter pace as Tom Bradley's replacement settles in
Merrill Lynch springs a 62-advisor, $13 billion asset leak in the first quarter
Apr 17, 2012February was a cruel month for the wirehouse as payouts and retention bonuses came due; UBS came out smelling like a rose
Ric Edelman strikes a private-equity deal that subtracts $2 million in expenses -- now let the after-bidding begin
Apr 17, 2012Edelman Financial prepares to marry Lee Equity, but it's also open to a better offer
Never mind Tamarac, Envestnet is getting RIAs on board with its own stand-alone software
Apr 16, 2012Four principals of RIAs sized $25 million to $2 billion in AUM talk about why they just switched to Vantage from other providers
In what may be a first, an RIA brings on a psychologist as a financial planner
Apr 16, 2012The move is designed to break through the paralyzing ambivalence that keeps clients from believing in their goals enough to plan
Why a FiNet advisor with $477 million of advised assets flew the coop but said 'no thanks' to becoming a Schwab RIA or LPL rep
Apr 13, 2012John Lynch landed with Raymond James, where he feels at home and retains the option to shift to an RIA model
Fearful that the SEC has been overworked, lobbied and bullied into a SIFMA stupor, fiduciary crowd launches 16-page missile
Apr 13, 2012Among other things, the letter calls SIFMA's idea of a uniform fiduciary standard a 'broker sales standard'
Dynasty is on the ground floor of a roll-up-like venture grabbing RIAs inside the largest accounting firms
Apr 12, 2012Atlanta-based Method will parachute in to take over operational and management control of wealth managers providing advisory expertise their CPA-firm parents may lack
Extracting a mentor from retirement, Shirl Penney continues to make Dynasty look more like Smith Barney than Smith Barney
Apr 12, 2012Jerry Eberhardt oversaw Citi's wirehouse for the Western U.S. and now he's eager to help advisors looking to transition from the big branded firms
How a billion-plus RIA in upstate New York bagged top managerial talent from just down the street
Apr 11, 2012Lori Van Dusen hired Kim Pugliese away from Kodak after deciding she needed heightened managerial skills at her newly independent firm
How analytical advisors can finally supercede salesy advisors
Apr 11, 2012In an era of transparency a new type of advisor gets the edge, but it starts with deliberate documentation and arming the prospect
Private equity strikes again, this time quietly buying control of fi360 for $11.5 million
Apr 10, 2012Bluff Point Associates principals liked the recurring revenues and bright growth prospects
10 indispensable questions for advisors to ask -- and 10 to answer -- at networking events
Apr 10, 2012You have their attention. . . so now what?
In its latest talent grab, Evercore Wealth Management hires a 'young, up-and-coming player'
Apr 9, 2012The $3.2 billion RIA is mostly made up of seasoned of ex-U.S. Trust stalwarts but its poach of Paulo Coelho from Convergent shows its mindfulness of the coming generation
The SEC will often 'tell' advisors what compliance issues deserve attention
Apr 9, 2012The agency has its own ways of communicating what gets on its regulatory nerves
Why a $2-billion RIA is embracing the idea of a $1 million annual marketing tab, and how Advizent fits in
Apr 9, 2012Brighton Jones is getting marketing religion despite needing very little to get to its current size in 12 years
Myles Pritchard thought it was better in the Bahamas and Merrill Lynch didn't -- so he left for life with CONCERT Wealth Management
Apr 6, 2012With half of his clients offshore, the LA advisor grew disenchanted with Merrill's lack of appetite for international business
Steve Lockshin and Charles Goldman begin to unveil Advizent, a venture that could put thousands of RIAs under a single cooperative
Apr 5, 2012The Convergent CEO and ex-chief of the Schwab and Fidelity RIA custody units will refer consumers to advisory firms -- but only after doing an intensive 'audit'
CFP Board makes a raft of changes -- including plans to send out press releases about CFP members who declare bankruptcy
Apr 5, 2012There's been a big upswelling of members with bankruptcy problems
TD Ameritrade makes trading on iPads for RIAs available before mobile devices
Apr 5, 2012Jon Patullo encourages RIAs to leave the laptop at home on travels to avoid back pain
Why an 18-year LPL rep moved most of his firm's $250 million of assets to Schwab
Apr 4, 2012Brad Griswold had a fondness for Schwab from using PortfolioCenter and is determined to remove all obstacles to growth, profitability and offering choice to clients
How Glenn Neasham lost his house, was forced to go on food stamps and faces jail time after selling a senior an indexed annuity
Apr 4, 2012The case of this Lake County, Calif. insurance agent gives pause to advisors and agents dealing with seniors -- and indexed annuities
Merrill Lynch jumps on the fiduciary bandwagon in retirement plans but critics see lingering conflicts
Apr 3, 2012Morgan Stanley, UBS and Wells Fargo Advisors already went this route but can wirehouses really deliver strict fiduciary care?
Mariner Wealth poaches a chief investment officer from a big local mutual fund company
Apr 3, 2012In an intra-Kansas City move, Marty Bicknell lures Bill Greiner from Scout Investment Advisors
NAPFA's John responds to critic questioning her group's stance on compensation in light of new DOL rules
Apr 3, 2012The national chair says the first objective is not to scare small investors away
Morningstar gives advisors a glimpse of fees RIAs are charging clients using PriceMetrix data
Apr 2, 2012Price histories of 20,000 advisors are now at the fingertips of many Advisor Workstation users
Wells Fargo targets tempting but treacherous UHNW market with Abbot Downing launch
Apr 2, 2012With $33 billion of assets and legacy Lowry Hill and Calibre elements, the unit plans to hit the ground running and compete in a realm where RIAs are only starting to make a dent
Why it's not OK that NAPFA and FPA agree with FSI about relaxed accountability for holders of IRAs
Apr 2, 2012There is no 'suitability' America and 'fiduciary' America