People Moves Related to "Betterment whistleblowers net $2.5 million • Wealthfront's big pivot leads to profits • Altruist launches tax service • CMOs in at Ascensus, Wealthspire & Joe Duran's Rise • Savvy bags four advisors as Mariner sues it for poaching • Jim Dickson launches RIA stake buyer"
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Altruist is CTO-less, for now, quasi-intentionally, it says • Ex-rival exec hired to jumpstart cross-selling Orion products to enterprise clients • BlackRock tops Grayscale • Facet outsources estate plans • Advyzon profits off Goldman exodus • Dan Wiener's RIA has new CEO • CFP count tops 100k
Jun 7, 2024Shiralker out at Altruist • Orion gives Trevor Noble his cause • Bitcoin has a new fund king • Software maker benefits from Goldman custody exec. churn • Carson Group denies lawsuit • Merge of Wiener's old shop complete • 100,000th CFP named.
Altruist CTO departs after just one year -- but what a year; Jason Wenk cites strong bench and says search is on to fill Sumanth Sukumar's shoes
May 5, 2026Sumanth Sukumar will be missed as chief technology officer, Altruist CEO says, but Hazel CEO remains and other key technology heads.
State Street signals it's ready to 'disrupt' RIA custody five years after abrupt exit, madly hiring Altruist veterans to build Apex powered, 'digitally native' Al platform, but no official word yet
Apr 3, 2026State Street sold its $200-billion niche unit in 2021 to FNZ but may have had seller's remorse; now, it appears ready to offer a high-end, multi-currency custodial superpower at a time when RIAs may need that edge.
RIAs beta-test Denali, Orion's 'future' • Altruist AI goes upscale • Fidelity revenues soar; weeds out ETF flops • Envestnet nets new CTO • DPL, Robinhood hit milestones • Schwab now inside Advyzon software • Wisz & Fava back start-up • eMoney launches mass affluent 'Plan B' • Trump biz adds betting
Oct 30, 2025Fidelity is in sweet spot, doing it all • Orion is testing its new cornerstone tool, but it won't reveal pricing until 2026 • AUM milestones hit • Advyzon lands Schwab deal • RIA big-hitters back start-up • eMoney is plotting downmarket growth • Trump follows Robinhood's lead • Joe Lonsdale wants pardon policy changed.
Jim Dickson's RIA venture launched with a bang, but high flying co-founder Mark Penske and industry icon Eric Clarke exit board after Emigrant Partners steps in as minority investor
Oct 28, 2025In exclusive interview Emigrant Partners Chair Liz Nesvold stays bullish on the firm, but questions remain about its board, its owners, who's running the company and a hastily rewritten ADV2.
Altruist cuts two dozen workers in second layoff round this year, for a net staff slide of 16%, despite growth -- ‘It’s on me,’ says Jason Wenk
Oct 21, 2025The Culver City, Calif., custodian's CEO issued the mea culpa, citing loss of focus, but says company hiring should cut headcount losses to 14% on the year
Envestnet quietly cleans up a mess behind take-private veil • Michael Kim is now a two-TAMP CEO • Bill Ackman scolds Trump, Lutnick for tariff overkill, alleged conflicts •
Apr 8, 2025Kim is now head of 'RIA' TAMP • In broad daylight, AssetMark edges closer to swallowing Adhesion • Ackman irked over ‘massive, disproportionate’ tariffs • Fisher sees market upside, if and when tariffs fail.
