Bruce Kelly

InvestmentNews

Bruce Kelly

Senior Columnist

26 years experience

Bruce's specialty topics

Legal and compliance Advisor compensation Alternative investments

Bruce is Senior Columnist for InvestmentNews, a leading publication for financial advisors and the wealth management industry.

An award-winning journalist, Bruce’s career at InvestmentNews began in 2000, two years after the launch of the newspaper. He has covered the brokerage industry ever since, focusing on financial advisors’ pay, the products they sell, and the firms on and off Wall Street where they work.

His reporting in the financial crisis 2008 and thereafter shed light on the many shortcomings of the financial advice industry, from weak regulation to the collapse of many broker-dealers.

Bruce writes an award-winning column, On Advice, and his daily breaking news reports give clarity and insight into what’s happening behind closed doors at the largest brokerage firms in the country.

Before becoming a journalist, Bruce taught middle school and high school English in Manhattan and Caracas, Venezuela, for a decade. He is the co-author of a 2010 book, “Financial Serial Killers,” and has two children.

How I think about writing for this industry…

“I love covering the financial advice business. We write about financial advisors and how they care about clients' lifesavings - what is more important than that?”

Awards and recognition

  • 2 SABEW awards
  • Neal Award

Also published by

Co-author of "Financial Serial Killers"

Read the latest stories by Bruce

Bruce Kelly
Displaying 3542 results
Slimmed down 2020 comp for LPL, Ameriprise CEOs
INDEPENDENT BROKER DEALERS MAR 23, 2021
Slimmed down 2020 comp for LPL, Ameriprise CEOs

In the face of an unprecedented pandemic, Dan Arnold and James Cracchiolo saw their total pay fall last year.

Wife to missing Atlanta adviser: 'Turn yourself in'
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE MAR 22, 2021
Wife to missing Atlanta adviser: 'Turn yourself in'

Chris Burns is facing mail fraud charges from an alleged scheme that defrauded dozens of clients of more than $10 million. "It’s time," Meredith Burns said in a TV interview. "He needs to be brought in for these crimes."

Broker-dealer M&A shows signs of life in 2021
RIA NEWS MAR 19, 2021
Broker-dealer M&A shows signs of life in 2021

The acquisition market for broker-dealers looks like it is perking up as broker-dealer networks owned by private equity managers continue to hunt for assets. Year-to-date there have been four broker-dealer transactions totaling $65 billion in assets.

Roaring Kitty and phishing attacks expose cyber headaches for IBDs
OPINION MAR 17, 2021
Roaring Kitty and phishing attacks expose cyber headaches for IBDs

Firm leaders understand the cybersecurity threat is real. But have broker-dealers taken appropriate precautions to protect advisers and their clients?

Ex-Principal broker faces stunning $39 million in investor complaints
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT MAR 17, 2021
Ex-Principal broker faces stunning $39 million in investor complaints

Selling away charges are at the center of three large customer complaints against ex-broker John Krohn. In 2018, Finra reached a settlement with Krohn in which he was suspended from the industry for three months and paid a fine of $10,000.

Edward Jones eases back into hiring financial advisers
INDEPENDENT BROKER DEALERS MAR 15, 2021
Edward Jones eases back into hiring financial advisers

The firm is cautiously increasing hiring at the moment, essentially new advisers, but at a lower rate than in the past. Training financial advisers takes time and is also expensive, with a high percentage of trainees typically not making the cut.

SPACs are the investment darling of the pandemic
RETIREMENT PLANNING MAR 15, 2021
SPACs are the investment darling of the pandemic

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, have been all the rage for the past 12 months, but will the fever outlast the pandemic?

Cambridge Investment Research working on Finra settlement over alt fund sales
INDEPENDENT BROKER DEALERS MAR 11, 2021
Cambridge Investment Research working on Finra settlement over alt fund sales

Finra's department of enforcement has investigated Cambridge's due diligence of the sale of the defunct LJM Preservation and Growth Fund.

Advisor Group firms boost legal reserves
ALTERNATIVES MAR 10, 2021
Advisor Group firms boost legal reserves

Royal Alliance Associates Inc., SagePoint Financial Inc., and FSC Securities Corp., increased legal reserves by as much as three times the amount of the prior year.

Cetera pegs $4.2 million to cover  SEC mutual fund investigation
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT MAR 09, 2021
Cetera pegs $4.2 million to cover SEC mutual fund investigation

The agency charged two Cetera broker-dealers with breaching fiduciary duty and defrauding retail advisory clients in connection with the sales of mutual funds.