LPL adding hours to its back office

LPL adding hours to its back office
The firm will be open for advisers' business on Saturdays, too
MAR 19, 2020

As the brokerage industry continues to figure out how to work most effectively in the midst of COVID-19, LPL Financial said Thursday it will keep its back office open longer each day to support its financial advisers.

Starting Monday, the company is extending service hours for its more than 16,000 advisers from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EDT until further notice, the company said in a statement. And starting Saturday, LPL will be open to work with its advisers from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT.

LPL said it wanted to accommodate its advisers' busy schedules during this time.

LPL is also implementing a work-from-home policy, with about 70% of its employees working remotely at this point. It has also cut all business travel and restricted access to its offices for visitors.

The largest broker-dealer for independent contractor reps and advisers, LPL, like the rest of the brokerage industry, is changing its policies to battle the coronavirus outbreak. A number of mainstay industry conferences have already been cancelled or delayed. Earlier this week Edward Jones said it was asking advisers to halt face-to-face meetings with clients and instead communicate electronically, and today Charles Schwab announced that it was closing all of its branches to the public through April 7.

Latest News

Names of more B-Ds that sold deals of bankrupt Inspired Healthcare surface
Names of more B-Ds that sold deals of bankrupt Inspired Healthcare surface

Broker-dealers that sold the defunct securities backed by Inspired Healthcare generated more than $100 million in fees and commissions.

MetLife poll finds high-value home sales are becoming tax-planning events
MetLife poll finds high-value home sales are becoming tax-planning events

A new MetLife survey finds real estate professionals are increasingly steering clients toward tax experts as rising property values leave more sellers facing significant capital gains.

Kestra adds Raymond James recruiter to expand advisor hiring push
Kestra adds Raymond James recruiter to expand advisor hiring push

The independent broker-dealer expands its business development bench with a new recruiter and an internal promotion in the West.

Cerity Partners names Will Peng chief innovation officer
Cerity Partners names Will Peng chief innovation officer

The leading ultra-high-net-worth RIA joins other large wealth firms, including Raymond James and LPL, in creating executive roles focused on artificial intelligence strategy

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

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

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.