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People Moves Related to "At T3 eMoney and MoneyGuidePro redraw the lines of battle and post-API-era blockchain discussion begins"


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Startup that feeds RIAs tax data -- directly from the IRS -- has analysts calling it a 'holy crap,' 'game-changer,' and made believers out of Eric Clarke, Ric Edelman and Randy Bullard

Sep 3, 2025

TaxStatus Founder Charles Almond has seemingly made the impossible possible -- though questions linger about how long it can hold off competitors and whether RIA clients will sign off on data


Six months after 'Nitrogen' reboot, Aaron Klein pulls rip cord on CEO job but will stay on board to jumpstart quest for $1-billion valuation under hand-picked replacement

Nov 15, 2023

The Nitrogen CEO is still the largest 'individual' shareholder and promises not to start a new company but he's already launched a side-hustle consultancy


A week after he became chairman of Eric Clarke's board, Charles Goldman is heading the search to replace Clarke as Orion CEO-- at Eric's direction

May 22, 2023

Eric Clarke founded Orion in 1999 and built it to a $3.6 trillion AUA juggernaut, but he believes both he and the company are ready for a big change


Noreen Beaman steps down as president of Orion Advisor Solutions after Brinker migrates to Orion software and enterprise deals 'prove out'

Feb 10, 2022

The former Brinker CEO oversaw an 18-month transition of her then $26-billion TAMP and will remain as vice chair of the company after 'mutual' decision on role changes.


Brad Shepard unexpectedly resigns from Orion Advisor Services after 10 months, and his chief strategy officer position will remain vacant, the company says

Jan 7, 2022

The Nashville, Tenn. executive came aboard to create a 'go-to-marketing strategy' for Brinker, HiddenLevers and legacy units but gave his notice this week.


Riskalyze replaces Lori Hardwick with Laurie Schultz at board chair and publicly tells her -- and the RIA industry -- it's moved the goalposts to a $1-billion valuation

Nov 24, 2021

The Auburn, Calif., firm's new chair already took one risk software firm to unicorn status and promises to 'do what it takes.'


Jeff Mello is latest to join eMoney's talent exodus but CEO Ed O'Brien says it's healthy renewal at a firm that added several hundred people since Fidelity bought it

Feb 28, 2020

The ex-Goldman Sachs director of strategy and planning at eMoney joins a growing list of departures exacerbated, sources say, by Fidelity putting a wobbly performance reporting software project -- and staff -- on its plate


Lori Hardwick steps down as AI Labs president and steps up as a gunslinging paladin for Riskalyze and other firms in new gig economy consulting role

Jun 13, 2019

The co-founder went to the Tiburon CEO Summit in April and came away with four big consulting gigs that morphed into a new career


Mike Durbin reunites with his Fidelity/eMoney running mate, Ed O'Brien as No. 2 at Cetera, in part to help 'RIA & Branches' channel take shape

Mar 26, 2026

The new Cetera CEO now has a 'major asset' in former Fidelity/eMoney wingman who left the Boston giant in January -- as in-house RIA rollup progresses


Advyzon's new financial planning software runs headlong into a 'saturated market,' but CEO Hailin Li says two key hires will lead 'go-to-market' strategy

Oct 16, 2025

MoneyGuidePro veterans Kevin Hughes and Tony Leal have joined the firm as it shoots for a share of 2,300 advisors leaving Morningstar Office in early 2026.


RIA executives who defined $5.5 trillion, 12-year growth run in RIA biz represent new resource -- 'on-tap' senior advisory talent

Jul 11, 2025

Of 19 noted CEOs who relinquished the top job since Feb. 2023, 16 now serve in advisory positions at dozens of firms.


Reed Colley is back as Orion's president with the immense task of taking its legacy RIA technology and making it into a dream experience -- with help from data stores and AI

Dec 20, 2024

Colley sold Black Diamond to Advent in 2011 and rose to the top, but the challenge is greater this time because he doesn't have the same software tabula rasa, sources say.


The upper RIA echelon mass-exit is now at 25 execs and counting -- for 25 'reasons' -- but it's hardly a coincidence, analysts say

Jun 7, 2024

Burnout and EBITDA weigh on CEO-types as never-ending exits claim Ron Carson, Aaron Klein, Bernie Clark, Rudy Adolf, Bill Crager and Tim Buckley.


Sleeping giant McKinsey & Co. hires Eric Clarke as it awakens to $9-trillion RIA business and plays catch-up

May 30, 2024

The New York City consulting giant quietly made the Orion founder and ex-CEO a McKinsey senior advisor two months after he stepped down last year.


Orion Advisor Solutions calls 6% staff reduction a 'final action,' after ballooning headcount 40-plus percent since 2020 by gorging on Brinker, Redtail and five other companies

Sep 30, 2023

The Omaha, Neb., administrator of $3.6 trillion will cut 'duplicative' back office jobs to reduce staff to 1,320 from about 1,400.


