In the News

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

by Mike Werling and featured in Boomer Market Advisor
July, 2008:

What factors play into an advisor’s decision to change broker/dealers? Three of the biggest are service, compliance and culture. Does your current broker/dealer measure up or fall short? The answer could determine your next move.

Ed Grogan had an issue with his broker/dealer-provided Web site one day, and he needed answers. He sent an e-mail detailing his problems to the appropriate person. In short order, he got the answers he needed – plus a little more.

“I got a reply complete with captured screen shots to walk me through it,” says Grogan, president of Summit Financial Group (www.summitplans.com) based in Gig Harbor,

Power of the Platform

by Kara P. Stapleton and featured in Investment Advisor
June, 2008:

Schwab, Fidelity, and Pershing have a new competitor, now that LPL Financial has taken what many consider to be the next logical step as the broker/dealer industry moves to the fee side of the business–becoming a custodian to non-affiliated RIAs as well as dually registered advisors already affiliated with LPL.

On May 5, LPL announced plans to roll out its new custodial venture in late 2008–an integrated custodial platform that will provide independent RIAs and hybrids with access to a range of investment products and services, service staff, and technology. “This is a big change for us and a big change for the industry,”

Find the Perfect Broker/Dealer Match

by David Port and featured in Boomer Market Advisor
October, 2007:

It’s much more than a rhetorical question for advisors who are assessing the state of their broker/dealer relationships or contemplating the wisdom of seeking greener pastures with an entirely new firm. Given the transitional headaches that seem inevitably to accompany a change in broker/dealers, reps who have endured the process say the overall proposition offered by the broker/dealer to make a switch must be compelling.

“It is a huge undertaking for a rep to change broker-dealers in today’s environment”,” says Cliff Oberlin, CEO of NRP Financial, an independent broker/dealer based in Bryan,