Articles published 5/2012
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Mintz Levin sells its $1.2 billion RIA, and Focus Financial nabs the assets through a partner firm
In an all-Boston deal, The Colony Group becomes a $2.5 billion behemoth only months after hooking up with the big New York consolidator
May 31, 2012 at 5:45 AM
Non-partisan watchdog group writes a scathing letter about FINRA
POGO, which uncovered the Pentagon's famed $7,500 coffee maker, says the would-be SRO is basically rife with conflicts of interest
May 31, 2012 at 5:32 AM
An in-depth analysis of FINRA's attempted takeover of RIAs and why the group should be disbanded, Part 2
FINRA's aim is to stamp out small RIAs that compete with its large Wall Street firms. Don't let it happen, pleads NAPFA's new chairman
May 31, 2012 at 5:24 AM
New FSI chairman isn't sugarcoating FINRA's shortcomings but blasts the SEC on porn and Blackberries in this letter
Joe Russo says that 25% of his group's own membership doesn't favor extending FINRA's dominion to RIAs
May 30, 2012 at 5:18 AM
Why FINRA's power grab for RIAs needs to be stopped to avert the death of the profession, Part 1
Looking back from the year 2025, the author recounts how FINRA seized regulatory control and crushed the life out the once-thriving RIA channel
May 30, 2012 at 4:37 AM
Why brokers from Nationwide, LPL, Merrill Lynch and others are giving RIAs a cut of their 401(k) action
RIAs and brokers alike are wary of the fox-in-hen-house effect but DOL is creating strange bedfellows
May 29, 2012 at 3:46 PM
Duane Thompson says Bachus bill will croak in Congress but others see danger aplenty
The FPA veteran who spearheaded the killing of the 'Merrill Lynch Rule' outlines his vision of compromise on the SRO issue
May 29, 2012 at 3:46 PM
Bank founded by ex-Merrill chiefs spurs RIA arm to $3 billion after hiring a former Citi chief as CEO
Fieldpoint took off after hiring Robert Matthews who's attracted advisors from US Trust, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Goldman, Bank of America, JPMorgan and Wilmington Trust
May 29, 2012 at 3:45 PM
The art of breathing: How to handle the overwhelm of being a financial advisor in 2012
First we need to understand the principle of diminishing personal returns -- and then be willing to take counterintuitive steps
May 25, 2012 at 4:51 AM
Summit Partners is reportedly shopping around its stake in Focus Financial
Focus has wheeled and dealed this year with acquisitions and big lines of credit -- now this
May 24, 2012 at 4:24 AM
Online RIAs will mostly fail -- and here are 10 reasons why
Firms like Personal Capital, Covestor and Betterment are garnering both media attention and big VC bucks -- but backers severely underestimate the tie between investor and advisor
May 24, 2012 at 2:43 AM
Merrill Lynch breakaway wins $550-million account in head-to-head battle with UBS -- despite a higher bid
John Beirne was selling his stellar track record and the city of Bristol, Conn. was buying
May 23, 2012 at 3:05 AM
NAPFA's appointment of a new chairman could be a big deal for RIAs
Ron Rhoades spent the last year in obscurity but now he's "ready to take the gloves off"
May 23, 2012 at 3:03 AM
How JPMorgan's PR mojo downgraded a $3-billion PR typhoon to a five-day squall
Availability, self-criticism and starting from a position of credibility all helped short-circuit the relentless media laser
May 23, 2012 at 3:01 AM
How giant advice provider Financial Engines can sweep the 401(k) field -- or not
It has $53.7 billion of assets under its managed account platform, but how the new DOL disclosure rules, competition from Morningstar and Schwab's bet on GuidedChoice play out will be very telling
May 22, 2012 at 3:41 AM
How a change in mindset and business structure can get you off the hamster wheel
Remember the reason you started your business in the first place
May 22, 2012 at 3:37 AM
A year after the Advent-Black Diamond deal, the merged company is making some big chess moves