Aaron Schumm unveils expanded Vestwell vision -- and M&A plan -- and hires Danya Dumbrill to detail it as a 'strategy' to 'lead the savings industry' -- a leap from the 'grueling affair' of recordkeeping micro 401(k) plans

Sep 14, 2023

The Vestwell CEO hired the ex-Goldman Sachs executive as 'chief strategy officer' but with a budget and mandate to start buying up and stitching together 'savings' companies.


Orion names 'left-brained' Natalie Wolfsen as CEO to replace Eric Clarke, and AssetMark, which synchronized its announcement, hires Michael Kim as her replacement

Sep 8, 2023

Orion Chairman Charles Goldman again lures his protege to self-replace, while Michael Kim was 'integral to AssetMark’s record financial performance over the past several years'


Seven 'RIA' chief executives are stepping aside for CEO 'operators' as PE backers get 'trigger' happy in adverse market; here are their stories

Sep 7, 2023

Whether it's Edelman Financial Engines, SMArtX, Allworth or InvestCloud, the re-CEO-ing process follows a fat 2020 capital raise and thinner results in stormy financial markets.



RIA Quick Takes: Orion deepens DFA embrace by using it as portfolio manager-inside-ETF ~ Hardship withdrawals surge at Vanguard and Fidelity ~ Schwab hires 400 ~ Fidelity flips six funds into ETFs ~ Kitces makes list before Christmas ~ Amit Dogra has $1 billion of good news from his new Portland gig

Dec 3, 2022

Americans are struggling, though jobs are plentiful; Larry Fink's ESG zeal costs BlackRock another client, just as the Vatican issues ESG guidance; UBS says we didn't like you anyway to mass affluent and Michael Kitces and Craig Iskowitz join forces.


After Riskalyze raised a pile of cash, it went shopping for a chief technology officer and found him at Apex Clearing

Aug 10, 2022

The Auburn, Calif., risk software maker is undergoing a shift to enterprises and nabs Josh Gray from the Dallas firm.


After 401(k) account growth catapults ahead of curve, Vestwell CEO scrambles to make big hires and abdicates chairmanship to freed-up Lori Hardwick

Oct 14, 2021

Eying projected 300% plan sponsor growth, Aaron Schumm has promoted one executive, added another and reshuffled Vestwell's board, putting Hardwick on top.


Advizr founder Hussain Zaidi parts ways with Orion but mission accomplished: Orion's AUA leapt 50% in his 19 months

Jan 9, 2021

MoneyGuidePro and eMoney still dominate, but RIAs and IBDs in droves are willing to choose Orion's planning on the terms offered -- zero license fees.


Wealthfront's unlikely tapping of Sheila Bair and Tom Curry signals likely push to gain a bank charter, analysts say

Dec 31, 2020

The Redwood City robo-advisor's addition of two renowned former chief banking regulators brings legitimacy and guidance that could lead to a margin-fattening bank charter and help solve the robo-advisor's problem of high client acquisition costs.


Envestnet nabs Dani Fava to cross-pollinate semi-autonomous units and reap 'financial wellness' as the end product

Jul 23, 2020

The Chicago outsourcer has a massive, partially disconnected arsenal of products that CEO Bill Crager is rationalizing into 'wellness' with yet another new unit.


How Edelman Financial Engines spin-off deal became a RetireOne engine that's heating up the RIA annuity game again

Nov 20, 2019

The fee-based annuities marketplace of Aria Retirement Solutions adds Edelman's broker-dealer, 6,000 clients, 'hundreds of millions' in client assets and an old hand


John Bunch is out at Financial Engines Advisors after merger integration 80% complete; 'big reveal,' relaunch planned in coming months

Jul 11, 2019

The No. 2 man at the $181-billion RIA built a uniform client experience, but now has a chance to be CEO of VC-backed firm based in his hometown


How Aaron Schumm got Goldman Sachs' brightest young star aboard; he jammed in a meeting for a friend and accepted an offer he couldn't refuse--$30 million

Jul 2, 2019

The Vestwell CEO gets Rana Yared, the 35 year-old Goldman partner, on his board as part of the $30-million round she made happen


Pete Giza and Damon Deru go for Holy Grail of portfolio rebalancing with software that shuffles stocks, bonds... and asset classes; Believe it?

Jun 11, 2019

The RedBlack and TradeWarrior executives see old systems as 'archaic' yet know that the Black Diamonds, Morningstars, Orions and Tamaracs see rebalancing as a loss leader


Ron Carson ends national search for chief marketing officer by doing a local M&A deal using his favorite HR broker -- Eric Clarke

Oct 5, 2018

When Eric Clarke decided he'd play matchmaker, the hyperactive Carson Group CEO snapped up Mineral Interactive and made a creative deal


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