People Moves Related to "RIAs are starting to embrace 'model' portfolios, pressuring the status quo proprietary model of giants like BlackRock, Vanguard and Capital Group and making TAMPs emphasize back office support"
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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.
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.
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.
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, 2025MoneyGuidePro 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.
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.
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.
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.
Orion headhunts Yi-Ching Wu from AssetMark -- its second attempt in 14 months to fill a crucial role -- 'to put a phone book onto a postage stamp' and weave together its tech and investment businesses
May 14, 2026Orion has $185 billion, but its AssetMark derived leadership team may be eyeing the $5-trillion in wealthtech assets it administers for RIAs.
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.
Vanguard could 'flip narrative' as key poach of Ally Bank exec positions it to meet 'overwhelming demand' for debit card, and finally stop acting like stodgy ETF company
Apr 24, 2026The Malvern, Pa., company wants to get digital, but quasi-analog debit card 'start(s) to change the math,' says analyst, and catapults its image into the 21st century.
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.
Vanguard names Joanna Rotenberg to replace Matt Benchener as retail chief, after he takes CEO role at Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's largest DIY online broker
Jan 12, 2026CEO Salim Ramji makes quick secession move as he reshapes Vanguard's executive team in a move to make more DYI investors into advised clients and react to Schwab and Fidelity.
Vanguard CEO puts second 'Fidelity talent' in c-suite in two years, reuniting Kathryn Condon and Joanna Rotenberg -- a 'smart' hire for the 'marketing machine' yet with 'cultural risk'
Dec 18, 2025Salim Ramji, himself an outside poach, is shoring up Vanguard's one apparent deficit -- its ability to appeal to the next generation of investors.
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
Vanguard quietly makes two definitive moves -- replacing its rookie chief legal officer after a year of legal scrapes, and naming leaders of its 'parallel' plan to split fund management into two teams
Sep 12, 2025The Malvern, Pa. firm poached Principal's CLO, Natalie Lamarque, while Glenn Booraem and Carolyn Cross will head the newly created investment management teams
Advyzon's latest play to achieve Envestnet-level success is to hire chief success officer from the company
Jul 18, 2025Clark Richards spent 12 years at the $6.5 trillion-AUA company that counts 111,000 advisors as users of software, investmewnts or both
In a massive overhaul, Vanguard will split its $10.4 trillion in funds between two 'distinct' management teams with separate trading desks potentially trading against each other, analyst says
Jun 25, 2025The index fund leader will separate 'hot button' corporate governance by team, and hopes to reap deeper focus, greater flexibility, and more opportunities for growth.
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.
Vanguard gets new CFO, Salim Ramji's second, strategic and handpicked selection • High rates but lower-balance money markets • SEC loses nearly 1-in-5 staff -- largely from its legal nerve center
Apr 29, 2025Vanguard CEO puts John Bendl in strategic role • Money markets fall off record highs • Capital Group joins private credit goldrush • John Thiel signs on with DPL • RIA poaches top AssetMark exec, names him president.
Vanguard's deal with Blackstone follows its bleak, almost black, market prognosis • SSGA launches another 'Apollo' product, sans Apollo brand • SEC OKs 'green' exchange • Senators call out Trump 'fraud' in letter to new SEC chair
Apr 18, 2025Recession signals grow • Confirmed as chair, SEC's Atkins faces Trump decision • InvestCloud nabs ex-Envestnet COO • Tibergien protégé lands at RIA • RIAs still see direct-indexing as a solution hunting for a problem • Software companies hire & launch.
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.'
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
2025 will be the year of 'Under New Management' in RIA business, after 2024 brought profusion of CEO-level fires, hires and deals
Jan 2, 2025First seven CEOs were replaced, then myriad big HR dominoes fell as Vanguard, Schwab, Envestnet, InvestCloud, LPL, Cetera and Orion all switched out CEOs and presidents
Mike Durbin set to take CEO reins at Cetera to further Genstar's bold mission, with $1 trillion looming on the horizon and his eyes on the prize
Nov 7, 2024Adam Antonaides, 59, is exiting the CEO role as the No. 2 IBD shifts into higher gear to compete with LPL and take on a more RIA future
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
Jun 29, 2024Betterment is also bending to RIA needs • Wealthfront is in the black, thanks to cash • Altruist reveals where it makes its money • Rise, Wealthspire and Ascensus each add two executives • Compound hits $2 billion of AUM • CAIS slashes alts prices • BlackRock ups private debt sales to RIAs, through GeoWealth.
Christa Carone, an ex-Fidelity and Xerox marketing whiz, steps onto a slippery slope at LPL with a daunting task -- to consolidate a NASCAR size brand portfolio... or not?
Apr 2, 2024With no CMO since August, the chief marketing officer will play catch up for a company still hungry to buy more branded B2B and B2C players.
