People Moves Related to "The RIA services of Vanguard, Schwab and Fidelity -- for two big reasons -- are cutting into RIA (and wirehouse) market share, Cerulli says"
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RIA recap: Bernie Clark promises to 'be there' for coming TDA-Schwab system snafus; Fidelity gets custody win; Vanguard dishes out big tax bill to investors
Schwab RIA chief petitions for 'patience' for coming merger inconveniences but 'repapering' is no culprit; Carrie Pomerantz gets Schwab board seat; Addepar wins $65 billion AUM contract.
November 3, 2022 at 1:59 AM
Biz Briefs: Vanguard's tax-loss harvest yields a caveat• Vermont green with envy ... of red states? • CFP Board spends $12 million on bungee metaphor • BlackRock isn't neutral on Credit Suisse • Women are the Goliath of 'David' in UK finance
Tax-loss harvest gains may have some home assembly required, says Jeff DeMaso • Adrian Johnstone is now in the driving seat at Practifi • CFP Board spending just topped $150 million • and Vermont shares some Texas thinking on ESG investing.
March 25, 2023 at 1:32 AM
Biz Briefs: Fidelity says humans beat robots, even for Gen Z • Joe Lonsdale's Opto starts signing RIA test-drivers • Vanguard launches oddly delayed fund • Wealthbox hires, and Dynasty buys
Fidelity wins Delta Airlines business with sweetener • Opto pairs-up with Riskalyze and Merchant • Moonfare raises $15 million • CAIS bucks real estate trend • Vanguard launches "curious[ly]" delayed fund • WealthBox, Dynasty, and others buy and hire.
March 8, 2023 at 3:28 AM
Biz Briefs: Schwab puts checks for $52 million in mail to robo-RIA customers allegedly misled about cash allocations • BlackRock blacklisted (again) • iShares beats NZAM-exiter Vanguard • Fidelity makes first acquisition in eight years • CFP board realizes Moms don't like CFPs
BlackRock gets Kentucky coal in stocking, and Vanguard keeps skating; iShares inches above -- by 2.8% -- Vanguard's annual net new ETF asset haul; Fidelity takes "natural next step" for stock plan business; new CFP chair outlines plans and the DOJ is set to become a major Robinhood shareholder..
January 13, 2023 at 3:01 AM
Walter Bettinger joins Charles Schwab Corp. mass executive exodus, leaving a very complex CEO puzzle to solve for his young, ex-McKinsey successor
CEO grew the company by $8 trillion in assets to 'powerhouse' status amid significant accomplishments -- sans RIA mention -- but shares are sagging, and its bank remains a sore subject.
October 3, 2024 at 10:12 PM
Walt Bettinger discloses expiration of unknown 'pact' to explain to Schwab investors why Bernie Clark, Peter Crawford and Joe Martinetto all chose to exit at once
The 'sort of informal' deal was struck in 2019, but never revealed to shareholders during the merger transition, until the departures were announced -- in one press release -- this month.
May 25, 2024 at 2:45 AM
Another A-list RIA Schwabbie lands on his feet -- this time at DeVoe & Co. -- after TD Ameritrade merger displacement of 2,000-plus
Tony Parkin takes the reins as president of the San Francisco M&A shop and reunites with ex-Schwab boss who left 14 years ago
May 10, 2024 at 1:29 AM
Breen Blitz: Mercer seals Vanguard OCIO buy • Goldman[Sachs] & Cohen split • PIMCO joins ETF shift • AdvisorEngine-Schwab bond grows • Ellevest milestone • Lonsdale nets new chief • Fidelity leaks data & staff move • Collation wins RIAs • Justin Wisz returns as investor • LPL nets CMO & Tifin a CEO
OCIO sale to Mercer may be Buckley's last act • Goldman's retail lead departs • PIMCO latest to convert mutual funds • Software firm upgrades Schwab data • Krawcheck preaches wisdom of naps • Fidelity hit by data snafu, but D&I on track • New Lonsdale tech shop imminent • Vestorly founder now funding start-ups • Eight month wait for CMO ends at LPL.
