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Registered Rep. January 1, 2006 John Churchill |
More, More, More Faced with growing competition from other advice providers and fewer inherent advantages in the way of products and platform capabilities, wirehouse brokers will feel pressure to do more fee-based business and to make wealthier clients a bigger part of their practice. |
Registered Rep. November 1, 2005 John Churchill |
The Money Squeeze There's one thing that stands between the big retail brokerage firms and the high profit margins that the executives of these firms and their investors seek: the financial advisor. |
Registered Rep. February 1, 2005 |
By the Numbers Top 10 Broker/Dealers, by Advisor Headcount: Merrill Lynch... Wachovia... Smith Barney... Morgan Stanley... etc. |
Registered Rep. December 1, 2002 David A. Gaffen |
Light A Candle, or Curse the Darkness For brokers and financial advisors, 2002 may be remembered as the year in which those who knew they had the right stuff redoubled their efforts to elevate their skills and become the kind of advisors who could survive the bear market and build a 21st century practice. |
Registered Rep. January 1, 2005 David Gaffen |
The Broker and Brand X Syndrome The commoditization of the brokerage industry might be easier for individual reps to deal with, were they not under such intense pressure in virtually every other aspect of their professional lives. |
Registered Rep. May 1, 2004 David A. Gaffen |
Mother Merrill's Extreme Makeover A 12-year veteran of Merrill Lynch has noticed a pronounced improvement over the years in the way clients perceive him and his colleagues. |
Registered Rep. December 1, 2002 David A. Gaffen |
Manning the Phones When wirehouses and other major brokerages introduced the notion of call centers a couple of years ago, brokers were suspicious. Although they understood the logic behind the move, it was a difficult adjustment. But call centers are here to stay and brokers are learning to live with them. |
Registered Rep. December 1, 2004 David A. Gaffen |
Meet the New Boss, Different From the Old Boss November's news that Bob Mulholland was leaving Merrill Lynch wasn't entirely a surprise. He had been co-head of the 14,000-strong retail brokerage unit, but Merrill insiders figured all along that only one boss would prevail. |
Registered Rep. November 1, 2005 Kevin Burke |
Reshuffling the Decks There is an unusual amount of reorganization afoot, with Merrill, Wachovia, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney all shaking up their retail brokerage operations. Some of the moves have direct implications for retail advisors. |
Registered Rep. January 1, 2003 Gaffen & Geracioti |
The Future of the Industry The broker has to be a person who can handle every aspect of a client's financial life. The broker must evolve into a kind of chief financial officer for the client -- managing everything from investments to insurance to estate planning to mortgage banking. |
Registered Rep. September 1, 2004 David A. Gaffen |
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow You won't have to steal client addresses and phone numbers any more when switching firms --- that is, if you work for Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney or UBS Securities. |
Registered Rep. March 1, 2005 John Churchill |
Earnings Forecast: Clouds Give Way to Sun The past year's earnings troubles belie the brokerage industry's sunny prospects for 2005. For advisors, the industry's recent troubles have translated into fewer jobs, but many firms are recruiting aggressively again. |
Registered Rep. February 1, 2006 Kevin Burke |
Hired and Fired Up The biggest brokerage businesses are showing that even in a modest market upswing they now have in place a strategy for delivering stronger and steadier sales and earnings growth. |
Registered Rep. May 31, 2007 Kevin Burke |
Wachovia Buys A.G. Edwards for $6.8 Billion, Creating New Rival to Merrill, Smith Barney The deal puts Wachovia among the top three competitors in retail brokerage -- in terms of both assets and advisors -- and retail banking. |
Registered Rep. August 10, 2004 David A. Gaffen |
Fleeing Brokers Can Take Some Client Info Three of the nation's largest brokerage firms have agreed to make it easier for registered reps to take clients with them when they change firms, eliminating a lot of the cloak-and-dagger antics that brokers often suffer when making a move. |
Registered Rep. October 1, 2005 Christopher O'Leary |
