RIAs

Many clients avoid consolidating their assets at a single firm because they don't want the hassle. Advisors say it's important when to know not only when they're most likely to want to move assets, but also what to say.

The big moves hit the Swiss firm as it continues to lose advisors on a net basis — though now it's reportedly sweetening its recruiting offers.

In a recent industry snapshot, the Investment Adviser Association found the average number of data points advisors have to report in annual regulatory filings has nearly doubled to more than 1,000 since 2011.

Median total compensation for certified financial planners climbed to $195,000 last year. But pay varied widely, depending on factors like experience and type of firm worked at.

Valuation experts say RIA purchasers are most attuned to organic sources of growth — assets from new and existing clients. But market gains also play a role.

Head of Schwab Advisor Services Jonathan Beatty maintains there's more than enough wealth management business for everyone to share. But at least one critic says Schwab is clearly seeking a bigger piece of the pie.

Jason Co is out to prove that advisors can serve Asian Americans effectively and profitably. His FAANetwork is the result.

Jim Gold of Steward Partners thinks impending advisor retirements will continue driving smaller RIAs into M&A deals with big acquirers — even as AI turns many investors into "do-it-yourselfers."

Justin Brownlee started an RIA targeting energy, oil and gas employees. His hyperspecific marketing tactics have helped grow the firm into a thriving niche.

Fidelity Institutional Wealth Management Services faces competitive threats in an era of ETFs and multicustodian advisory practices. But it has big advantages.

Firms with big recruiting loan balances are often the ones with the most success hiring advisors from industry rivals. But the numbers also suggest they're offering increasingly generous deals.

Wealth head Andy Sieg sees bank-based advisors as key to securing more of the $3 trillion its U.S. banking customers hold elsewhere. But he's also looking to AI.

Wells' latest advisor recruiting coup comes just days after it pulled over a 19-person team formerly managing nearly $6 billion at Morgan Stanley.

The Taylor Group of Wells Fargo Advisors is led by nine advisors, all of them relatively young and many of them siblings.

Schwab services 16,000 RIAs with 2,000 different fee structures. According to the industry's largest custodian, the exact costs come down to "a very personalized negotiation" with the firms.

The firms' collaboration shines a light on how the wealth management business works today and how it is evolving, as advisors weigh independence against the risks of "poking the bear" when they leave.

Adam Cox led the wealth management division of a regional bank for 10 years. His lack of an ownership stake in the business he'd spent so much time building eventually drove him to seek independence.

A consulting and M&A advisory firm presented six prospective sellers to 17 buyers, with striking results for any advisory teams tapping into a frothy M&A market.

Touchstone Wealth Partners is the fourth team with more than $1 billion in client assets to join Wells Fargo's FiNet unit this year.

For advisors like Chris Diodato of WELLth Financial Planning, everything from insurance to industry software is costing more these days.