Independent RIAs have become the fastest-growing advisor channel as consolidators, equity incentives, and tax-efficient deal structures reshape recruiting – and expose growing tensions around career paths, ownership, and scale.

Millions of Mercer client records were allegedly exposed by ShinyHunters, which also targeted Beacon Pointe Advisors and Pathstone Family Office.

While Robinhood fully embraces prediction markets, Schwab CEO Rick Wurster says he’s “absolutely open” to integrating trades on employment or inflation predictions instead of current markets dominated by sports events.

Range, an RIA managing about $700 million, currently employs roughly 25 financial advisors, but CEO Fahad Hassan says, "over the next one to three years, our plan is to eliminate our own advisor base," as the company further develops its AI wealth management tools.

“I'd rather help five firms grow from $2 billion to $10 billion than help 30 firms just hover along,” says AWP founder and former Focus Financial Partners chief growth officer Eric Amar.

The new practice from the mega-RIA will focus on serving female-led households as McKinsey projects women to control $34 trillion by 2030.

Journey Strategic Wealth, a $5 billion RIA, becomes the first external acquisition for Hightower Signature Wealth, advancing the W-2 model that CEO Larry Restieri calls “largely the future of Hightower.”

In an increasingly crowded RIA referral market, TradePMR and Robinhood are banking on the app's young investor base to funnel Gen Z and millennials with at least $250,000 in investable assets to participating advisors.

CEO Samir Kaji explains how Allocate's private markets platform positions RIAs to capitalize on companies driving the AI economy outside of Nvidia and other blue chips.

Brokerage fintech DriveWealth will integrate with Kalshi's prediction markets, as a MrBeast employee was fined and suspended over insider trading on Kalshi.