Articles published 7/2026
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LPL shares soar after hours on earnings and good news about 'Commonwealth' unit -- projected $25-million 'run-rate' uptick, and details from CEO about why 85% rep retention should climb to 90%
Jul 31, 2026The Fort Mill, S.C., broker-dealer is keeping its Commonwealth narrative intact -- it's both all economics and all service-quality DNA injections and each is proceeding apace -- with third-party validation and performance
JP Morgan, Fidelity, and Schwab (and the like) are set to rake in billion of dollars in fees, charging people to use their own data; that might sound bad, but experts say the banks mostly wear white hats on this issue
Jul 30, 2026With pro-enterprise arguments on both sides, the wrangling was strung out for six years, but incoming CFPB Director Brian Johnson will settle on a 'structured fudge' that enrages some fintechs but also brings quality data into the market on a systematized basis.
LPL CEO Rich Steinmeier finally unveils AI-powered 'LPL Latitude' to show his firm's solidly in the artificial intelligence game and ready to counter Altruist's Hazel after months of stock-price depression
Jul 29, 2026LPL shares rose $10.68 to $343 or 3.22% after Rich Steinmeier promised 'agentic' AI as part of $2-billion tech spend, but not AI that can directly advise investors; the LPL stock price was as low as $265 last month
Merrill Lynch's 'Hail Mary' attempt to compel Dynasty into arbitration over OpenArc breakaway fell yards short after a federal judge blocked the effort -- with a whole series of ramifications
Jul 28, 2026The Bank of America wirehouse's attempt to undo or mitigate the loss of a team that once managed $129 billion in-house will now get riskier, more duplicative and more fragmented.
Vanguard takes first step to democratize private investments with 'soft' launch of branded funds – so soft Merrill Lynch and BoA private bankers get exclusive rights to sell them – RIAs are cut out, for now
Jul 25, 2026The 'RIA community' may still get a crack at the Wellington-Vanguard-Blackstone funds at some future date, the release hints, but the exclusive arrangement will hold for indefinite future.
Schwab CEO ties his firm's blowout RIA custody asset quarter to Fidelity's long/short fund rethink; a big household halo multiplied the effects of the popular and controversial products
Jul 23, 2026Rick Wurster says the 99% year-over year Q2 net-new RIA asset growth traces to Schwab's punching the gas on long/short goods as Fido pumped the brakes.
Rick Wurster discloses sweeping Schwab plan to flip up to 31% of its self-directed book of business into its RIA, Schwab Wealth Advisory, calling house retail clients 'unmatched conversion funnel'
Jul 22, 2026The Schwab CEO told Wall Street today that converting DIY accounts to ones with Schwab advice provides triple the return on corporate capital, and 95% of Schwab's book remains unadvised fertile ground.
LPL gets blasted by upstart co-founder for its Commonwealth staff slash as its CEO Wayne Bloom expresses 'melancholy' over the cuts but stands by sale to LPL -- 'sustainability' is paramount, he says
Jul 21, 2026Savvy's Ritik Malhotra makes overture to legacy CW advisors by citing pink-slipped staff 'who made it feel like Commonwealth' and pitching his company's intimate service atmosphere.
Schwab and Fidelity beat Goldman Sachs to the punch on long/short fund sorcery for RIAs, but the vampire squid is back with its own offer -- a possible one-up
Jul 18, 2026'Late' but potentially more exotic, and more profitable, the New York City fledgling custodian will impose limitations on managed accounts, but force the RIA custody leaders to deal with trading, managing and financing in its own wheelhouse.
Vanguard hires ex-Barron's, ex-Fido 'thought leader' and CFP for mission impossible -- to better speak to RIAs after years of viewing third parties (and their fees) suspiciously
Jul 15, 2026The $12-trillion asset manager stealthily brought Beverly Goodman aboard to cultivate advisors that Jack Bogle was leery of, though his views evolved later in his career.
Russell Investments' sale to CalPERS expands existing ties and paves way for Vanguard-like reputational boost -- not to mention a reprieve from debt albatross, if it plays its cards right, analyst says
Jul 13, 2026The Seattle money manager says a 'mutual familiarity and a shared understanding' undergird its relationship with the $580-billion pension system and Russell sees a 'significant opportunity' for 'footprint' beyond 40,000 advisors
XY Planning Network 'Sapphire' hits $1 billion and gets smacked with fee criticism, but Michael Kitces says the fees 'make sense' with context -- not least that RIAs paying far less asked to get more, even at the higher rate
Jul 10, 2026The Bozeman, Mont., offshoot of the Kitces-Moore RIA network is rolling in advisors where 'lifestyle' is critical and is unlikely to attract many wirehouse breakaways.
Hightower's 'Signature' growth soars and recruiter smells 'economics' • Strive CEO says 'never' means 'never, ever'• Ex-Fido CTO nets $7.7 million backing for RIA idea • Mariner vs. client age timebomb • After SpaceX win, Choreo rolls-up 4th RIA • Avantis adds $50B and $30B is net new, whew!
Jul 10, 2026Arch also just swapped out its founder for an 'AI'-savvy technology guru; where TaxStatus is opting not to include 'AI' in its new analysis algorithms; and Wealthfront AUM soars to $100 billion .
Morningstar's sale of ByAllAccounts to Pello won't close -- the latest mishap in the 'aggregation' category as Plaid seeks IPO and CFPB mulls plan to permanently allow data fees
Jul 9, 2026The Chicago fund tracker reassures RIAs the account aggregation service levels won't drop off -- not least because in-house Morningstar services rely on it.
Fisher Investments is facing a swarm of M&A-minded national RIAs, but it's obsessively self-contained after growing by nearly $300 billion since a 2019 PR mishap, through a media marketing blitz that's second to none
Jul 8, 2026The Plano, Texas RIA sat at $112 billion when its owner made headlines for unfortunate remarks, but the firm has grown four-fold since then, including $88 billion-plus in just the last 18 months without writing checks to buy peers.
Vestmark strikes 'standalone-RIA' black gold as (TAMP) AUM leaps past $50-billion -- a five-fold increase -- after critical upgrade triggers T. Rowe Price, BlackRock, Capital Group, and VanEck referral gusher
Jul 3, 2026The Wakefield, Mass., firm has already received $2 trillion of love as an institutional, private-label product, but ability to deliver UMAs to retail clients with legit tax management woke up the market.
Acorns' new ploy – a kiddie advisory board – draws analyst scoffs and plaudits, as Trump accounts touch off rush to siphon rollovers from Trump-favored Robinhood – and Schwab, Fidelity and Vanguard crowd into micro-investing niche
Jul 2, 2026Giants Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard and Empower are enticing small investors with perks, programs, but Acorns says kids are the key.