In 2007, CEO Rick Kent founded Merit Financial Advisors as an Atlanta registered hybrid investment advisor. He has since grown it into a $10 billion enterprise with more than 40 offices in the US, backed by Wealth Partners Capital Group and a group of strategic investors led by HGGC. And this month, Merit launched a…

Sponsored by The future of the wealth management industry will not be dominated by robots. Instead, it will be an emerging hybrid market in which human advisors use digital techniques to gather data and generate thoughtful and more accurate recommendations faster and more objectively than today. When it comes to artificial intelligence, the challenge isn't…

SEI has made its first strategic investment in AI developer and startup incubator TIFIN. The investment is meant to foster rapid iteration of new ideas between the two. This will also give SEI access to artificial intelligence technology developed by TIFIN. SEI manages, advises or administers approximately $1.4 trillion in assets across its platform, which…

LPL Financial and Wintrust Financial Corp., a financial services holding company with a stable of Midwest chartered banks and $56 billion in assets, have reached an agreement to acquire all of Wintrust's $13 billion wealth management business, Wintrust Investments, and approximately 17% of the private client business at RIA subsidiary Great Lakes Advisors, representing $3…

JP Morgan Securities is suing a former employee after he left for Raymond James, accusing the adviser of soliciting clients and breaching contractual agreements. The bank is seeking a temporary restraining order against Matthew D. Sitarski, who until recently worked at a bank branch in Ann Arbor, Mich. When he left, Sitarski worked with approximately…

Building relationships and creating a sense of belonging for people from all backgrounds has always been at the top of my values. To me, belonging means feeling valued, respected and included. It means having a voice and a seat at the table, being able to bring your whole self to personal and professional interactions without…

A rebound in capital markets and stabilizing interest rates set the backdrop for growth among wealth management firms in 2023. This growth – coupled with optimism for the year ahead – has many organizations thinking about how they can benefit from mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Dealmaking has already been active since the start of the…

An RIA launched by Meketa Investment Group earlier this year to provide customized private investment opportunities for RIAs has two new owners and some new faces on its board, as the RIA's first pure acquisition Cetera has launched a sub-acquisition strategy and Snowden Lane added a mother. and the guy who manages $208 million. Meanwhile,…

Commodities are the staples of everyday life and continue to make headlines, fueled by ongoing geopolitical conflicts and inflationary pressures. Additionally, commodities are at the center of many asset allocation discussions due to their low correlation with other asset classes. Please join Bob Minter of abrdn and Jim Wiederhold of Bloomberg for a CE webinar…

Wells Fargo has tapped Erik Karanik to serve as head of independent solutions for the firm's wealth management and investment business. This is a newly created role, the firm said, and will focus on growth initiatives across the Wells Fargo Financial Advisor Network, the firm's independent broker/dealer and First Clearing, its clearing and custody unit….