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Articles tagged "Scott Smith"


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Sean Sullivan: A partner must have a deep understanding of the 401(k) industry.

LPL Financial bristles about proposed DOL rule, but roaring recruiting, including of 401(k) advisors, bodes well for 2024, according to top LPL executives

The Fort Mill, S.C., broker-dealer -- and recordkeeper -- is making strong pitch to 401(k) advisors with retirement plan expertise and rollover 'tool kit' of services.

February 3, 2024 at 3:07 AM

Scott Smith: In reality, with so many online options people just don’t even know where to start.

New Cerulli study shows 'absolutely surprising' finding: Human advisors have drubbed the self-directed investing sector despite radical advances in DIY tools

The Cerulli findings have a caveat for humans -- that just-in-time advice to investors whose assets grow to $500,000 may be too late to win the account

December 1, 2023 at 2:15 AM

Ron Carson: At Carson, this all points to becoming a single source of truth for our clients.

With AUM growth stalled since Bain bought $290-million stake in 2021, Carson Wealth is seeking greener 401(k) pastures by choosing Vestwell's 'dirt cheap' fees

The Omaha, Neb., RIA slid below $19 billion by end of 2022 but has a deal with Vestwell to encourage its RIAs to seek 401(k) plans

January 18, 2023 at 3:33 AM

Dario Fusato: I wish we'd launched it earlier.

Savvly launches 'parimutuel' death pool where investors hedge their most dire financial threat -- long life -- but annuity providers are not so impressed

The Boulder, Colo., VC-backed startup puts actuarial odds in favor of the living, incents broccoli eating, and the only losers aren't around to complain about it.

December 16, 2022 at 2:15 AM

Jud Bergman: The rate of account growth of advisors opening net new accounts has slowed over the last quarter. [We] don't know if it's going to last one, two, three quarters, but we are planning.

Envestnet CEO Jud Bergman's FolioDynamix deal suddenly looks prescient as SMA-to-UMA market shift dings revenues, third-party asset managers

In Envestnet's latest Q2 earnings call, Jud Bergman revealed the transition from SMAs to UMAs will hit Envestnet and third-party asset managers who sell their SMA wares through Envestnet's platform. But UMA efficiencies may drive down costs faster than revenues fall, making the FolioDynamix purchase look shrewder than ever.

August 16, 2018 at 5:12 PM

Andy Kalbaugh: We recently complied with a regulatory inquiry from the SEC to produce mutual fund holdings over the last five years for RIAs that transact business on our custodial platforms.

LPL issues urgent warning to RIAs: The SEC wolf blew down its home-office door and is combing through records for evidence of mutual fund share class misuse

Andy Kalbaugh emailed a letter to LPL advisors that file their own ADVs as a sort of fair-warning heads up

July 25, 2018 at 10:37 PM

Ben Harrison: This is a very conservative number. If we were to continue with hybrid the number would be considerably higher.

The old trick of new math Pershing used to make its RIA assets in custody soar from $200 billion to $615 billion in one year

Citing 'evolution,' the other Jersey City, N.J.-based custodian redefined 'RIA' to leapfrog itself over TD Ameritrade and into the rear view of Fidelity

June 12, 2018 at 5:01 PM

David Poole: We’ve got clients who engage with us across Merrill Lynch and in Merrill Edge self-directed accounts. That’s one of our fastest growing segments where clients are using both.

Merrill Edge eases Bank of America's transition to a post-wirehouse world

The Charlotte super bank's plan to add 600 branches builds on success but recruiters say lingering tension between Merrill and Merrill Edge advisors is more of a factor than the bank admits

April 3, 2018 at 8:32 PM

Tom McGirr: If the market goes down 300 points and we get flooded with calls, we can have an in-depth discussion about risk tolerance.

Fidelity's bet on ultra-compliance with the DOL rule pays off big as 401(k) assets jump stunning $280 billion in 2017

The Boston giant also added staggering 1.6 million plan participants but here comes DOL rule's BICE and the need to come extra clean on all those in-house funds

March 16, 2018 at 5:41 PM

Joe Duran:  It allows them to be expensive and to expand. They’ll be able to take PAS and more aggressively market it.

Vanguard Group gets under RIAs' skin by launching ETFs supposedly aimed at helping them

Joe Duran says debut of up-priced, factor-based ETFs paves the way for fatter Vanguard RIA margins and broader U.S. wealth-management market share

February 22, 2018 at 3:55 AM

Jason Roberts: What caught me off guard is that Fidelity says it is going to give advice to plans and participants.

Why exactly Fidelity chose 2018 to levy visible .05% 401(k) surcharge on Vanguard funds

After an abrupt business model shift from recordkeeper to advisor, the Boston-based 401(k) king may be a leader in fee 'levelization' that encourages other fund firms to act

February 9, 2018 at 6:10 PM

Fielding Miller: If we're not the fastest growing RIA out there, then I don't know who is.

CAPTRUST is a $220-billion RIA 401(k) roll-up but new $20-billion acquisition may wipe clean target set

The Raleigh, N.C.-based rollup did 26 deals in 10 years and finally the firm's old 'friend-enemy' partner, CapTrust was one of the few needle-movers left to make its last 10% inorganic AUM leap

September 11, 2017 at 9:45 PM

Robert Pettman: We're essentially setting up a gating mechanism. The cash is going through the money market fund and that’s why it’s traded with waived. load shares.

LPL Financial clips wings of 20 top fund companies by asserting itself as 'gatekeeper' on newly launched DOL-proof 3.5% flat-commission mutual fund superstore

Using Labor Department as leverage, LPL cuts itself in as middleman between branded fund giants -- including Fidelity, Legg Mason and Putnam -- and its advisors' clients -- in exchange for semi-exclusive shelf space positioning

August 4, 2017 at 10:04 PM

Scott Smith: Schwab and Fidelty can simply decide not to compete with this arrangement.

DFA RIAs remain in turmoil as Schwab and Fidelity ponder matching TD Ameritrade pricing deal and a key couple of basis points

The Austin, Texas-based asset manager says its door is open for negotiation but the two big custodians in San Francisco and Boston remain mum as RIA CEOs are pressing for clarity

May 2, 2017 at 9:32 PM

Scott Smith: Sophisticated investors will realize that saving $5 against 40 or 50 basis points for the total expenses for the year isn't a savings.

Why ProShares yanked ETFs from Schwab's no-commission OneSource ETF exchange

The fund firm puts faith in the drawing power of its own brand -- and saves more than $2 million

April 3, 2017 at 7:04 PM

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