March 21, 2024 at 4:41 AM
Fidelity lays off 700 -- not for costs or [bad] performance -- but to shift headcount and hire more client-facing and tech staff, touching off 'panic posting' on job board
The $12.6 trillion Boston investments eyes 2,000 new hires to speak directly to clients or develop more tech products, but lack of clarity jars some staffers
March 12, 2024 at 1:08 AM
Tim Buckley sends shockwaves by retiring as Vanguard CEO after adding $750 billion per year during his stay in the executive suite
The 54 year-old lasted just over six years in the job, delivered on targets, but he also made head-scratching decisions and never solved its technology woes
March 1, 2024 at 3:35 AM
Schwab 2,000-layoff aftershocks roil the industry as it's revealed top tech talent -- led by widely regarded veteran Kartik Srinivasan -- were axed, raising questions about future of Schwab innovation
Behind every layoff a human story as pink slip to an 'unbelievable talent' epitomizes company's determination to cut $500 million in expenses.
November 3, 2023 at 3:49 AM
Charles Schwab Corp. discloses imminent, sweeping 'TD Ameritrade' layoffs, indirectly revealed in new SEC filing that reports it will expense severance mostly in 2023 to gain 'incremental' $500 million synergy in 2024 and beyond
The Westlake, Texas, firm had not previously disclosed the cost of terminations -- people and offices -- or that so many of the farewells will happen by Dec. 30
August 22, 2023 at 12:46 AM
Charles 'Chuck Schwab' called James Gorman to protest a two-broker poach, kicking off a hydra-headed legal battle, costing Morgan Stanley millions, so far
The Schwab founder and chairman invoked Charles Schwab Corp.'s zero-tolerance policy against Wall Street -- or RIA -- poaching of talent and AUM from Schwab branches.
March 9, 2023 at 1:23 AM
Fidelity Investments' plan to hire 12,000 by October hit wall of macro-headwinds; no problem, it landed at 15,000; Schwab keeps hiring, too
The Boston giant's people grab could be derailed by indigestion -- the inability to assimilate staff -- an analyst says; but it has yet to materialize so the hiring spree rolls on.
October 29, 2022 at 12:02 AM
Apex nabs Jon Patullo from 'Schwabitrade' to 'raise the bar' and make his new firm's RIA system as 'frictionless' as the old one
The loved and admired TD Ameritrade software chief will bring his playbook -- and possibly Schwab's -- to Apex, which continues to try putting a winning front-end on its old Penson backend, a source says
October 11, 2022 at 12:40 AM
Dimensional Fund Advisors, long the flagship of factor investing, struggles to chart a course as a nimble rival and big foot competitors cut into its market--and exploit its slow move to ETFs
Vanguard, BlackRock and Avantis rattle a complacent Dimensional Fund Advisors with fee cuts and ETF roll outs based on 'smart beta.'
August 9, 2022 at 1:57 AM
Chuck Schwab reveals Part B, doubling-down on Walt Bettinger by making him co-chair, a day after Part A -- wagering $15 billion from the Schwab corporate treasury on the CEO's future leadership
The 84 year-old founder's elevation of his 61-year-old protege may foretell bigger fireworks from Rick Wurster who recently took over many of Bettinger's CEO duties, one executive recruiter says.
July 30, 2022 at 12:41 AM
With no-holds-barred perks, Fidelity Investments hit bullseye on its 'monstrous,' single-quarter, 9,000-employee hiring spree and keeps recruiting on overdrive
The $11-trillion-plus giant will also likely achieve its overarching task to net 7,000 employees but growth means the hiring machine needs to keep churning.
January 11, 2022 at 2:04 AM
Abby Johnson hires Canadian whiz and possible successor to head up, monetize and automate Fidelity retail to close early digital deficits with Schwab, Robinhood and Vanguard-- and maybe win institutionally embedded 401(k) millionaires
With the $11.2 -trillion Boston giant hiring 9,000 by year end after opening 5 million new retail accounts in six months, Joanna Rotenberg will be asked to rationalize, unify, digitize and monetize low- or no-revenue millennial accounts.
September 21, 2021 at 2:38 AM
Fidelity Investments pulls out stops on perks to raise headcount by 7,000 -- by hiring 9,000 -- to shrug off labor shortages, escalating wages and call center attrition
The 53,000-employee Boston firm is offering Google-type benefits and Merrill Lynch-style training--no financial experience necessary-- to reach 60,000 staffers by Christmas to meet crushing demand for service and still advance mega-projects like crypto and youth accounts
September 4, 2021 at 12:57 AM
Vanguard Group shows up as 'alpha' disciple with two new fixed-income fund launches as it surpasses PIMCO's $2 trillion with ex-Goldman Sachs partner now calling the shots
The $8 trillion Malvern, Pa. manager owns beta investing, but RIAs are demanding higher income -- hence market timing and cherry picking -- from their fixed-income allocation.
