Stifel cut some St. Louis tech jobs as record wealth results show how platform efficiency and advisor support are colliding.

Ameriprise added Kendall Wealth Management from Edward Jones, showing how female-led family practices are choosing flexibility, technology and independence.

TritonPoint Partners added Greg Powers and expanded into Arizona and California, showing how advisor-owned platforms compete for veteran talent.

Beacon Pointe acquired The Family Firm, a Bethesda RIA with $857M in assets, expanding in the D.C. market with women-led planning depth.

Cetera named Paul Polese to lead RIA Blueprint, strengthening its RIA and branches strategy as advisors demand more affiliation choice.

LPL added Lighthouse Private Wealth from RBC in New Jersey, showing how technology, autonomy and team-based planning are driving advisor moves.

RBC recruited BLS Financial Group from UBS in Michigan, adding a $1.1B team as wirehouse recruiting, UHNW service and legal transition risks intensify.

FS Specialty Lending needed more time to win shareholder approval for its NYSE listing plan, showing why private-credit liquidity events are not simple exits.

Independent broker-dealers are outgrowing RIAs and captive firms as consolidation, advisor autonomy and platform scale reshape wealth management.

Bluerock won shareholder approval to list its interval real estate fund, shifting investors from limited quarterly repurchases to daily market-priced trading.

 Analysts see possible upside for LPL, Schwab, Raymond James and Stifel, but rate cuts, cash spreads and advisor growth will decide the story.

Raymond James recruited 18 former Commonwealth teams with nearly $4.5B in assets, turning LPL’s acquisition into a live advisor-retention test.

LPL’s Commonwealth deal faced about 5% advisor attrition early, but the bigger issue is whether asset retention, culture and conversion hold.

Raymond James took a majority stake in GreensLedge, strengthening structured credit, securitization and capital markets links to wealth clients.

Raymond James added LPL and Commonwealth advisors as LPL, Ameriprise and rivals keep fighting for platform fit, retention and advisor independence.

Ameriprise won one court ruling and lost another against LPL, showing how advisor recruiting now turns on client data, protocol rules and transition risk.

Northern Trust named Eric Freedman wealth CIO as Katie Nixon moves to lead the Northeast, showing how private-client investment leadership is changing.

Delaware fined Kovack Advisors nearly $1M over registration, supervision and recordkeeping failures tied to a broker recruit’s work history.

Wealth Consulting Group hired Jason Ehrlich from Emigrant as CFO and corporate development chief, signaling a deeper push into M&A and advisor succession.

Merrill hired Ryan Culpepper and Sam Pennell from Wells Fargo in Charlotte, showing how wirehouse recruiting still depends on local markets and team continuity.