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People Moves Related to "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'"


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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, 2025

The 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, 2025

Fidelity 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.


Bain Capital plays talent card to replace Envestnet's take-private CFO Josh Warren • Vanguard nabs new exec to figure out alts, it seems • Robinhood opens football bets, then sues • Advisor CRM's 'AI' catch-up • SEC delays Trump ETF date • ETFs explode in number

Aug 27, 2025

After 11 years at Nuveen, Bill Stout is Vanguard's alts man of the moment • Betting a 'no-brainer' for Robinhood exec. • Bain Capital protegé is new Envestnet CFO • CRM shop adds AI to keep up with CRM Joneses • SEC prevaricates over controversial Trump ETF • 640 ETFs launched in 2025.



Vivek Ramaswamy jumps on the next new thing, a Bitcoin treasury company, with a 'mad science' twist -- a reverse merger and tax-advantaged investments to build a $1 billion crypto horde

May 12, 2025

Anti-ESG ETF company owner keys move to President Trump's Mar. 2 executive order, announcing the formation of a government Bitcoin crypto reserve.


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, 2024

Mariner 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.


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, 2024

Shiralker 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, 2024

The 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, 2024

The 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


Dani Fava is out at Envestnet -- to capitalize on AI revolution at a new firm, she hints

Mar 20, 2024

The ex-TD Ameritrade talent was hired by CEO Bill Crager in 2020 to harmonize acquisitions -- not least MoneyGuidePro and Yodlee that the company still grapples with


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.


Addepar's chairman writes five-alarm warning about how US immigration red tape is putting foreign engineers through hell, creating a 'quiet crisis' for tech companies

Oct 26, 2022

Joe Lonsdale uses words like 'egregious' 'crapshoot' and 'rude' in Wall Street Journal article to explain how 'America and its economy are the butt of the joke.'


Joe Lonsdale is prepping Lonsdale Investment Technologies for launch 13 years after founding Addepar -- with the new business model too cannibalistic for comfort, some say

Feb 23, 2022

The Austin, Texas, serial entrepreneur is still executive chair of, and a big stakeholder in, Addepar but may need a fresh start to manifest his hyped vision of creating high bandwidth financial flow between retail investors and vast private markets.


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.


Surfing a $15-billion-a-week asset growth meteor, Addepar CEO Eric Poirier hires an owner as president to achieve 'escape velocity' and keep operations from flaming out

Apr 9, 2021

Addepar is fast nearing $3 trillion, it says, after a 50% RIA asset spike in 2020. Now an Addepar owner through Valor Equity Partners is stepping in to safeguard or supercharge his investment depending on the point of view.


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, 2021

Betterment 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, 2020

Risi 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.


Addepar hires Advent genius then launches 'Advent Converter' to court the RIAs still on Axys and APX ; PortfolioCenter 'easy button' comes next

Mar 3, 2020

The tactic by the Mountain View, Calif. firm and Advent co-founder and code avatar Steve Strand comes a decade after Orion, Black Diamond and Tamarac began feasting on the legacy corpses, but Addepar insists meat remains on the bone.


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


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