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RIABiz

Articles published 1/2018


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Brian Hamburger: We were only privy to their regular weekly updates, other firms received the privilege of additional information in advance of those updates.

SIFMA helps oust Bressler, Amery & Ross PC after alleged duplicity -- but weak pledge by replacement means 'issue' remains

Known DOL-rule naysayer Capital Forensics steps in to keep Broker Protocol list and draws immediate fire for stopping short of promise to avoid conflicts

January 31, 2018 at 7:59 PM

Tim Buckley: With mutual fund fees coming down, the highest fee is the advisory fee itself.

At Inside ETFs, Vanguard CEO skipped over ETFs to get to a hotter topic -- mass delivery of financial advice

In his first public speech, Tim Buckley warned that asset managers no longer have the target on their backs -- but advisors do

January 30, 2018 at 10:13 PM

Roger Hewins: The issue of conflict is real and complicated -- unavoidable, really.

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

January 27, 2018 at 12:43 AM

MIchael Kitces: Do the math.

After PayPal demurs, Michael Kitces and Alan Moore launch online payments firm for RIAs

Advisors and two Missoula, Mont. angels will fund AdvicePay for increased staffing to sell and service software so that advisors can do billable hours without triggering a custody audit

January 25, 2018 at 7:41 PM

Mike Alfred (l. pictured with with brothers Ryan and Eddie): There's no Schwab or Fidelity. Go beyond CoinBase and it's the frickin' Wild West.

Mike Alfred also exits BrightScope to follow brother Ryan into cryptocurrency sphere

With Mark Casady and Josh Brown as backers, the former BrightScope CEO raised a quick $1.5 million over the weekend, partnered with a third Alfred -- Eddie -- and set about casting light on 1,000 cryptocurrencies for hedge funds

January 24, 2018 at 4:13 AM

Ron Carson: I feel like Netflix.

Ron Carson 'arrived' after investing $52 million, grabbing Orion and TD talent and letting his hair down

Pumping out content 'like Netflix' and preparing for an Amazon fee squeeze, the Omaha entrepreneur is set to just keep investing in growth

January 23, 2018 at 7:44 PM

Julie Back: We have been struck by our firms’ similarities.

Greg Friedman buys 'needle-in-a-haystack' Seattle RIA

With a much more feminine look, the CEO of Private Ocean can now assault Amazon.com wealth

January 20, 2018 at 12:11 AM

David Root: It's a Pittsburgh story. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try to take full advantage of our position.

How a $500-million Commonwealth rep became a $5-billion-plus RIA in two years and where Dynasty's M&A war on roll-ups comes in

After forming his own RIA, moving assets to Schwab and partnering with Shirl Penney's firm, David Root just kept M&A-rolling into 401(k) clover

January 19, 2018 at 8:19 PM

Larry Fink: We also intend to double the size of the investment stewardship team over the next three years.

Chafing under $4 trillion of passive assets, BlackRock CEO warns Fortune 500 CEOs he may bring other activist means to bear

Already adding 'factors' and Aladdinizing robo-technology, Larry Fink's 1,755-word missive warns his firm will also invest with good of society in mind

January 18, 2018 at 6:51 PM


Robert Roley: If we can make that pain go away, it's a huge value add for them.

How much of SS&C's $5.4-billion buy of DST Systems trickles down to Black Diamond RIAs? Maybe a good bit

The mother lode of DST data is expected to salve RIA data aggregation distress as the mega-vendor of data to Advent Custodial Data comes in-house

January 17, 2018 at 6:54 PM


Rob Foregger: John Hancock is the first to do it.

NextCapital does $30-million VC round with a staggering objective that's taking shape first with John Hancock

Nearing 100 employees, the Chicago-based robo-advisor blurs 401(k) and retail asset distinctions by making advice factories out of investment product manufacturers

January 16, 2018 at 8:06 PM


Eric Clarke: Sometimes hiring an outside firm solidifies something we already know. It gave us some good courage.

Eric Clarke makes seven big Orion hires that reflect the big check it wrote to Bain & Co. -- including a 'poach' from his brother, Todd

The word-of-God consultant told the Omaha, Neb. software maker to build Eclipse, which worked well, and sparked demand for asset management and marketing experts

January 12, 2018 at 7:28 PM


Sitting on an extra $75 million of VC cash, Andy Rachleff can see an IPO in the distance

With hedge fund help, Andy Rachleff buys Wealthfront $75 million of time and swaps out 'robo-advisor' moniker he reviles for his own coinage

Tiger Global PE unit's cash buoys CEO of Silicon Valley who recategorizes his robo as 'software-only' and gives it new life in contending with front-running Betterment

January 10, 2018 at 8:12 PM

Scott Burns: We're not exiting our participation, we're just changing our role by giving ourselves more access to the process in a different way.

Morningstar makes tough choice in shedding a 'fiduciary' division -- perhaps to avoid a conflict

Once primarily a 'research' firm, now more of a 'data' firm, the Chicago-based firm was discordant selling 15(c) board consulting services and sell data into the same market, say experts

January 9, 2018 at 8:44 PM

Tim Buckley: Our clients should expect change. They should expect significant change.

Vanguard's new CEO Tim Buckley hints the next move for his firm's RIA's 30-basis-point fee may be down, down, down

As the Malvern, Pa. fund giant's VPAS passes the $100-billion mark it doesn't rule out automated advice or greater robo-ization to follow asset management fee play where cost savings get passed along

January 8, 2018 at 10:22 PM

With Scott Hanson in the mix Nathan Bachrach and Ed Finke accepted Parthenon's overtures

Parthenon Capital buys Simply Money, adds it to Hanson McCain, and 'presto' a $3.3 billion radio show-based RIA roll-up rises

The PE firm already knew principals Nathan Bachrach and Ed Finke who bring $700-million-plus AUM from Simply Money generated largely by their daily broadcast

January 6, 2018 at 1:21 AM

Fielding Miller: We had it narrowed it down to Tamarac and Black Diamond.

CAPTRUST dumps Advent and Microsoft, flirts with Tamarac and Salesforce, then hires Black Diamond and Microsoft

As CAPTRUST switches gears from its $240-billion 401(k) business to its $6-billion wealth manager, it is forced to make mammoth and wrenching software moves

January 4, 2018 at 10:56 PM

Kelly Waltrich headlined a raft of sales marketing and client-support hires by Orion.

'New Moves in the Biz' section rises as human assets in RIA business flow

The RIABiz micro-stories are diverse. A robo startup star migrates to legacy-land, Sallie Krawcheck hires a CMO, an ex-NBA player bounces out of Goldman and an advisor moves back to Cleveland to put the '& son' in his father's RIA

January 3, 2018 at 7:28 PM

Greg Friedman: Either one is more than a full-time job.

Greg Friedman pockets maybe $20 million, subtracts one full-time CEO job and goes all in on Private Ocean

WisdomTree pledges $30 million of cash and 56 year-old seller will pour his energies into building $1.2-billion RIA with new roll-up strategy

January 2, 2018 at 10:28 PM

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