Articles published 7/2013
Headline
Publish date
Jim Lauder rebuts RIABiz article on the failure of target date funds
By 2020, an estimated 70% of all assets in defined contribution plans could be in target date funds -- and that's a good thing, according to the author
July 31, 2013 at 5:48 AM
How Omaha is emerging as the RIA business' center of gravity
With no mountains to block your views or salt air to rust your car, you can get down to business with no distractions and low expenses
July 30, 2013 at 5:42 AM
What the 8 pillars of a FINRA-replacing entity for RIA oversight look like and how personal accountability is key
First and foremost, the PRO would have as it members individuals (not firms) who are qualified to become members of the profession
July 28, 2013 at 4:11 PM
Bloomberg warns that BloombergBlack is shutting down
The move toward a 'very quick death' shocks virtually everyone as the New York data giant alludes to its plans to offer financial advice down the road
July 25, 2013 at 10:29 PM
Why a young Morgan Stanley team moved to Beverly Hills Wealth Management -- with a child in mind
The breakaway movement continues to revive fueled by mid-sized firms like Sullivan Wealth Management despite a bull market
July 25, 2013 at 7:31 PM
RIABiz turns four -- and readership grows another 39%
Our Mill Valley-Indiana-New York-Berkeley-Toronto-based website continues to grow by concentrating on substance and by eliminating toxic distractions
July 25, 2013 at 4:13 AM
How TD Ameritrade is playing the logo game to spur 4,000 of its wavering RIAs to adopt its third-party hook-ups
'Veo Integrated' is a clunky name for smooth hand-offs of data from custodian to vendor to RIA -- and back
July 24, 2013 at 5:09 AM
After 'disturbing' RIA losses at Raymond James, Bill Van Law is going on offense -- starting with hires of veteran LPL and Fidelity execs
The big Florida custodian and broker is finally holding itself accountable to a stiff target -- doubling to $16 billion in two years -- as it buys up expensive talent while cutting prices
July 23, 2013 at 1:03 PM
Why target date funds fail in the one area they're supposed to succeed -- downside protection
SEC recommendations about the inherent risk of target date funds are more controversial than their author's realize, says a veteran risk assessor
July 22, 2013 at 3:40 AM
Why RIAs need to pay heed to a ruling that put a media star and advisor out of business -- and out $300,000
A judge ruled that Ray Lucia lacked the back-up to justify his hypothetical back-tests as the SEC pins a bull's eye on the strategy
July 19, 2013 at 4:00 AM
401(k) industry flummoxed over Yale professor's 6,000 'threatening' letters to plan sponsors
The eclectic academic says he'll go public targeting alleged 'high-cost plans' as sponsors flood phone lines of advisors and recordkeepers and Brightscope is drawn into the fray
July 18, 2013 at 5:01 PM
Jim Pavia departs InvestmentNews and gets picked up by CNBC as part of its high-dollar hiring spree aimed at attracting advisors to its consumer-based website
The print-to-online maelstrom in trade media is hitting storm force; AdvisorOne changes its name to ThinkAdvisor
July 18, 2013 at 2:19 AM
FINRA's scandalous litany of failures and its efforts to redefine the true fiduciary standard out of existence
Our one-man think tank continues his scathing indictment of the SRO's disingenuous and downright fraudulent practices
July 17, 2013 at 3:10 AM
Partners at Focus Financial check their egos at the door to secure $216 million of hard cash
Polaris, Summit and CEO Rudy Adolf sell a portion of their stake in the big aggregator to Centerbridge Capital Partners -- and it puts them in a minority position for the first time
July 16, 2013 at 1:49 AM
How two deals struck last week show midsize RIAs reigniting the M&A and breakaway movements
The stakes are high for an ex-Morgan Stanley team that bolted with years to go on retention bonuses and a Virginia RIA is hitching its expansion plans to United Capital's star
July 15, 2013 at 4:15 PM
Top 10 alternatives to alternative investments for RIAs: 2013 edition
Our alts maven gives his thumbs-up and thumbs-down on products and strategies and offers ways to cultivate a taste for off-the-menu offerings in clients
July 15, 2013 at 4:15 PM
My day of visiting the Fidelity campus in Boston and what vision and vibe I experienced
There's a Silicon Valley feel of natural light, spread-out buildings and sleeve-rolling that contrast with previous visits
July 12, 2013 at 1:39 AM
Mercer finally makes its 25,000 investment strategies available to RIAs with HighTower as its first big client
Once institutional-only, the New York giant sees greener pastures on the lower (retail) alps of the investment business
July 11, 2013 at 2:40 AM
Fidelity reorganizes its advisor business and extrudes a custody unit aimed at outsourcers, roll-ups and TAMPs
The move is the biggest effort yet to wield the combined capacities of National Financial Services and Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services as a single Fidelity weapon
July 10, 2013 at 1:09 PM
The story of FINRA's implacable drift from its founding ideals to a pallid 'no-lying baseline'
In Part 2 of a four-part series, our one-man think tank narrates the back story of today's fiduciary standoff, getting to the root of the 'insidious conflicts' that made the terms 'broker' and 'trustee' oxymoronic
July 9, 2013 at 4:04 AM
One special GenSpring spin-away (the old chief's new venture) is thriving as a $1.6-billion RIA and using a retrofitted stock broker's trick
Miami's Mel Lagomasino, former CEO of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, (and GenSpring) will be a family office that eschews asset-based fees, discretionary assets, commissions and even -- going forward -- its international emphasis
July 7, 2013 at 9:38 PM
Top RIA lawyer explains to the SEC why 'harmony' is a harsh misnomer and why the price of its false spin is paid by investors
MarketCounsel chief pleads for the regulator to draw a bright line between 'patently disparate and distinct' sales and advice models or risk a watered-down fiduciary standard
July 5, 2013 at 10:51 PM
RIA leaders venture to Grand Canyon to get beneath Earth's surface -- and their own
Business bound these execs and advisors on a self-inflicted adventure, but their bonds were tested on a deeper level
July 3, 2013 at 9:45 PM
Investor Karl interviews Mark Tibergien -- guru, author, chief -- who tells why solo practices are far from extinct
The gospel of RIA says these days that big and complex is The Way, but the Pershing Advisor Solutions chief proves an unexpected champion of the mom-and-pop advisory shop
July 3, 2013 at 4:31 AM
Focus Financial gets a long-sought $400 million DFA RIA in Dallas -- with Adam Birenbaum's firm as the final added ingredient
Rudy Adolf's roll-up-like team used crerativity and persistence to get Jim Whiddon out for coffee; Matt Brinker at United Capital also closed a small deal but projects bigger revenue will come aboard soon
July 2, 2013 at 5:30 AM
What Securities America and NorthStar Financial are up to with the creation of Arbor Point
The Cornhusker State companies found common ground in building a home for the burgeoning 'Goldilocks' category of not-too-RIA, not-too-IBD advisor