Leo Almazora

InvestmentNews

Leo Francis Almazora

Senior Journalist

10 years experience1,025,285 Total views on InvestmentNews in 2025

Leo's specialty topics

RIAs Alternative investments Fintech Mutual funds Practice management

Leo Almazora is the resident US news writer at InvestmentNews, a role he has held since February 2024. He covers a broad range of topics central to the financial advisory industry, including broker-dealer news, registered investment advisor (RIA) activity, advisor recruitment and moves, retirement planning, elder fraud, and wealth technology across the United States. Leo brings nearly a decade of financial journalism experience to his reporting, having developed deep expertise in equities, fixed income, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), alternative investments, and wealthtech through extensive conversations with portfolio managers, financial advisors, and industry executives.

How I think about writing for this industry…

“After a decade of covering wealth management from the Canadian and US perspectives, I've chosen to see this space as a rich industry filled with motivated individuals working against forces that go against their clients' best interest. It's been encouraging to watch the industry from purely focusing on investment products to a more holistic approach that includes financial planning, risk management, retirement planning, charitable giving, and legacy conversations.”

Also published by

Wealth Professional Canada

Featured content from Leo

Pontera cries 'anticompetitive,' Fidelity cites cyber safety in credential sharing standoff 'This came out of the blue': Why firms are pushing back against New Jersey's proposed independent contractor rule From breakaways to breakouts: How Altruist's Jason Wenk sees next-gen RIAs moving forward

Previous experience

  • Key Media — US News Writer
  • Key Meda — Canada editor
  • Key Media — News editor
  • Key Meda — Business journalist

Education

  • Masters in Applied Business Economics, University of Asia and the Pacific
  • Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of the Philippines

Read the latest stories by Leo

Leo Almazora
Displaying 3545 results
Retail investors split on AI's place in financial advice
FINTECH AUG 07, 2025
Retail investors split on AI's place in financial advice

Survey research reveals just three-tenths trust AI-generated recommendations, bolstering the case for lasting human relationships with advisors.

Advyzon and SS&C roll out wealth tech platform updates for advisors
ALTERNATIVES AUG 07, 2025
Advyzon and SS&C roll out wealth tech platform updates for advisors

Advyzon has launched a new hub for professionally managed model portfolios, while SS&C unveiled a unified suite of wealth solutions under the Black Diamond banner.

Barred investment advisor, former CNBC pundit sentenced to five years for fraud
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE AUG 07, 2025
Barred investment advisor, former CNBC pundit sentenced to five years for fraud

Former LA-based advisor James Arthur McDonald Jr. is facing federal prison time for defrauding investors out millions of dollars in a Ponzi-like scheme after a failed anti-America bet.

Advisor moves: $275M family practice leaves LPL for Osaic, LPL attracts Osaic team in Mississippi
INDEPENDENT BROKER DEALERS AUG 07, 2025
Advisor moves: $275M family practice leaves LPL for Osaic, LPL attracts Osaic team in Mississippi

Meanwhile, Ameriprise has lured a 28-year veteran advisor away from Merrill in Pennsylvania, and taken over a bank-based investment program from Osaic in Michigan.

Trump to sign order opening 401(k)s to private equity
RETIREMENT PLANNING AUG 07, 2025
Trump to sign order opening 401(k)s to private equity

The executive order directed at the Department of Labor and the Securities and Exchange Commission also gives an opening to cryptocurrencies and other alternative investments.

Why private equity won't be right for some independent RIA firms
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT AUG 06, 2025
Why private equity won't be right for some independent RIA firms

Fiduciary Family Office founder and CEO Kathleen Grace argues mounting growth pressures from PE investors pose risks to advisors' autonomy and client service.

Americans spend more time fact-checking online financial advice as regrets mount, CFP Board finds
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT AUG 06, 2025
Americans spend more time fact-checking online financial advice as regrets mount, CFP Board finds

Nearly half say they question financial information on the web at least five times monthly, and two-thirds are taking longer vetting than five years ago.

UBS bets on next-gen talent amid continued advisor exodus
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT AUG 06, 2025
UBS bets on next-gen talent amid continued advisor exodus

The bank's new training initiative aims to add hundreds of advisors as it expands its mass-affluent advice unit, according to Barron's.

PIABA slams SIFMA proposal for FINRA arbitration reform
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE AUG 06, 2025
PIABA slams SIFMA proposal for FINRA arbitration reform

The lawyers' group warns that adjudicating certain claims externally and limiting punitive damages, among other suggestions, could hurt investors.

InvestCloud rolls out new-generation AI solutions with Zocks, smartKYC
FINTECH AUG 06, 2025
InvestCloud rolls out new-generation AI solutions with Zocks, smartKYC

The wealth tech giant is unveiling its new offerings, designed for advisor productivity and client engagement, as investors and experts continue to grapple with the implications of AI.