It's in the Bank Wirehouse veterans who have switched to bank brokerages say Wall Street's perception of bank brokerages is stuck in the past, and that the best bank brokerages have become much more competitive in terms of production, assets and compensation. |
On Wall Street April 1, 2010 Howard J. Stock |
Back Office Move Has Advisors Up In Arms -- Some Bolt Questions surround what will happen to BAI clients when Merrill moves their accounts from National Financial to Merrill Lynch. |
Registered Rep. March 1, 2003 David A. Gaffen |
Wach-Pru: Rock Steady, or Not Ready? Wachovia's courtship of Prudential Securities, for months one of the worst kept secrets on the Street, has come to fruition. Is the new organization capable of competing in the elite league it has entered? |
Registered Rep. July 1, 2005 Kristen French |
Apres Purcell--Le Spinoff? Now that Morgan Stanley's CEO has given up, the future of the old Dean Witter organization is in question. Morgan Stanley remains under pressure to improve profitability and its stock price. |
Registered Rep. January 13, 2003 Gaffen & Geracioti |
Wachovia-Prudential: For Real This Time? Can you say Pru-chovia? Prudential Securities and Wachovia Securities are very close to an agreement to join forces, one that was scuttled earlier in the year, reportedly due to differences in who would control the unit. |
Registered Rep. November 1, 2004 John Churchill |
Shaky Third Quarter Gives Advisors Pause The last quarter hasn't been great for retail brokerages. Low trading activity and geopolitical uncertainty kept investors on the sidelines, and advisors are feeling the pinch. |
Registered Rep. October 1, 2010 John Aidan Byrne |
Who Will be Number One Among the Wirehouses? A good old-fashioned Wall Street fight for retail assets -- and a fierce tussle over which firm can call itself the Number One retail wealth management firm on Wall Street -- is brewing. |
Investment Advisor November 2006 |
Still Getting It Done Wirehouses seem to be thriving in their retail businesses by using innovative strategies and very sophisticated products to solve problems for the wealthy.... Unsatisfied Women... |
Registered Rep. November 30, 2010 John Aidan Byrne |
Report: Merrill Edge Threatens Online and Regional Brokers, Not Its Own FAs A new report by research firm Aite Group this week, sees Bank of America Merrill Lynch's recently expanded online brokerage business -- as a serious challenge to the online business of powerhouses such as Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments. |
Registered Rep. October 20, 2005 John Churchill |
Merrill Call Center Under Microscope The financial firm's brokerage call centers, its service centers for less complicated and less profitable accounts, are under investigation by the NASD for past improprieties. |
Registered Rep. November 18, 2005 Kristen French |
Smith Barney Cuts Pay for Smaller Brokers The new pay scale was announced to brokers internally in October and will take effect in January. |
Registered Rep. July 1, 2006 Kristen French |
James Gorman's First Marking Period In his first four months as head of Morgan Stanley's brokerage unit, James Gorman wasted no time showing that a new regime was in place. But he hasn't convinced all the troops that it's worth sticking around to see how his turnaround plans play out. |
Registered Rep. June 1, 2005 John Churchill |
Wall Street's Big Curtain Call How baby boomer brokers move into retirement over the next 10 to 15 years will change the face of the industry in many ways. |
Financial Advisor June 2009 Jeff Schlegel |
Money In Motion The economic crisis has wreaked havoc on wirehouses, and more advisors are looking for new opportunities. |
Registered Rep. September 17, 2008 |
Merrill Reps: Waiting For Retention News Brokers were told they would be offered retention packages, but no further details have been offered so far. |
Registered Rep. July 26, 2011 John Aidan Byrne |
Online Brokerages Still Grabbing Market Share From Wirehouses Online brokerages continue to take market share from the wirehouses, according to a new report. |
Registered Rep. September 10, 2003 David A. Gaffen |
Existing Clients Want More Advice The good news for reps is that the world doesn't hate you. The bad news is that acquiring clients -- particularly affluent ones -- is getting a lot more tough. |
Registered Rep. April 1, 2008 John Churchill |
Good Times, Bad Times Shares of the major broker/dealers are getting hammered. The good news is, for those of you who have always wanted to move on, but couldn't because it made you sick to leave unvested options on the table, this may be your moment. |
