Articles published 3/2016
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Schwab gives Salesforce the heave-ho as hub of Intelligent Integration
150 RIAs are scrambling for a new CRM arrangement ahead of a July 31 drop-dead date as the San Francisco custodian unwinds the once exalted partnership
March 31, 2016 at 3:03 AM
The odd logic 'Enron' lawyers are relying on to sue LPL Financial for securities fraud -- logic that's attracted five potential copycat investigations in 10 days
Does it make sense that Mark Casady would want to puff up his company's shares prior to buying back $275 million worth of shares? A lawsuit wants to know.
March 30, 2016 at 6:24 PM
Betterment raises $100 million a year after a $60-million round, enabling it to step up efforts to win the HNW wallet
The conversation is moving from play money to competing with Fidelity, Merrill Lynch and Schwab as it seeks build out a full-service offering to win plan sponsors, rich individuals and RIAs
March 29, 2016 at 11:57 AM
After being jostled by a lawsuit, CFP Board makes bold play to inoculate itself against future ones
Due caution or paranoia? Either way, a sour whiff of FINRA self-protectionism pervades
March 25, 2016 at 9:32 PM
Orion's parent NorthStar tops 700 employees, finishes second Omaha campus and taps a super-exec from central casting to run it all
With Eric and Todd Clarke handling day-to-day challenges at Orion and CLS, NorthStar finds an un-Clarke in Jon Baum, former CEO and chairman of The Dreyfus Corp.
March 24, 2016 at 7:02 PM
Why Ken Fisher still plans to work a 60-hour week despite handing off CEO role to 'badass'
The iconoclastic founder of the $65-billion RIA will write, research and mix with the troops, remaining omnipresent as Damian Ornani ascends to the CEO spot
March 23, 2016 at 8:59 PM
The RIA-ification intrinsic to LPL's preemptive DOL policy changes -- yet how tightly to revenue sharing in IRAs it is hanging
LPL's super-clients like Private Advisor Group see a clear 'advisory' future but LPL is walking a more shrub-choked hybrid path
March 22, 2016 at 9:30 PM
Robo-deal catapults Goldman Sachs into defined contribution business that's as downmarket as it gets
The Wall Street giant buys Honest Dollar, which makes SEP IRAs easy for 1099-receiving workers
March 21, 2016 at 7:29 PM
As Ed O'Brien packs his bags for Philly to take eMoney CEO reins, Mike Durbin resumes his job modifying Fidelity's future from finance to software
Fidelity is piloting eMoney in its own private client business as Thomas McCarthy fills O'Brien's shoes and Durbin eyes more acquisitions
March 18, 2016 at 8:18 PM
With a reminiscent fire, Elliot Weissbluth personally leads a new charge to buy RIAs
The CEO of HighTower, with a big assist from Liz Nesvold and a $150 million line of credit, is on the prowl for large practices
March 18, 2016 at 4:44 AM
The ironic reason robo-advisors aren't gorging on assets -- a determination to dictate bloodlessly to millennials
Whether you're talking B2B or B2C, the eRIA robo-advisor website personae are dull, disconnected and trying too hard to act grown-up
March 15, 2016 at 9:31 PM
Investopedia's grand scheme for RIAs to act as its answer army and why leads and referrals may be beside the point
So far 100 advisors have signed onto Match.com's sister-site for the opportunity to dispense free advice to investors who probably won't become clients
March 15, 2016 at 8:22 PM
SEC launches elite unit with unspoken promise of technological parity with Wall Street
Classic RIAs should expect little change but the SEC's ability to algorithmically raise more red flags may give it better ways to go after big dogs
March 14, 2016 at 11:17 PM
Aequitas duped 1,500 investors in 'Ponzi-like' scheme as it jetted and golfed its way to insolvency, says SEC complaint
The big picture includes blind faith in supposed guarantees on student loan debt that kept the cash flowing into a black hole
March 11, 2016 at 10:06 PM
After spending millions and getting cozy with Salesforce, United Capital is morphing, maybe big-time
Gail Graham is bringing the $15 billion 'roll-up' into the third-party white label business -- intending to license its system to RIAs
March 10, 2016 at 9:37 PM
How John Hancock's DFA ETF deal is really the culmination of an old and effective Manulife strategy
Andrew Arnott can boast 17 straight quarters of net inflows that leave him with $80 billion, up from a 2008 nadir of $19 billion
March 9, 2016 at 11:40 PM
After years of toleration, a female Wall Street executive takes action but not before serial pawings, and a mauling, at corporate event
The fiasco -- extreme but far from rare, says the author -- and its fallout inspired the 20-year industry veteran to revisit her 'high road' approach
March 8, 2016 at 6:09 PM
Yodlee schools RIA tech startups at The Vault and RIABiz stops by
Hedgeable and Totum were among attendees at the San Francisco brain-in where Yodlee exposes its API and lends its experience
March 7, 2016 at 9:42 PM
How indifferent ethical conduct by the investment consulting industry is giving investors a Big Short
Financial advisors are good guys -- mostly -- but the industry is halfhearted when it comes to alerting clients to alternatives risk and tax ramifications
March 7, 2016 at 5:37 PM
RIA advocates cry foul after international media pick up on U. of Chicago study labeling shady stock brokers as 'investment advisers'
Investment Adviser Association issues urgent press release; authors offer defense that Brian Hamburger finds hard to swallow
March 4, 2016 at 11:40 PM
Why mini-TAMP EQIS just got a maxi private equity infusion after judicious scavenging of Curian
Long Ridge Equity Partners looked once, then came back 18 months later and invested $15 million in a TAMP that shuns mutual funds, allows $25,000 investments and professes to deliver on selling the Yale endowment model in a box
March 3, 2016 at 10:24 PM
As variable annuities face 'existential crisis,' LPL's Casady is latest to warn of end to commission-sold VAs in retirement plans
DOL's imminent final rule is prompting LPL and Commonwealth to consider nixing traditional VAs in qualified retirement plans
March 2, 2016 at 7:05 PM
In the control freak world of family offices, cutting the private equity firm out of the deal has an alluring logic -- and pitfalls
SFOs like Vinik Family Office may actually have intrinsic edges because they're unencumbered by 5-year horizons or money that must be invested in an amount and time
March 1, 2016 at 11:42 PM
A breakaway artist confesses the 'mistakes' he made in ushering PBIG's Hou-Sear team
With its elevators, synchronized watches, office space hijinks and voice-over IP, Luminous Capital was a virtuoso Merrill Lynch defection but not to Matt Sonnen