Reed Colley switches coasts as new hire Mike Golaszewski heads the other way to Jacksonville and the Advent-Black Diamond sales teams merge
May 21, 2012 at 3:34 AM
In search of alternative income solutions in the current low-yield environment
Selling covered calls on a portfolio of equities or on a concentrated position may offer clients incremental gains while reducing direct exposure to interest rate risk
May 21, 2012 at 3:33 AM
A John Wooden disciple makes 13 points to RIAs at NAPFA about how to excel
Andy Hill started with the premise that advisors, like most people, are good, not great, at what they do
May 21, 2012 at 3:28 AM
How the Facebook IPO is creating the mother of all RIAs, Iconiq, and what an in-your-face it is for Wall Street
Breakaway out of Morgan Stanley, Divesh Makan, attracts the Mark Zuckerbergs and Sheryl Sandbergs of the world with his pedigree and presence
May 18, 2012 at 4:08 AM
FPA Retreat 2012 shines spotlight on the emotional and psychological dynamics between advisor and client
The 400 advisors on hand seemed eager discover ways to make the advisor-client process more meaningful
May 18, 2012 at 3:58 AM
How Schwab may yet reap value from brokersXpress accounts, advisors, staff and assets
The San Francisco broker may find ways to use its better pieces without the need for the extra broker-dealer
May 18, 2012 at 3:18 AM
Registered Rep. is finally changing its name
It'll be WealthManagement.com for online content and the print publication also gets a modified moniker
May 17, 2012 at 5:03 PM
LPL Financial hires a hiring, retention and culture czar
Sallie Larsen will report directly to Mark Casady in her role as chief human capital officer
May 17, 2012 at 4:52 PM
Schwab taps Tamarac as its next integration partner
The allure was Microsoft CRM and a significant overlap in customer bases
May 17, 2012 at 4:14 PM
Why one UBS advisor broke away even knowing that his former partner would keep the 401(k) assets
Christopher Mason is establishing Fontis as part of CONCERT but hasn't given up hope of selling his portfolio management skills on UBS' platform
May 17, 2012 at 6:26 AM
How Schwab is gearing up its RIAs to fight for 401(k) assets
The San Francisco custodian's deal with fi360 will help advisors meet increasing demand from employers that their advisors be fiduciaries
May 16, 2012 at 3:17 PM
United Capital unveils national mass-affluent strategy keyed to a radio program
With the success of Edelman Financial and The Mutual Fund Store in mind, Joe Duran will take the mike regularly, but Steven Pomeranz will be the regular host
May 16, 2012 at 12:54 PM
What happened when HighTower assembled its RIAs at Trump Tower
300 aggregated folks dined lavishly and heard Ed Viesturs; and those perks may have a deeper purpose
May 15, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Mag Black-Scott partners with Intel and brings aboard serious MSSB talent in quest to "disrupt"
Beverly Hills Wealth Management LLC spent six months and six figures working with Intel on its innovation
May 15, 2012 at 4:27 AM
FINRA comes up with cost projections for its SRO and the CFP Board blasts them
FINRA is still angry that Boston Consulting Group did not consult them and says they created numbers "out of thin air"
May 14, 2012 at 3:59 AM
Review: What the SEC did right and wrong with the redesign of its website
It's less of a bureaucratic maze but the image slideshow is over the top
May 14, 2012 at 3:41 AM
What the SEC is up to with its website's fancy new look
The redesign is a nod to social media and a recognition that it needs the public
May 14, 2012 at 3:37 AM
TD Ameritrade's promise of creating an RIA version of Apple's app store may have found its prototype signing
Bing, bang, boom, HiddenLevers is part of the Veo ecosystem after one developer spent about two weeks writing code
May 11, 2012 at 5:42 AM
Tim Kochis retires, months earlier than scheduled, but also years later than planned
The Aspiriant founder sent an e-mail to fellow employees on April 27th saying he's bolting a little early because of projects he wants to pursue.
