Displaying items by tag: RIAs

Wednesday, 22 May 2019 08:50

Wirehouse Market Share Keeps Declining

(New York)

Wirehouse business may have gotten a boost from the demise of the fiduciary rule, but its decline has been uninterrupted for years. New data from 2018 is in and shows that wirehouses shed 5.7% of their client assets during the year. Advisor headcount also dropped by 403 advisors, brining the total to 54,030. According to the study, put out by Aite Group, “Wirehouses have steadily ceded market share from 2008 to 2018 … The segment has lost a total of 10 percentage points over that time period. As wirehouses continue to rationalize the size of clients they serve in advisory relationships, they also continue to see an outflow of advisors into other industry channels”.


FINSUM: RIAs and IBDs have been taking market share from wirehouses for years and the reasons why are obvious—better selling points for clients and better compensation. We think it is also a product of the demographics of the industry—as advisors get more senior and established the economics of going independent become more alluring.

Published in Wealth Management

(New York)

Life insurance and annuities have always been a strange grey area for RIAs. They tend to be quite high commission products, a fact which obviously does not blend well with the no-commission, fiduciary mandate. This has left RIAs in an odd position. However, a new and quick growing company, DPL Financial, is now offering a solution. The company serves as an insurance network helping RIAs utilize products from the space. It works with providers of insurance products to help them tailor their offering for RIAs, such as making products commission-free. DPL has already signed up 200 RIAs to use its service. In an example of what they do, DPL’s founder and CEO, David Lau, commented on signing up Jackson National Life Insurance recently, saying “Jackson has long been a market leader in variable annuities, and we are excited to be their partner in launching their fee-based products to the independent RIA market”.


FINSUM: This seems like a very smart and useful approach and the utility for RIAs appears clear. It is obvious they are solving a big problem given their pace of growth.

Published in Wealth Management
Friday, 27 July 2018 10:28

RIAs and M&A: Don’t Make a Bad Decision

(New York)

Anyone who owns or works for an RIA will probably be aware of the huge boom in M&A in the sector. There seem to be many willing buyers of RIAs at the moment and the acquisition terms for such deals have been getting increasingly sweet. However, within the apparent euphoria, make sure you don’t make a bad decision. For instance, some RIAs might be seeing offers with good valuations, but all in stock of the buyer. There have been a lot of unsolicited purchase offers, which may characterize “an unsophisticated, stupid buyer who is just trying to grab assets”, according to on managing partner at an RIA speaking at a Pershing industry conference. RIAs need to beware because “[Buyers] aren’t just overpaying but may also overpromise and not be able to deliver”.


FINSUM: We suppose the old mantra is best here— if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Published in Wealth Management
Monday, 16 July 2018 09:16

Average Client Assets Hit New High

(New York)

In what certainly seems to be a sign of health for the industry, RIA average account sizes just hit a new high. The average client at a US RIA now has an account averaging $2m (at firms with over $250m in AUM). This is the first time the figure has ever crossed the $2m threshold. Median AUM for firms grew over 16% in 2017, with average revenue increasing to $3.6m. The stats come from an annual Charles Schwab survey, with the firm saying about the healthy results “Firms are fueling their organic growth by differentiating and marketing their value propositions, improving the client experience and strategically expanding their service offerings to meet the needs of their ideal clients”.


FINSUM: The fiduciary duty of RIAs seems to be a differentiated and continued source of new client demand. It is a testament to the quality of RIAs in this country.

Published in Wealth Management
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 09:57

How Tech is Transforming RIAs

(New York)

It may have become such a part of your daily routine that you don’t notice it, but new technologies have completely transformed the RIA business. “The revolution in fintech has allowed advisors to now do in minutes what it used to take them all day to do”, says Wealth Management. With all the portfolio management software, robos, and beyond, technology has changed the nature of the business more towards client engagement and offering insights and opinions. One small RIA says new technology means they can grow AUM 10x but only make two new hires.


FINSUM: Technology does seem to have changed the nature of the business by taking out much of the mechanical work. We haven’t seen anybody that is upset with the change.

Published in Wealth Management
Page 7 of 9

Contact Us

Newsletter

Subscribe

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

Top
We use cookies to improve our website. By continuing to use this website, you are giving consent to cookies being used. More details…