Registered Rep. May 30, 2003 David A. Gaffen |
The New Smith Barney CEO Sallie Krawcheck was recruited to restore the credibility of Smith Barney and lead the business through its toughest slump in a generation. Krawcheck wants Smith Barney advisors to more than double their average annual production to $1 million. |
Registered Rep. December 1, 2011 Kristen French |
Broker Report Card 2011: It's Getting Better All the Time Registered Rep.'s 21st annual Broker Report Cards showed advisor satisfaction ratings creeping higher this year across the board -- on everything from compensation and benefits, compliance support and sales support to products. |
Registered Rep. February 1, 2005 David A. Gaffen |
Small Game Hunting About 30% of the 22 million U.S. households have somewhere between $100,000 and $500,000 in net worth, including the equity in their homes. Many of them are feeling neglected by their financial advisors. |
Registered Rep. September 29, 2008 |
Wachovia, The Bank, Saved by Citi; What Will Happen To Wachovia Securities? Firm Says The AGE Integration To Continue Unaffected Citigroup apparently thinks its got enough financial advisors: Citi declined to buy the retail brokerage business -- Wachovia Securities (and A.G. Edwards) -- and the asset management unit (Evergreen). |
Registered Rep. October 1, 2004 Will Leitch |
The Rep's Ugly Friend As the industry continues its inexorable march toward "wealth management," advisors have had to add new tools to their workbenches. Among all of them, reps seem to have the most trouble getting comfortable with life insurance. |
Registered Rep. June 1, 2006 Kristen French |
The Wealth Management Quest Are you really a wealth manager? Do you know what the phrase really means? It pays to know, because a new compensation report shows only 8% of advisors -- across all business channels -- actually fit the bill. |
On Wall Street November 1, 2010 Bill Willis |
The Treasure Within In an effort to compete for the high-net-worth segment of the retail market, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and UBS have formed separate divisions, which were developed to focus on the challenges unique to this wealthy group. |
Registered Rep. December 1, 2002 Ross Tucker |
Happy Holidays! You're Fired. The ax will fall at year's end for some 700 of 13,500 Morgan Stanley brokers. Some branches will be closed entirely. |
Registered Rep. November 4, 2011 Kristen French |
Indie Exodus: Overhyped? In 2009, in the wake of arguably one of the biggest financial crises this country has seen since the Great Depression, over 3,000 financial advisors left Merrill Lynch, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo to start life over at an independent broker/dealer or RIA firm. |
Registered Rep. August 1, 2005 John Churchill |
Firms to Recruits: Are You Experienced? Across the industry, companies are upgrading training programs to better prepare reps for the growing demands of the job. |
Registered Rep. October 1, 2005 John Kador |
Schwab Does It Again Charles Schwab, the pioneering discount broker who was slammed by the tech wreck and suffered through protracted management struggles in the past two years, is beating the wirehouses at their own game. |
Registered Rep. November 6, 2008 Christina Mucciolo |
Bank Run It might be time to reconsider the stereotype of the bank broker. |
Registered Rep. April 1, 2003 David A. Gaffen |
Your Book or Your Life! What would you do if you lost your book? Where would you turn for new customers? Where could you be hired? Those are questions that keep many advisors up at night. |
Registered Rep. October 1, 2002 |
Warm Bodies Brokerages ranked by number of reps. |
Registered Rep. February 16, 2010 Mindy Diamond |
Recruiting Bonuses Are Still Strong TD Ameritrade, Schwab, Fidelity and Pershing are all reporting that their pipelines of interested advisors is more robust than ever in their collective histories. |
On Wall Street January 1, 2011 |
Recruiting's Next Big Challenge A conversation with industry headhunters about the job market for financial advisors. |
Registered Rep. May 1, 2006 John Churchill |
UBS Bellies Up to the Acquisition Table With the cost of recruiting and training soaring, firms continue to turn to acquisitions. The recent purchase by UBS of Piper Jaffray's brokerage unit won't be the last as competition for clients and their assets continues to intensify. |