B/Ds in the Year 2010-What Does the Future Hold in Store for Independent b/d’s?
by Jonathan Henschen, CFS and featured in Investment Advisor July, 2007: IN DUSTING OFF our crystal ball, we thought of taking a prophetic approach to what lies ahead for our industry, attempting to answer such vexing questions as: Will equity indexed annuities by declared securities? Will advisors have any say as to their quilt or innocence when clients pursue arbitration? Will Merrill Lynch buy LPL, thereby confirming something advisors already believe, namely, the LPL is the Merrill Lynch of the independent channel? Instead, we decided to focus on a few key trends that have cropped up over the past couple of years that we think will not only continue, but are likely to accelerate through 2010. Technology There has been a growing sameness in the technology broker/dealer firms are offering. For example, most standard technology platforms such...