People Moves Related to "BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard show swagger, unity and 'smell blood' as they fire back at charges they perniciously colluded to advance ESG goals"
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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.
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
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.
Vanguard sued by direct-indexing founders for allegedly cajoling a deal for Just Invest where the payoff came from hitting targets that the fund giant, allegedly, impeded -- actively and passively
Jul 17, 2025The Malvern, Pa., asset manager has yet to answer the claims, but the suit's acrimony could lead to a public relations black eye.
Strive's plan to buy cheap Bitcoin • Vanguard's path to lift crypto ban • Addepar buys 'AI' shop • Data is key, AdvisorEngine says • Vestwell's chicken coup • Carson's new chatbot 'smarter'
Jun 3, 2025The anti-ESG shop launches more unusual financial engineering • Will Vanguard lift crypto ban? • Addepar AI Leaps • AdvisorEngine just sealed five new deals • Carson and Fava go AI to get smart.
BlackRock adds Fidelity's retail legend and Morgan Stanley ex-retail chief, sparking belief Larry Fink is eyeing wealth channel
May 1, 2025The Wall Street asset giant added Kathleen Murphy and Greg Fleming to its board and retail investors know iShares and Aladdin.
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.
BlackRock, Goldman Sachs will curtail DEI HR outreach to comport with new Trump executive order, but neither signals they want to abandon diverse workforce
Mar 5, 2025The world's larget asset manager will subtract racial and gender targets for job interviews but will find new ways to hire candidates that head off 'groupthink.'
Marty Bicknell buys a second M&A shop 10 years after the first • Advisor360 repeopling includes new people officer, and seven other major hires • By women, for women corporate RIA nets 10th partner
Sep 5, 2024Mariner CEO is again reversing the predatory script • Some 53% of Advisor360's 15-strong senior management joined the firm in the last 12 months • LGBTQIA+-friendly corporate RIA grows AUM to $283 million, after three new partners join.
Carson Group legal drama discovered by Omaha media with settlement still on table • DPL annuity sales top $3 billion milestone, two months ahead of schedule • Potomac gets serious about Seinfeld • SSGA raids Schwab for technology executive
Jul 19, 2024Carson case develops • After taking 58 months to sell its first $1 billion of annuities, DPL did its third billion in six months • Potomac's Christopher Norton promises to show fun side of RIAs and thanks F-word (fiduciary) video ban • SSGA has a new COO.
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.
Salim Ramji, who BlackRock may have shunned for Larry Fink's job in January, is named Vanguard CEO -- now he has to reassure investors he believes in the Vanguard way, even as an ex-Wall Street wolf
May 15, 2024The Malvern, Pa., firm is hiring an executive with impeccable credentials and proven ambition as lawyer, McKinsey partner and power executive on Wall Street
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
Biz Briefs: AdvicePay waives key hiring requirement to land its next CEO • ESG firms may get OK in Oklahoma • eMoney adds new chiefs • CFP Board names new chair-elect • Robinhood cuts more staff
Jul 26, 2023Alan Moore replaces himself with another guy with two respectable titles • eMoney promotes two • Moisand's third in line now known • Robinhood sacks 173 in year-to-date.
Biz Briefs: Vanguard's tax-loss harvest yields a caveat• Vermont green with envy ... of red states? • CFP Board spends $12 million on bungee metaphor • BlackRock isn't neutral on Credit Suisse • Women are the Goliath of 'David' in UK finance
Mar 25, 2023Tax-loss harvest gains may have some home assembly required, says Jeff DeMaso • Adrian Johnstone is now in the driving seat at Practifi • CFP Board spending just topped $150 million • and Vermont shares some Texas thinking on ESG investing.
Biz Briefs: Schwab puts checks for $52 million in mail to robo-RIA customers allegedly misled about cash allocations • BlackRock blacklisted (again) • iShares beats NZAM-exiter Vanguard • Fidelity makes first acquisition in eight years • CFP board realizes Moms don't like CFPs
Jan 13, 2023BlackRock gets Kentucky coal in stocking, and Vanguard keeps skating; iShares inches above -- by 2.8% -- Vanguard's annual net new ETF asset haul; Fidelity takes "natural next step" for stock plan business; new CFP chair outlines plans and the DOJ is set to become a major Robinhood shareholder..
Dimensional Fund Advisors, long the flagship of factor investing, struggles to chart a course as a nimble rival and big foot competitors cut into its market--and exploit its slow move to ETFs
Aug 9, 2022Vanguard, BlackRock and Avantis rattle a complacent Dimensional Fund Advisors with fee cuts and ETF roll outs based on 'smart beta.'
Vanguard Group shows up as 'alpha' disciple with two new fixed-income fund launches as it surpasses PIMCO's $2 trillion with ex-Goldman Sachs partner now calling the shots
Aug 10, 2021The $8 trillion Malvern, Pa. manager owns beta investing, but RIAs are demanding higher income -- hence market timing and cherry picking -- from their fixed-income allocation.
Oisín's Bits: Betterment now a robo roll-up with Canadian IPO as catalyst • Insurers risk regulation for COVID-19 coverage delays • Vanguard shifts Asia focus to China's vast mom-pop retail market
Mar 5, 2021Betterment rolls up a robo • The CFA warns insurers over COVID-19 life polices • Vanguard names Chinese fund head to pursue $6 trillion market.
Karin Risi, who built $170-billion Vanguard Personal Advisor Services, takes new role and Matt Benchener is taking her spot as head of US retail for the $6.3 trillion manager
Dec 4, 2020Risi now heads planning and still directly reports to CEO Tim Buckley and her 34 year-old understudy, Benchener gets her job at year's end.