The fourth quarter of 2020 saw a record 69 mergers and acquisitions of registered investment advisory firms, according to Echelon Partners.
The record RIA dealmaking in the fourth quarter resulted in transactions posting an all-time high in 2020 for the eighth consecutive year — 205 deals occurred through Dec. 22, up from 203 in 2019.
“This is an impressive rebound, given the 162 total deals forecasted for 2020 at the end of the second quarter, which was the slowest period for RIA M&A in roughly four years,” said Mark Bruno, a managing director at the firm.
The firm’s RIA M&A Deal Report for the fourth quarter also found that average assets under management per deal increased 23.7% in 2020 from 2019.
The size of firms that were acquired in 2020 also hit a record high of $1.8 billion.
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As more active strategies get packaged into the ETF wrapper, advisors and investors have to look beyond expense ratios as the benchmark for value.
Survey finds AI widely embedded in research and analysis, but barely touching portfolio construction or trade execution.
Two firms land teams managing more than $1.1 billion in combined assets from Kestra and Edward Jones.
A private partnership, Edward Jones is a giant in the retail brokerage industry with more than 20,000 financial advisors.
Meanwhile, Raymond James and Tritonpoint Partners separately welcomed father-son teams, including a breakaway from UBS in Missouri.
Wellington explores how multi strategy hedge funds may enhance diversification
As technical expertise becomes increasingly commoditized, advisors who can integrate strategy, relationships, and specialized expertise into a cohesive client experience will define the next era of wealth management
