Hightower said Monday it acquired Bickling Financial Services Inc., a registered investment advisor that oversees $625 million in assets and has three offices in Massachusetts.
The firm was founded in 1984 by Dorothy Bickling, who was one of the first women to earn the certified financial planner designation.
Her sons, Spencer Betts and Andrew Betts, are now co-managing principals of the firm; Spencer Betts joined the firm in 2000 and Andrew Betts in 2007.
Bickling has five advisors and 14 employees overall.
Hightower, a Chicago-based RIA aggregator, said that at the end of 2022, it had $144.3 billion in assets under administration and $113.7 billion in assets under management.
Last week, Hightower announced that it had facilitated a merger between one of its units, TC Wealth Partners, and EFG Advisors, a wealth management firm overseeing more than $800 million in assets.
Chicago-based Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions adds flexPATH's plan-level outsourced fiduciary book, boosting its retirement market reach to $164 billion.
Also, Raymond James's employee advisor channel adds breakaways from Wells Fargo and Stifel, while UBS welcomes an ex-Morgan Stanley duo in Indiana.
It promised guaranteed principal and 10% monthly returns. The SEC says it invested nothing.
Ten years after entering the fee-based annuity market, MassMutual Ascend says nearly half its lifetime sales came in the past two years alone – but barriers remain among fee-only advisors.
Amplify, WealthReach, Zeplyn and Zocks have unveiled partnerships aimed at automating portfolio management, content creation, account opening, and client communication.
Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains
Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income
