When industry experts guide financial advisors figuring out their next move, they sometimes reference insights from business leaders like Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett. George Orwell offers financial advisors a smart lesson, as his novel Animal Farm summarizes. Spoiler alert for high school English dropouts: Fed up with broken promises and leadership that puts the…

Calamos Wealth Management was born out of Calamos Investments, which now has approximately $36 billion in total assets. Calamos' history dates back to the 1970s when John P. Calamos Sr. founded the firm. He started the organization by managing money for friends and family as well as other Air Force pilots; he was a fighter…

Sponsored by Tamara and Shawn MacDonald of Skye Financial Services may have started their firm 25 years ago, but that hasn't stopped them from expanding as their clients' needs grow. From data security, succession planning, income tax and investment, MacDonald's believe they work IN their business, not only IN their business is central to customer…

LPL Financial has added a father-daughter team with approximately $290 million in assets from Morgan Stanley. James and Amanda Zack launched the Zack Wealth Group under the model of LPL's employee advisor Linsco from LPL Financial. Washington, DC-based James Zack has been in the industry for 38 years and spent the last 12 years at…

The impact of the decision 6-3 of the Supreme Court in SEC v. Jarkesi, Limiting the panel's use of in-house judges is likely to have long-term ramifications, with securities lawyers speculating that SEC settlement offers could increase and state regulators could rein in cases that previously would have directed by the federal regulator. The Supreme…

Financial advisors face a critical challenge: embracing new technologies to stay relevant with younger, tech-savvy clients. Although 70% of new business is based on referrals, 81% of consumers first turn to online research, highlighting the need for robust CRM systems. In addition, studies show that up to 88% of heirs do not consider their parents'…

At a recent TPSU training program, Jonathan Dues of Fisher Investment made the case for managed accounts. One plan sponsor asked why she needed it, after her retirement plan advisor provided guidance to her employees. Why incur additional costs? The reality is that even a well-intentioned HRD with significant resources cannot work effectively with every…

Robinhood Markets Inc. agreed to buy artificial intelligence research platform Pluto Capital Inc. to bring more tailored investment strategies and analysis to retail brokerage users. Founded by Jacob Sansbury, 24, Pluto is best known for its AI-driven personalized investment advice and real-time analytics. Terms of the deal were not made public. “They have built an…

(Bloomberg) — BlackRock Inc . to buy private equity database provider Preqin for £2.55 billion ($3.2 billion) in cash as the world's biggest money manager accelerates its efforts to become a major player in assets alternative. The acquisition deepens BlackRock's ability to oversee risks and analyze data in fast-growing markets for private assets, and also…

Amid a range of topics at this week's Morningstar Investor Conference in Chicago, including the future of the financial advice business, the outlook for stocks and bonds and advisor technology, there was a strong undercurrent of advisors and asset managers grappling with whether and how to deploy private investment strategies in the wealth space. In…