August 10, 2021 at 11:46 PM
Fidelity Investments is paying 2,000 employees to hasten their corporate exits, including high-profile RIA overseer, Sanjiv Mirchandani, as part of its shift to a digital future
The Boston giant offered voluntary buyout packages and the 4% of staff who accepted will leave by June 30 to give other staff room to grow careers and make room for hires.
June 24, 2021 at 5:39 PM
Jason Wenk raises $50 million from Vanguard Group and others, and Altruist may soon overtake Pershing's No. 3 RIA custodian spot, the Altruist founder asserts
The Los Angeles founder's disruption blitz involves a mobile-first Robinhood feel and a plug-and-play outsourcing one-stop-shop -- a sweet combination, except that it may not lure many big RIAs, analysts say.
May 20, 2021 at 3:22 AM
Fidelity Investments is set to make 4,000 new hires at the same time senior staff may accept buyouts, an arbitrage to match talent with digital needs
The Boston giant is now advertising approximately 2,500 'client-facing' roles, in addition to the 5,150 it filled last year. It will also bump its technology headcount by 10% and hire 1,000 new financial planners.
April 20, 2021 at 9:06 PM
Fidelity Investments applies its proven Peter Jubber to its unproven bitcoin unit and its launch of Fidelity Digital Funds signals it's all in on blockchain currency
By launching Fidelity Digital Funds under an 18-year seasoned exec, the Boston giant is signalling no let-up by putting something scarcer than capital into the crypto-pot -- its seasoned talent
September 9, 2020 at 2:20 AM
Skip Schweiss exit from TD Ameritrade means the RIA custody business lost its most visible corporate-paid advocate -- for the moment
TD's now ex-managing director of advisor advocacy is set to become the FPA president, but most peers agree the 58-year-old is poised to 'write his ticket' with another custodian or national RIA
August 5, 2020 at 9:33 PM
A last lion of the Ned Johnson era, Gerry McGraw, vacates the Fidelity CFO spot for Maggie Serravalli, and makes evident Abby Johnson's 'phenomenal' women strategy
McGraw was credited with steely leadership during the 2008-2009 financial crisis but also bridged the management revamp toward a big bet on what women can do better in the next decade.
June 12, 2020 at 3:52 AM
Mark Tibergien sets up Ben Harrison to challenge Schwabitrade with a $150 million cut to Pershing's minimum and millions more to develop Veo-busting technology
The CEO suite hand-off in Jersey City pulls a trigger on a plan to bypass Fidelity's and eventually Schwab's custody units by luring disaffected RIAs.
March 11, 2020 at 7:58 AM
Headhunters rejoice after Fidelity axes invincible (but expensive) executive bonus program to more narrowly focus rewards on productivity and execution
Watchers of the Boston-based firm presume CEO Abby Johnson's play connects to revenue hits from 'zero' programs but also a strategic rethinking of how to unify the company silos and motivate managers with a more merit-based system
January 13, 2020 at 6:59 PM
Into the PIMCO void, Vanguard re-applies itself to active fixed-income funds and Bond Kings get a bitter taste of what the Peter Lynches of yesteryear learned the hard way
The Malvern, Pa. giant has only 24% of assets invested in bonds but nearly 40% of its portfolio staff are bond-directed as it seeks to exploit a world of high fees driven by fiefdoms and petty monarchs.
January 3, 2020 at 1:33 AM
Tim Hockey leaves baffled analysts (and everyone else) probing for answers to explain abrupt departure plan as TD Ameritrade CEO; It's about... nothing!
Discount brokers are facing myriad issues as trading fees continue sliding to zero, causing TD's board to seek a more RIA friendly CEO
August 8, 2019 at 6:32 PM
Channeling its inner BlackRock as bull market teeters, Vanguard Group gets constructively paranoid by creating chief risk officer role with big power including vast new software applications
With Aladdin overtones, the Malvern, Pa. asset-manager puts Joseph Brennan in charge with big stress testing on the agenda