May 11, 2012 at 5:20 AM
What to make of a fiduciary flag-bearer's alleged misappropriation of $5 million from clients -- and his denial of the charges
Arrest of Matthew Hutcheson raises questions about the fiduciary movement
May 10, 2012 at 5:09 AM
PR firms must recognize that RIAs answer to a higher authority
There is such a thing as bad press -- a disclosure that seems 'a bit much' to your public relations firm may be just enough to land you in a compliance hot spot
May 10, 2012 at 5:07 AM
DFA engages former Moss Adams analyst as it pilots its intel deeper into RIA space
The Austin, Texas-based firm is bringing on Jeff Pierce as part of its initiative to build its own in-house research arm
May 9, 2012 at 4:37 PM
RIAs are merging then making up names like Exencial, Syntal, Aspiriant and Private Ocean but experts question the practice
Creating names solves a multitude of problems but may also create a bigger one in a high touch industry
May 9, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Why buy-high-sell-low-scarred retail investors are poised to catch the market wave
The rally from October 2011 lows has already lifted the S&P 500 to within pennies of a typical bull market high on a valuation basis
May 9, 2012 at 3:33 AM
Merrill Lynch PBIG team breaks away in tumbleweed country to better pursue next-gen oil fortunes
Chad Clary and Dane Crunk are bringing Dynasty Financial's technology to UHNW folks with dusty boots, deep tans and around $800 million of assets
May 8, 2012 at 6:28 AM
With help from Envestnet and a former Genworth technology whiz, Loring Ward is revamping its TAMP platform
The San Jose firm is counting on competitors and former talent of competitors to make sure it spends its millions efficiently
May 8, 2012 at 3:27 AM
CFA Institute chief minces no words about blaming and shaming bad behavior
Investment industry can blame itself if Occupy Wall Street fires back up this summer, according to John Rogers' remarks
May 7, 2012 at 9:10 PM
She settled with Merrill Lynch over discrimination, loved Merrill again for years but then bigger problems arose
A lover of the herd, Leslie Ferrone couldn't stomach the bankification of her wirehouse
May 7, 2012 at 5:04 AM
10 insights an RIA software CEO gleaned from Warren Buffett at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders' meeting
Orion chief Eric Clarke joined 40,000 of the faithful in the pilgrimage to hear the Oracle of Omaha's pronouncements
May 7, 2012 at 4:50 AM
After outcry, Betterment 86's (but not on purpose) a blog post inflaming advisors
BrightScope and Josh Brown lead charge against up-and-coming web-based investment management companies for their bad-itude against advisors
May 4, 2012 at 4:37 AM
5 ways for stressed-out advisors to build a more efficient practice
Delegate, streamline, lean on your CRM, leverage resources, go mobile or tap the untried talents of your receptionist -- all ways to do more of what you love to do
May 4, 2012 at 2:22 AM
A hungry NYC-based firm takes aim at a bigger future by signing on with Dynasty Financial Partners
Further Lane kept hearing about the vendor of vendors -- then paid a visit, and also put Black Diamond and Callan in its cart
May 4, 2012 at 2:00 AM
An $18-billion RIA tacks on a $24-billion U.S. Trust cast-off as the grab for UHNW magnets continues
Harris myCFO continues a shrewd strategy of serving the very, very rich as it puts CTC Consulting into its arsenal
May 3, 2012 at 5:21 AM
As it closes its $54-million purchase of Tamarac, Envestnet details plans to deploy $7 million worth of retention incentives
The big outsourcer says it wants Tamarac's execs to stay aboard -- and not just for the a few months
May 3, 2012 at 5:17 AM
A 17-year Vanguard veteran seeking new horizons lands at a Philly RIA with big plans
Wescott Financial brings on David Gaskin as COO with plans to add to it advisors, offices and $1.6 billion of assets
May 2, 2012 at 3:23 PM
A big California RIA fires off a letter to Rep. Bachus decrying FINRA as SRO pick
Neil Hokanson offers a boots-on-the-ground perspective about why changes brewing in Washington are bad for consumers and advisors alike
May 2, 2012 at 2:20 PM
What to make of Sallie Krawcheck's emergence as a Twitter-sphere celebrity
The ex-Merrill Lynch exec reveals a self-deprecating bent but the 'crazed UNC basketball fan' still doesn't seem sold on the differences between RIAs and stockbrokers
May 2, 2012 at 4:21 AM
Career Arbitrage: How independent advisors are gaining the upper hand over big corporations in the hiring game
Better compensation, a more closely knit culture and the holy grail of personal wealth -- equity --are some driving factors in this counterintuitive trend
May 1, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Schwab adds $2 billion of assets from Windhaven, with RIA help, and another $2 billion of assets from 41 new RIAs
Walter Bettinger lauds the 'fairly rapid growth' of the recent acquisition
May 1, 2012 at 2:45 PM
After a quick climb to $3.5 billion of AUM, Evercore solidifies service by drawing water -- again -- from US Trust talent well
Jonathan Bergner brings his skills from U.S. Trust, but assets may follow, too
