Lisa Shidler

How a Schwab cast-off became a niche custodian for RIAs who like to trade options

Tom Heffernan: I automate as much as I can. I can onboard 1,000 accounts today. Just automate so much of what we do that we don't have to add staff.

Schwab

Schwab Advisor Services

brokersXpress

MoneyBlock

TradingBlock

Tom Heffernan

Gary Martino

Adherents of the hybrid RIA model seem to understand the world in the same terms as Puritan dissenters, now known as Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Unitarians and Congregationalists. The members of those offshoots avoided the fate of the Puritans who believed a little too ardently that grace could not be earned, only bestowed by God. The Puritans are now extinct. More inclusive splinter sects that accommodate striving sinners, on the other hand, have gone on to survive and prosper. Hybrid RIAs espouse a new world order of accountable advice that errs on the side of inclusion of brokers despite their propensity for sin inherent in their inevitable conflicts of interest. RIA purists see this more-the-merrier mindset as too much fiduciary disharmony to throw at clients and an unsettling bifurcation when building a successful, long-haul business. RIA hybrid enthusiasts say the success of this model – and it is the fastest growing in the advisory world -- speaks for itself and that such firms house the best of the transactional brokerage business and the fee business under one roof. Moreover, these evangelists see the hybrid model as a means of bridging the gap between a whole generation financial advisors by leading captive wirehouse brokers to a model that offers more objective, open- architecture advice. Whatever side a reader falls on this dynamic topic certainly deserves a reader section for itself and we are proud to present it.

Hybrid RIA

Asset custodians are the central players in the RIA business and choosing one is the biggest decision most financial advisors will make to build their business. As the place where RIAs park their assets (the same way a captive broker would park assets at Merrill Lynch or UBS), custodians serve hundreds or thousands of these registered investment advisors and make big investments in technology and service on their clients' behalf.

This section features a series of articles under the “Asset Custody Project” label that cover these companies in a way that keeps advisors abreast of their progress – both with journalistic commentary and a common set of data so that advisors can easily compare them. The articles look at the strengths, weaknesses and niche capabilities of these companies.

&mdash; Brooke Southall

Here are links to the profiles of custodians:

 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/11942001/">Equity Advisor Solutions</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/4977738934910976/with-robo-advisors-on-the-rise-robo-custodian-apex-is-rising-them-a-diamond-mined-from-the-rubble-of-the-penson-worldwide-debacle">Apex Clearing</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/11320001">Raymond James</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/10207085">State Street</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/1812010">Ceros Financial</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/9033656">Fidelity</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/7435709">Pershing</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/1212007">Royal Bank of Canada</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/133138">Scottrade</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/8101589">Schwab</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/8788433">TD Ameritrade</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/124061">Trade-PMR</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/1161005">Trust Company of America</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/1490002">BNY Mellon</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/5385142">Folio Institutional</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/108011">Shareholders Service Group</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/5933001">National Advisors Trust</a></li>
 <li><a href="http://www.riabiz.com/a/22600260/how-us-bank-appeared-on-the-scene-as-an-ria-custodian-and-where-it-might-find-love">US Bank</a></li>
</ul>

If you want a more chronological look at news about the custodians, just scroll down.

RIA Custodians

MoneyBlock emerged from BrokersXpress after the San Francisco broker bought it but didn't want IBD reps in its mix

How a Schwab cast-off became a niche custodian for RIAs who like to trade options

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