Articles published 3/2013
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Escaping the content bubble: How RIAs can break out of a PR slump
Being the messenger of old news is a bad strategy
March 29, 2013 at 7:11 PM
6 ways that RIAs can hone their expertise in social media by acting more like journalists
Like managing wealth properly, the production of content is a process that starts with some soul-searching and builds outward from there
March 29, 2013 at 5:16 AM
Genworth's TAMP is bought up by two private-equity firms for $412 million
After a long spell on the block, Aquiline Capital and Genstar Capital coughed up the cash to buy the roll-up of Altegris, AssetMark and Centurion
March 28, 2013 at 3:45 PM
Advizent will close its doors after a final flurry of negotiations
Charles Goldman and Steve Lockshin had a moment of truth after receiving offers for funding
March 28, 2013 at 11:43 AM
How one IBD rep just zoomed to $1 billion AUM -- on his way to $2 billion -- but remains impervious to calls from RIA custodians
Tom Bartholomew says that his pull with Commonwealth gives him more time with clients and extra-responsive service
March 27, 2013 at 4:16 AM
Why a $750 million LPL hybrid is selling its annuities expertise by eyeballing client contracts for RIAs
VAs aren't all bad, according to one New Jersey RIA -- in fact, some yellowing agreements are well worth a second look and could be worth keeping
March 26, 2013 at 3:23 AM
5 entrenched ruts in which advisors are idling -- and how to shift gears to peel out of them
If you're trying to be an asset-gathering ninja and an investment management guru simultaneously, meet Jack
March 26, 2013 at 3:12 AM
Enter the deal makers: RIA M&A firms are hiring furiously -- even without a deal boom
Silver Lane, DeVoe & Co. and Gladstone are among the companies buying desks and seeking more resumes
March 25, 2013 at 3:59 AM
Wealthfront raises a cool $20 million from VCs to pursue a big slice of a $1 trillion market
The Palo Alto fast-grower brought aboard a LinkedIn veteran who played a role in the 20-million- to 200-million-member jump; a VC tells how he 'leaned forward in his chair'
March 22, 2013 at 6:51 PM
Talking taxes: Why advisors need two approaches to shatter two counterproductive client attitudes
The new tax rates require new tax planning, but advisors find it's like feeding a big pill to a small dog
March 22, 2013 at 6:49 PM
Does Barron's really have a bead on the best financial advisors in America?
The famed Top Advisor Rankings by State is an established and influential ranking but its criteria are murky and therefore misleading, according to this veteran who also vets RIAs
March 21, 2013 at 5:54 PM
How I advise advisors to run an advisory business from my pulpit
Philip Palaveev tells just how much he can coach and where experience kicks in -- and how to get the best of both
March 21, 2013 at 4:43 PM
TD, Schwab and Pershing RIA units embrace mini-option mania to hedge Google, Apple, ETFs
Options have a gambling aura but some advisors find that the are quite the opposite when used with care
March 20, 2013 at 5:13 PM
Veteran recruiter effects a reverse breakaway of his own, moving to a more captive, more compensated life at TD Ameritrade
Independence is swell, but the allure of a steady paycheck can be hard to resist -- especially for a father of college-aged kids, a former partner speculates
March 20, 2013 at 4:10 AM
BlackRock: The bull market is really only an ingredient or two away from running room
Consumer stocks still look questionable but if wages follow employment rates up then more upside surprises are possible
March 19, 2013 at 9:49 PM
Raymond James launches 'phenomenal' RIA-like pay structure to the $100 million set
The custodian hopes its keep-all-the-gravy pay scheme will keep its own advisors from defecting and win would-be RIAs
March 19, 2013 at 7:52 PM
LPL shows flashes of its new image at Financial Masters 2013
Mark Casady talked up a more 'personal' approach and Robert Moore suggests an increased focus on the high net worth market
March 19, 2013 at 7:34 PM
After 'anxiety' rises, Advent Software calls off plans to seek a buyer
The gorilla provider of portfolio accounting to RIAs will go it alone after casting about for white knight
March 18, 2013 at 8:04 PM
Killing two birds with one stone, Schwab delves deeper into the variable annuity game
With interest rates low, consumers are desperate for safe income and Schwab needs a way to generate revenues to replace lost money market fees
March 18, 2013 at 5:40 PM
FINRA is making dog whistle comments hinting its SRO ambitions still simmer
'Harmonization' comments by Richard Ketchum make all the talk of the group abandoning its RIA-oversight ambitions seem like bunk
March 18, 2013 at 5:20 AM
An LPL super-client hits 'pause' on recruiting after an SEC inquiry and LPL is playing a parental role
Despite the scare, LPL stands by this OSJ and wants to support these explosive growers
March 15, 2013 at 5:47 PM
Fidelity quietly imposes an ETF 60-day fee that makes RIAs with trading strategies seethe
Mike Durbin says that Fidelity still has net trading costs on iShares that are pretty unbeatable
March 15, 2013 at 5:33 PM
