Displaying items by tag: advisors

If advisors are looking to build out their practice, they should look no further than Millennials and Generation Z. That is according to Fidelity, which believes younger investors represent substantial, long-term wealth potential. According to a recent report from Fidelity Institutional, population and wealth are significantly shifting to the younger generations, who now collectively represent 47% of the U.S. population. These findings came from the Fidelity Investments 2022 Investor Insights Study, which included 2,490 investors who were 21 and older and had household investable assets of $50,000 or more. Fidelity also offered recommendations on how to approach younger investors. For instance, advisors should create an ideal profile of the young clients they would like to work with. They should also engage with the children of their current clients as a way to retain assets when wealth is transferred. Financial advisors can differentiate themselves by becoming a coach and elevating the client experience with frequent check-ins and establishing and monitoring financial routines. In terms of gathering clients, Fidelity recommends that advisors refine their social media strategy to capture their attention, while also telling younger prospects what they do for the community and the causes that they care about.

Finsum:According to a recent study by Fidelity, advisors should consider reaching out to Millennials and Generation Z as they offer substantial long-term wealth potential.

While there is a difference in opinions as to how much direct indexing will take market share away from ETFs, there is no doubt that the strategy is growing. In fact, personalized portfolios in general are starting to really take shape. A big reason for this is that volatility is expected to continue next year and many investors want more control over their portfolios. While direct indexing lets investors cherry-pick which stocks to buy in a benchmark index, Edward Jones recently announced that it is providing advisors with a new and more personalized investing model for clients using ETFs and mutual funds. According to documents filed at the SEC, the personalized research models will consider client specifics such as existing assets, potential capital gains and losses, and the characteristics of the overall portfolio. Edward Jones is initially introducing these models on a limited basis. According to Scott Smith, director of advice relationships at Cerulli Associates, the personalized research models exemplify an industry trend toward personalization. He stated, “We’re seeing this across the industry, from direct indexing, where you’re knocking out individual securities, to this, where you’re tilting the portfolio. It’s all about using scalable technology to offer better client solutions.”

Finsum:As part of the trend towards personalized portfolios, Edward Jones recently announced that it will offer personalized research models using mutual funds and ETFs.

According to a post-viewer poll following a VettaFi active fixed-income webcast, financial advisors seemed to be warming up to having more actively managed bond ETFs in their client’s portfolios. After viewing the webcast Active Fixed-Income Answers to Tight Monetary Policy, half of the respondents said that they are very likely to increase their exposure to active ETF strategies in the future, while 37.5% said they are somewhat likely to do so. The poll also found that "56% said they were concerned that owning passive index-only ETFs left them too exposed to market conditions without forward-looking risk controls or the ability to pivot to make changes, with 44% saying they were ‘very concerned’.” Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi had this to say about the results, “With the heightened market volatility of 2022 likely to persist into the new year, advisors are increasingly interested in ETFs where, rather than shifting to a more offensive or defensive stance, they can take advantage of the expertise of managers who can shift exposure based on the latest developments.” With ETF firms launching more actively managed funds amid market volatility and inflation, investors are looking to active management to help guide their portfolios.

Finsum:A recent poll by VettaFi found that more advisors are seeing the importance of active fixed income in their client portfolios.

Merrill Lynch continues its recruitment of veteran advisors with the announcement that it lured away a duo managing $180 million in client assets from Morgan Stanley. The two-person team from Huntsville, Alabama is made up of 26-year veteran Lane P. Wilson and 15-year veteran Teri E. Miller. The pair, which joined Merrill on December 9th, produced more than $1 million in combined annual revenue. At Morgan Stanley, they had been part of a larger team called the Monte Sano Group. At least 11 members of that group remained at Morgan. Wilson started his career at MML Investors Services in 1996, moved to Compass Brokerage two years later, and then moved to Wells Fargo Advisors in 2006. He spent the following 13 years at Morgan Stanley. Miller, who had also been with Morgan Stanley for 13 years, started her career at Invest Financial Corp. in 2007. The office they are joining is part of Merrill’s community markets program that launched in 2018. The program is aimed at growing and retaining brokers in branches outside of Bank of America’s footprint. According to recruiters, Merrill returned to hiring traditional brokers from its rival wirehouses with high-end deals over the summer.

Finsum:Merrill Lynch reeled in a duo from Morgan Stanley that manages $180 million in client assets.

LPL Financial announced that it has nabbed Strategic Partners, a Parsons, Kansas-based practice with 18 advisors and approximately $830 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets. Strategic Partners joins from Royal Alliance, an Advisor Group subsidiary, and aligns with National Financial Alliance a San Antonio, Texas-based office of supervisory jurisdiction of LPL. Strategic Partners was founded by Owner and President Chris Lubbers in 1994 while he was still attending college. Lubbers said that he and his firm were attracted to LPL and NFA for their technology, operational efficiencies, and growth opportunities. He stated, “I’m all about efficiency and that’s where LPL shines. The firm has invested heavily in its technology platform, creating efficient processes and enhanced solutions that will help our advisors provide better services. Clients will have easier access to reporting and account information, all in one place to give them a deeper understanding of their financial picture.” He also mentioned that the move will help him and his firm recruit more advisors.

Finsum:LPL announced that it has recruited an 18-person advisor team managing a combined $830 million from Advisor Group’s Royal Alliance subsidiary.