
Plus The Latest Transitions, Transactions & Promotions, ESG For The Long Term, An RIA Roundtable, Alts On A Blockchain And Advice On Moving Employees Back To The Office
To My Fellow WSR Community Members:

In the world of wealth management some topics remain evergreen, including the best recruitment arrangements for financial advisors. The available combinations of resources, marketing and client interaction tools, payouts and employment statuses are almost endless, not to mention softer factors such as camaraderie, access to management, service levels and personal goals.

A few months ago, we brought you expert commentary on a survey that found advisors don’t necessarily prefer the largest recruiters. Instead, the survey found a tendency for advisors to affiliate with smaller firms or smaller groups within large firms.

This week we examine a related recruiting tendency – the trend towards in-branch recruiting – as advisors increasingly affiliate with teams within branches of larger organizations. We explore the drivers behind the trend, what type of advisor thrives under this arrangement and the potential compliance risks.
We also bring you a roundup of the latest in people moves, recruiting, M&A and strategic partnerships, a long-term view of ESG, alts trading on a blockchain, expert advice on working from home versus the office and a roundtable on the RIA industry.
This Week’s Issue

- In Newsmakers & Roundups, this month’s Transitions, Transactions & Promotions column covers the emergence of a huge new hybrid RIA, women-led firms conducting strategic M&A and three big firms making executive promotions from within. Read about activity involving Concurrent Advisors, Journey Strategic Wealth, Prospera Financial Services and more.
- In our Upmarket section, we delve into trends affecting the future of in-branch recruiting, such as finding compatible advisors, evaluating margins and navigating compliance. Get expert insights from Tim Boostrom, Managing Director of Business Development at Stifel Independent Advisors, Jeff Nash, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Bridgemark Strategies, Terri Kinsella, Vice President, Prudential Advisors and Mitch Avnet, Founder & Managing Partner of Compliance Risk Concepts.

- Where is ESG going in the long term? In Investment Solutions & Gatekeepers, Sapna Shah, a Managing Director and Investment Officer for Angeles Investments, explains the drivers behind the current ESG pushback, the ESG approaches of different types of investors and why ESG is here to stay.

- It’s blockchain-based, but it’s not cryptoassets! In our Digital Domain section, Scott Brooks, COO of RealBlocks, describes the need for increased liquidity in alternatives, the traditional barriers to liquidity and how secondary trading bulletin boards operating on a blockchain can address these liquidity problems.
- Is it time to move your employees back to the office? In our latest Ask The Experts article also in Upmarket, Sarano Kelley, co-founder of The Kelley Group, Wendy Simmons, Managing Director, Human Resources at Prospera Financial and Sarah Musante, Chief Human Resources Officer of Hightower Advisors, weigh in on an anonymous reader’s desire to move employees back to the office with advice that reflects changing post-pandemic realities.
- Also in Newsmakers & Roundups, we bring you coverage of a roundtable discussion on the RIA industry moderated by Scott Slater, Vice President, Practice Management and Consulting, Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions, featuring Mark Tibergien, former CEO of Pershing Advisor Solutions, Raj Bhattacharyya, CEO of Robertson Stephens and Peter Nesvold, Partner at Republic Capital Group.
Please send us your thoughts and ideas on this week’s offerings and your questions for experts (which we always keep anonymous).
Thank you for sharing with your friends and colleagues by email and on social media, including LinkedIn!
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Larry Roth, CEO
Wealth Solutions Report