Tim Buckley sends shockwaves by retiring as Vanguard CEO after adding $750 billion per year during his stay in the executive suite
Mar 1, 2024The 54 year-old lasted just over six years in the job, delivered on targets, but he also made head-scratching decisions and never solved its technology woes
Joanna Rotenberg is departing Fidelity Investments after only two years, writing that she traveled 20,000 miles and successfully split her retail division into wealth and brokerage units
Dec 16, 2023At her hire, analysts were adamant the head of Fidelity retail had 'big shoes to fill' to replace legendary Kathleen Murphy and her task of 'digitiizing' retail was no small ask
Orion rescinds RTO order after its staff rebels by hijacking company email list, distributing petition and tipping off RIA media
Nov 23, 2023CEO Natalie Wolfsen suffers first setback and rescinds a return-to-office (RTO) policy after week of protest to work on a more collaborative agreement on a post-COVID new normal
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.
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, 2023Eric 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
Cetera hiring Mike Durbin as CEO -- overseeing its existing 'CEO' -- completes Genstar's stellar HR week after it put Charles Goldman atop Orion's board -- with 'exponential' growth in mind for the 'middle market' companies
May 18, 2023The Los Angeles broker-dealer nabbed the Fidelity legend to take its $118-billion AUM and 8,000 advisors higher, just as Orion -- also majority owned by Genstar -- makes a similar move.
Biz Briefs: The sorry scene at my local First Republic branch • Schwab launches new (smaller) lay-off round • Schwab hoovers pennies passing FINRA fee to clients • Gensler pleas for funds • Fidelity owner's private equity pres. retires • an Orion-Envestnet staff switcheroo • LPL dumps FutureAdvisor
Apr 29, 2023Range Rovers screeched in and drivers joined a grim queue to get their cash, and cookie • The Schwab-TDA deal cull count now stands at roughly 3.5% of its staff • FMR's hockey star president has stepped down • SEC chief wants more enforcers • An Envestnet executive proves joining a rival is good business • LPL now has an in-house robot.
Biz Briefs: Fidelity says humans beat robots, even for Gen Z • Joe Lonsdale's Opto starts signing RIA test-drivers • Vanguard launches oddly delayed fund • Wealthbox hires, and Dynasty buys
Mar 8, 2023Fidelity wins Delta Airlines business with sweetener • Opto pairs-up with Riskalyze and Merchant • Moonfare raises $15 million • CAIS bucks real estate trend • Vanguard launches "curious[ly]" delayed fund • WealthBox, Dynasty, and others buy and hire.
Fidelity will hire 4,000 staff in first half -- a staggering number but a tapering off from 'unprecedented' rate in 2021-2022 that catapulted it to 68,000 employees
Feb 17, 2023The $10.3 trillion giant explains its hiring -- in a layoff environment -- as an RIA-like goal, namely having the human bandwidth to develop 'lifetime' relationships with its 40 million investors
RIA recap: Bernie Clark promises to 'be there' for coming TDA-Schwab system snafus; Fidelity gets custody win; Vanguard dishes out big tax bill to investors
Nov 3, 2022Schwab RIA chief petitions for 'patience' for coming merger inconveniences but 'repapering' is no culprit; Carrie Pomerantz gets Schwab board seat; Addepar wins $65 billion AUM contract.
Fidelity Investments loses Kathleen Murphy who largely caught up Fido to Schwab (near $4T) on the retail side by reversing net promoter scores
Jan 23, 2021The 'no whining allowed' leader of the Boston giant's retail business, who oversaw $2 trillion in net new assets, was ready to exit but hung in through a year dominated by COVID-19 challenges
Fidelity Institutional looks like a big TAMP after Mike Durbin removes last internal walls between products and advisors after 'meteoric' 2019 leap; two Fido RIA sales legends depart amid the shift
Mar 13, 2020Rich Policastro and Tom Valverde are out after Fidelity Custody & Clearing assets leap to $2.6 trillion AUA, restructuring gets the credit -- and so restructuring gets extended.
Into the PIMCO void, Vanguard re-applies itself to active fixed-income funds and Bond Kings get a bitter taste of what the Peter Lynches of yesteryear learned the hard way
Jan 3, 2020The Malvern, Pa. giant has only 24% of assets invested in bonds but nearly 40% of its portfolio staff are bond-directed as it seeks to exploit a world of high fees driven by fiefdoms and petty monarchs.
Tim Hockey leaves baffled analysts (and everyone else) probing for answers to explain abrupt departure plan as TD Ameritrade CEO; It's about... nothing!
Aug 8, 2019Discount brokers are facing myriad issues as trading fees continue sliding to zero, causing TD's board to seek a more RIA friendly CEO
TD Ameritrade's board suddenly pushes out Tim Hockey after his big misread of RIAs; Tom Bradley name-dropped as successor
Jul 23, 2019The CEO broke the TD promise never to compete with RIAs, took it back and got sent packing
Capital Group miraculously recovered after deep 2008 dive but RIA help may get No. 2 American Funds through the next downturn under new CEO
Nov 2, 2018Matthew O’Connor takes the CEO helm of the giant LA-based active manager from Kevin Clifford with conviction not to jam the rudder hard but to be open to new markets
Channeling its inner BlackRock as bull market teeters, Vanguard Group gets constructively paranoid by creating chief risk officer role with big power including vast new software applications
Oct 19, 2018With Aladdin overtones, the Malvern, Pa. asset-manager puts Joseph Brennan in charge with big stress testing on the agenda