Podcast
This Week in Wealth
Hosted by Citywire · EN
'This Week in Wealth' is Citywire's weekly podcast that breaks down the biggest stories in the US wealth management industry and what they mean for advisors. Citywire USA editor-in-chief Alex Steger and Citywire RIA editor Ian Wenik are joined by a rotating cast of Citywire journalists and notable industry names.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Bumps in the road
1w ago00:28:26Tap to summarizeAlex, Ian and Alec discuss a relatively rocky week for some key players in the wealth management industry, starting with some indicators in LPL Financial's latest earnings report that its recruiting engine has slowed down amidst its battle to retain Commonwealth advisors. The trio also go over the recent spate of data breaches across a host of household names which have exposed thousands of clients' sensitive data.
Transcribe →What’s next for the original RIA aggregator?
2w ago00:26:24Tap to summarizeIan, Sam, and Alex discuss the task ahead for Focus Financial Partners’ new CEO, Adam Birenbaum, who is charged with steering the firm through a cycle that goes beyond acquisition and consolidation. The team also digs into Merchant Investment Management’s latest capital raise, its second in less than two years, which is being led by PE shop Sixth Street. Plus, they have the skinny on possibly the most famous financial advisor in America today: Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, the Osaic-affiliated advisor who has landed a starring role on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.
Transcribe →The winners and losers in advisor recruitment
3w ago00:26:12Tap to summarizeSome 11,000 advisors switched firms last year. But which companies suffered the biggest exits, and where did those advisors go? Ian and Alex have the answers. They also wrap up a series of new initiatives from Charles Schwab, plus Ian provides updates from a somewhat secret conference in San Francisco.
Transcribe →Who’s been busy buying RIAs?
Apr 1700:27:59Tap to summarizeVia the magic of Citywire RIA’s new Deals Database, Alex, Ian, and Alec take a look at the most notable wealth management M&A of Q1. Who’s been busy buying? What have they bought? Which PE firms are driving the deals? And what does it all mean for the rest of the year? These questions and more are covered. Additionally, the team takes a deep dive into Osaic’s recent capital raise—which includes a minority investment by Bain Capital—plus LPL and Private Advisor Group’s acquisition of Mariner’s $31bn platform business. You can check out the Deals Database here - https://citywire.com/ria/deals
Transcribe →The Batnick breakdown
Apr 900:35:14Tap to summarizeSpecial guest Michael Batnick, the managing partner of Ritholtz Wealth Management (and a prodigious podcaster in his own right!), joins Ian and Alex to discuss the latest changes to Fidelity's lucrative Wealth Advisor Solutions network, how his $7.6bn RIA found an internal succession solution and the red flags around private credit.
Transcribe →Meet the ex-Yankee taking a swing at running his own RIA
Apr 200:35:24Tap to summarizeHappy Opening Day! Ian and Citywire RIA reporter Peter Saalfield speak with ex-New York Yankee Kevin Thompson, now the CEO of 9i Capital Group and learn about how he went from seeing his advisor affected by the Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme to running his own wealth manager, how his firm operates as a smaller practice in a consolidating industry and how Derek Jeter made his own rules of the road (you'll understand when you listen).
Transcribe →Commonwealth beats the SEC, no degree for the CFP?
Mar 2700:23:04Tap to summarizeCommonwealth reduced a $93m SEC penalty to just $5m. All it took was a seven-year legal battle and a new regime at the regulator. Plus, the CFP Board considers waiving its bachelor's degree requirement.
Transcribe →Edelman offers planners stock; RIAs hit by cyber shock
Mar 2000:18:44Tap to summarizeIan and Alex discuss Edelman Financial Engines’ decision to award $175m in equity grants to its financial planners, the spate of lawsuits facing RIAs over client data breaches, and AlTi Global’s failure to meet its full-year earnings filing deadline.
Transcribe →The Americans are coming ... for British wealth managers
Mar 1300:33:40Tap to summarizeIan and Alex are joined by Citywire founder and chairman Lawrence Lever to discuss why US consolidators are looking across the pond to buy British wealth managers. These firms are cheap, compared to their US peers, so what's the catch? They also cover Anthropic's endorsement of human financial advice and the key takeaways from Citywire's recent CEO Summit.
Transcribe →2 mega-RIAs, 2 very different deals
Mar 600:24:30Tap to summarizeIan, Alec, and Alex discuss two divergent deals from two of the largest RIAs in the market. Wealth Enhancement enters the support services game with its deal for FocusPoint Solutions, while Hightower edges away from that model, growing its Signature Wealth business by merging in $5bn Journey Strategic Wealth. Plus, Ric Edelman on how and why we might see a $1tn RIA. If you want to keep track of all the M&A in the RIA market, take a look at our Deals Database.
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