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What an RIA should make of Wall Street Journal's expose of how Schwab, Fidelity and TD Ameritrade's advice machines steer client assets

Product of a six-month of investigation, the Jason Zweig and Anne Tergesen-authored article alleges conflicts at the discount brokers are rife -- but RIA reactions to the revelations are textured

Author By Lisa Shidler January 27, 2018 at 12:43 AM
no description available
Roger Hewins: The issue of conflict is real and complicated -- unavoidable, really.

Stephen Winks

Stephen Winks

January 30, 2018 — 8:31 PM
The secret sauce is prudent process (asset'liability study, investment policy, portfolio construction, performance monitor, etc, , authenticated back to statutory fiduciary duty) essential to professional standing in advisory services. Only by putting services back into the financial services business will discount transactional brokers be effective at render advice. The catch 22 is brokers are driven by the same prudent process in becoming advisors. So, technically, there is no difference between any transactional broker who has aspirations to be an advisor. Doesn't this mean the big three cusodians must make a cultural shift to advisory services to revive the relevency of their discount brokerage business in a market-place increasingly driven by advisory services? SCW.

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Schwab 2,000-layoff aftershocks roil the industry as it's revealed top tech talent -- led by widely regarded veteran Kartik Srinivasan -- were axed, raising questions about future of Schwab innovation

Behind every layoff a human story as pink slip to an 'unbelievable talent' epitomizes company's determination to cut $500 million in expenses.

November 3, 2023 at 3:49 AM

Charles Schwab Corp. discloses imminent, sweeping 'TD Ameritrade' layoffs, indirectly revealed in new SEC filing that reports it will expense severance mostly in 2023 to gain 'incremental' $500 million synergy in 2024 and beyond

The Westlake, Texas, firm had not previously disclosed the cost of terminations -- people and offices -- or that so many of the farewells will happen by Dec. 30

August 22, 2023 at 12:46 AM

RIA recap: Bernie Clark promises to 'be there' for coming TDA-Schwab system snafus; Fidelity gets custody win; Vanguard dishes out big tax bill to investors

Schwab RIA chief petitions for 'patience' for coming merger inconveniences but 'repapering' is no culprit; Carrie Pomerantz gets Schwab board seat; Addepar wins $65 billion AUM contract.

November 3, 2022 at 1:59 AM

Apex nabs Jon Patullo from 'Schwabitrade' to 'raise the bar' and make his new firm's RIA system as 'frictionless' as the old one

The loved and admired TD Ameritrade software chief will bring his playbook -- and possibly Schwab's -- to Apex, which continues to try putting a winning front-end on its old Penson backend, a source says

October 11, 2022 at 12:40 AM

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Mentioned in this article:

TD Ameritrade
Asset Custodian
Top Executive: Tom Nally

Nexus Strategy
Consulting Firm
Top Executive: Timothy D. Welsh

Team Hewins
RIA Seeking to Hire Advisors
Top Executive: Roger Hewins



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