RIAs

One year after $300M deal, referrals through Robinhood that put younger investors in the pipeline and an ongoing clearing relationship with Wells Fargo reflect how TradePMR is a growing rival to the giants of the custody channel.

RIAs who work with Charles Schwab have long worried Schwab competes with them for business. Could Vanguard's pending purchase of Altruist put Altruist RIAs in the same position?

After his firm agreed to one of the most impactful deals in wealth management of 2026, Altruist CEO Jason Wenk sat down with FP to discuss the negotiations, his firm's strategy and the new tool he says can build higher-quality plans in much less time.

Press an "easy button" for an internal succession or go the harder, often more lucrative route of leaving an employee brokerage to sell an independent practice? A new report from one recruiting firm shows which lane most advisors choose.

Rick Simonetti knows it's not easy recruiting private bankers and then moving their clients and assets. That hasn't stopped him from building Fidelis Capital into a $3 billion firm built largely on bankers pulled from Wells Fargo and Bank of America.

Two experts in mergers and M&A sales explained how and why RIA owners need to clean up their data, get a formal valuation and figure out other technical questions before they make a succession deal.

With its Estimated Value Index, the valuation expert FP Transitions seeks to give RIA owners a leg-up in knowing just what their firms can most likely fetch in a sale.

A succession merger deal that was nearly 10 years in the making at Nebraska-based Prairie Wealth Advisors offers a lens into the many factors involved with the wealth management industry's looming financial advisor retirements.

Altruist has earned legions of fans among financial advisors for sleek technology and low, clear fees. But its critics question whether that is enough to catch up to the giants that have dominated the business for decades.

Berger Financial Group plans to more than double its footprint and staff, and Investcorp is looking at more opportunities beyond supporting Berger in the "untapped" wealth space.

Although many advisors choose to leave Wall Street mainstays in favor of firms offering greater independence, some find they're still most at home at another wirehouse. Just ask Todd Hatfield.

RIA owners may feel a "moral dilemma" when considering selling their firms to private equity-backed acquirers. But that didn't prevent PE involvement from reaching a record high in M&A deals in the second quarter.

SEC data compiled by Paithos Research suggests that the massive growth of RIAs looks much different when compared to their small net new clients.

Research from Cerulli Associates indicates that marketing and referrals are the best ways to bring in new clients. Yet few firms devote much time or money to either.

SEI may not be the first firm that comes to mind when thinking about the industry's custodians, but the firm has built a substantial client base of financial advisors over more than 30 years.

Schwab directly or indirectly manages only 2% of the $37 trillion in U.S. wealth that could be in the hands of advisors, according to CEO Rick Wurster. The size of the opportunity means there is no need to compete with the firm's RIA clients.

In its annual survey of industry consolidators, DeVoe and Co. detects signs that the upward march of RIA deal valuations may soon come to a halt.

The well above-average advisor graduation numbers, paired with Merrill's recruiting efforts, suggest the wirehouse is serious about adding lots of talent.

As large wealth managers struggle to retain advisors seeking greater independence, Wells Fargo has taken a distinct approach with its FiNet channel. But is the loss of profit margin worth the retention gains?

The Ensemble Practice's annual growth and profitability report reveals a "scissors shape" between the two, based on a survey of more than 170 firms.