Fidelity and BlackRock are cooking up a (de facto) de novo ETF company deep in the Rockies
The Boston giant appears to be renting the iShares first-mover advantage as a way to get big in a hurry
March 14, 2013 at 7:56 PM
How Fidelity is locking arms with BlackRock and appealing to RIAs to fend off a Schwab ETF threat
The Boston and New York giants are seeking a big win by offering greater value through greater liquidity on the distribition side -- while quietly partnering on ETF-making in the fund factory
March 14, 2013 at 5:07 AM
Six boxes RIAs should check to lock in the windfall of Dow 14,000 without a full dismount of the bull
It's all about selling high and, News Flash, it's high -- but it could go higher
March 13, 2013 at 9:13 PM
Advent Software is for sale, with Frank Quattrone as the sales agent, reports say
The owner of Black Diamond is well along in the process of seeking someone to take it private, according to a Reuters report and anonymous RIABiz sources
March 13, 2013 at 9:12 PM
Top 5 most influential RIA figures of 2012 going into 2013
Putting their own capital -- and that of trusting others -- into their own edge-cutting ideas, these guys plow ahead with smiles on their faces
March 13, 2013 at 9:11 PM
With big LPL backing, the Robertson Stephens brand revives to roll up advisors to the suddenly wealthy
Joe Piazza is taking the once-premium San Francisco investment banking brand and combining with Fortigent to lure brokers to a hybrid platform
March 12, 2013 at 6:24 AM
A Microsoft alum stomps into the RIA business with $26 million in VC money, Sallie Krawcheck and a 'new' approach that looks old to skeptics
The Motif plan is monetize ideas, but other firms say they've been there, done it -- and found tepid interest
March 11, 2013 at 5:09 PM
How the FPA sexed up its 2013 Business Solutions Conference
One session was so successful that the attendees wouldn't let it end -- surely a conference first, our correspondent believes
March 11, 2013 at 6:07 AM
Sparks fly after FundFire reports that Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs are offering some RIAs their corner-office research
The Financial Times publication stands by its story, but Merrill won't comment, making the fiery situation smokier; Goldman is unabashed
March 8, 2013 at 4:59 PM
10 most influential RIA figures going into 2013 and how they're reshaping the industry, Part 1
2012 was a year of drama as sweeping deals of unexpected size were struck and the industry took to the Hill to fight against FINRA overlords
March 8, 2013 at 4:58 PM
How a top RIA recruiter made an 18th century landmark into a breakaway safe house
Burgundy ooze and bats were daunting but the American Revolution-era structure is now home to cloud technology and flat-screen TVs
March 7, 2013 at 1:02 AM
$1.6 billion RIA nabs Fidelity's $1 billion-man and a United Capital advisor seeking a gilded local brand
Philadelphia-based Westcott brings on a recruiter and a specialist in women in transition
March 6, 2013 at 5:06 PM
How Black Diamond is working out -- or not -- as Advent's agent of deliberate cannibalization
The great migration from Axys to Blue Sky is still not a torrent -- and has actually slowed from pre-merger days -- thanks to an unforeseen psychological freeze from Axys clients
March 6, 2013 at 3:42 AM
NerdWallet's lead generation website has 20 Bay area advisors in beta, MIT, Wharton, Brown and Stanford folks running things and a Silicon Valley confidence
For Ask a Financial Advisor, the medium is the (video) message and the specializations include Lutherans
March 5, 2013 at 6:12 PM
Aspiriant sets the stage for its next big buy -- and only RIAs with more than $1 billion in assets need apply
Now that the $7-billion Los Angeles firm has digested Deloitte, its executive M&A team ponders its next move
March 5, 2013 at 5:11 PM
Fidelity goes to the Wall Street Ritz-Carlton with five partner firms and preaches going independent more dependently
The takeaway at this hybrid mini-summit: Yes you can -- but probably not without some serious backup
March 4, 2013 at 6:32 PM
The New York Times exposes JPMorgan's brokers, yet again
Same reporters, similar storyline as last summer's article, but this time with audio recordings as supporting material
March 4, 2013 at 5:58 PM
It won't be long before HighTower's fee-for-service channel revenues draw even with its partner firm revenues
Chicago aggregator is in talks with 50 firms about signing up with the newly unveiled Network and Alliance options
March 4, 2013 at 4:50 AM
LPL's marketing destiny got reshaped by a dark horse in a dark room
After several days of dog-and-pony shows by LA and NY-type marketing giants, Bernstein-Rein, inventors of the Happy Meal, went last and crushed it
March 1, 2013 at 9:15 PM
LPL's Bill Dwyer decides to call it quits and Robert Moore is taking over his duties
The make-it-happen statesman salesman atop a B2B selling scheme cedes control to a Mark Casady favorite
March 1, 2013 at 7:08 AM
RIA loyalists slam the SEC for playing into FINRA's darkest characterizations of haplessness
Is the Securities and Exchange Commission asking for more cash to examine RIAs, getting it, then spending it on other priorities?