Displaying items by tag: advisors

LPL Financial’s new Advisor Growth Study (AGS) analyzed six years of data from more than 14,000 advisory practices to uncover the behaviors that drive consistent, sustainable growth. Using supervised machine learning and explainable AI, LPL developed the Advisor Growth Index, a diagnostic tool that benchmarks advisor performance across client acquisition, development, and retention. 

The research found that firms demonstrating even two of the four core growth habits outperformed peers by fivefold. These high-growth advisors build a strong foundation by focusing on scalable operations and long-term clients, with a balanced client age mix under 60 and fewer than 35% in decumulation. 

They also segment clients strategically, prioritizing service to those with high assets or complex needs, while maintaining deep engagement with existing relationships to strengthen retention and generational continuity. 

Finsum: Data-driven client acquisition, leveraging M&A, digital marketing, and centers of influence, can help grow new client assets.

As private investment strategies become more accessible and clients demand more integrated services, high-net-worth (HNW) investors are beginning to expect the same sophistication long reserved for ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families. 

This shift means advisors can no longer rely solely on investment management but must offer curated, multigenerational, and tax-efficient strategies tailored to each client’s full financial life. HNW clients increasingly seek private market opportunities, holistic advice, and solutions uncorrelated to public markets. 

Experts emphasize that this evolution requires a cultural shift, where advisors act less as portfolio managers and more as strategic partners guiding family enterprises, estate planning, and intergenerational wealth transfer. 

Finsum: As aging clients, complex assets, and family dynamics reshape expectations, advisory firms must broaden their expertise and redefine “value” around the totality of a client’s wealth.

Although the term “ESG” has become controversial and sometimes viewed as a marketing label, about 69% of institutional asset owners still report using it—primarily for consistency. Many prefer alternative labels: 57% use “sustainable investment,” 53% “sustainability,” and 52% “responsible investment.” 

ESG considerations now apply to an average of 44% of asset owners’ AUM globally, up from 42% last year. In 2025, 20% of respondents said they apply ESG to more than 75% of their portfolios, and 10% said ESG applies to 100% of their assets. 

Asset owners increasingly see ESG as aligned with fiduciary duty: 61% agree ESG supports that role, up from 53% in 2024. 

Finsum: The biggest barrier to broader ESG adoption is concern over impacts on investment returns or a lack of standardized data and reporting. 

Assets under management is one way to value an advisory firm, but buyers also want stability, leadership depth, and client retention. Consultant Linda Bready, author of The Exit Equation, says successful sales depend on seven “pillars,” including clear exit goals, strong financials, next-generation leadership, scalable operations, client stability, effective technology, and reduced compliance risks. 

Buyers look for firms that can run smoothly without the founder and have systems in place to support future growth. To prepare, Bready advises advisors to organize their financials, document processes, and consider continuity beyond the founder. 

She also stresses the importance of knowing what life after the sale will look like, since that influences buyer fit. 

Finsum: Asking pointed questions of potential buyers and addressing risks upfront can strengthen both valuation and trust in the process.

MarketAxess Holdings has launched Axess IQ Connect, a new web-based platform giving wealth managers and private banks real-time access to fixed-income market data. The tool enables advisors to connect with trading desks, monitor liquidity, and view AI-powered bond pricing through CP+, all from any device. 

It builds on the company’s Axess IQ system, adding features like interactive watchlists and optional order management for client trades. MarketAxess, which serves about 2,100 firms worldwide, continues to expand its electronic trading and data solutions for the fixed-income market. 

The company recently reported stronger-than-expected earnings for Q2 2025, though shares slipped as Jefferies lowered its price target while maintaining a Hold rating. 

Finsum: Data and new technology offerings can help advisors better serve their clientele.