RIABlitz: Vanguard technology • Pontera rebounds • Ex-HiddenLever's exec success • BlackRock rocked • Vivek's crypto • WF dunks SF? • Betterment dry option• Vestwell poached
Jan 11, 2025The RIA firehose of news is rife with tactical moves to shore up voids, play catchup and react to a new concept of political tailwinds
During CEO Tim Buckley's waning months, Vanguard is imposing fees that may affect its older investors, while hand-off to Ascensus of certain IRA and 401(k) products also comes with some sticker shock
May 2, 2024The Malvern, Pa., giant transferred SEP IRA and 401(k) assets to its recordkeeper, which immediately imposed new fees, while Vanguard's new pricing schedule includes a commission to phone in Vanguard fund sales or purchases
High wattage Shannon Spotswood starts spending Long Ridge capital on three big talents, including Abby Salameh, a 25-year veteran executive who pioneered marketing and advisor outreach
Mar 8, 2024The president of the little-known Birmingham, Ala., advisory with $4.8 billion of AUA is using freshly raised funds to bring A-listers to the staff
Joe Duran's second RIA act is rocking with eight staff, four co-founders and a conspicuously anti-United Capital concept that will flip RIA stakes 'eventually' as a minority investor
Nov 29, 2023The United Capital founder paradoxically promises to 'passively' buy minority stakes as a backdrop for going hyper-active with quick-strike capability to apply super-consulting and technology to create explosive growth as a prelude to a sale.
Shorts: Why Savvy Wealth is calling an $80-million LPL poach a 'monumental' milestone • Vanguard cleans up legal matters, settles two suits, loses third • Groupthink comes to RIA biz as firms, one after another, cut staff
Oct 28, 2023Savvy hopes one will trigger a recruiting rally • Vanguard might just be in a settling mood, ends two long-running suits • At least five major RIA industry players are applying a 5% rule ... to cut staff
Wealthfront cedes to four years of investors clamoring for crypto by taking on expensive third-party vendor that Betterment rules out
Aug 14, 2021The Redwood City, Calif., robo-advisor turned a hard 'no' into a soft 'yes' by dealing with Grayscale and its 200 basis-point-plus fees, which its robo rival in NYC -- also without a crypto path -- finds ludicrous.
Jason Wenk raises $50 million from Vanguard Group and others, and Altruist may soon overtake Pershing's No. 3 RIA custodian spot, the Altruist founder asserts
May 20, 2021The Los Angeles founder's disruption blitz involves a mobile-first Robinhood feel and a plug-and-play outsourcing one-stop-shop -- a sweet combination, except that it may not lure many big RIAs, analysts say.
Second Betterment exec departs as new CEO Sarah Levy orients to her first month on the job and is confronted by personnel matters
Jan 19, 2021Chief operating officer Dustin Lucien is the latest to leave the New York City robo-advisor, one of at least eight positions open as it prepares a push across multiple business lines to ignite growth.
Wealthfront's unlikely tapping of Sheila Bair and Tom Curry signals likely push to gain a bank charter, analysts say
Dec 31, 2020The 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.
Jon Stein ousts himself as Betterment CEO and taps Sarah Levy, who joins an exclusive club of top women executives, with a mission -- an IPO
Dec 8, 2020The co-founder of the New York robo-advisor headhunted the ex-Viacom brass through Harvard professors on the down low to ostensibly scale operations.
Oisín's Bits: Wealthfront drops old mission statement, declares war on institutions and emphasizes banking future • Seeking Utah charter, Edward Jones may become largest bank in US by branch count • After Advent chief leaves, Black Diamond head steps up
Jul 3, 2020Andy Rachleff cans the old 'democratizing' mission statement at his robo; The 14,200 one-man Ed Jones branches may become branch banks; Steve Leivent consolidates power at SS&C.
A 20-year Merrill Lynch veteran got Sanctuary Wealth to $10 billion in AUA in 15 months with no outside capital and no time in bed: 'Nobody's slept since April'
Aug 15, 2019Jim Dickson also recruited HighTower talent, Amit Dogra, to bring the old HighTower brokerage model and execute it as HighTower veers toward buying RIAs
How $7B Professional Capital Services is trying to out-nimble, out-RIA $188B Ascensus but with Edmond Walters there to carry a big stick
Feb 28, 2019The eMoney founder joined the Philly TPA's board to oversee a PCS that hires madly, rewrites software, RIA-izes its services and develops marketing punch