This Week in Wealth
Episodes
Edelman offers planners stock; RIAs hit by cyber shock
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and Alex discuss Edelman Financial Engines’ decision to award $175m in equity grants to its financial planners, the spate of lawsuits facing RIA...
The Americans are coming ... for British wealth managers
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and Alex are joined by Citywire founder and chairman Lawrence Lever to discuss why US consolidators are looking across the pond to buy British wea...
2 mega-RIAs, 2 very different deals
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Alec, and Alex discuss two divergent deals from two of the largest RIAs in the market. Wealth Enhancement enters the support services game with i...
Goldman goes long (and short) to win Fidelity biz, plus LPL and AlTi updates
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and Alex discuss the sale, or not, of listed wealth manager AlTi Global (formerly known as Tiedemann), plus Goldman Sachs’ plans to offer long-s...
LPL brings the pain, Cerity Partners makes it rain
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Andrew and Alex discuss LPL Financial’s move to lay off 3% of its workforce, a story that broke in the same week that the firm’s stock sold o...
Wealth management’s DeepSeek moment?
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Wealth stocks sold off sharply this week, triggered by a new AI-powered tax planning tool from custodian Altruist. But what does the tool do? And what...
Wealth management’s DeepSeek moment?
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Wealth stocks sold off sharply this week, triggered by a new AI-powered tax planning tool from custodian Altruist. But what does the tool do? And what...
Ritholtz sells shares to team, LPL’s retention dream, an RIA and an NHL team
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Alec and Alex discuss Barry Ritholtz, co-founder of $7.6bn Ritholtz Wealth Management, selling a portion of his stake in the New York City-based ...
Sale fail won't derail Edelman's financial engine
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Alec and Alex discuss the outlook for mega-RIA Edelman Financial Engines under new CEO Ralph Haberli and the repercussions of last year’s faile...
Hightower weighs pay changes, Cresset raises $300m
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a busy year for Hightower Signature Wealth. The business hit $21bn after merging in five new firms, is weighing a change to the way its ad...
SEC gives RIAs a late Christmas present
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The regulator kicked off 2026 by proposing to raise its threshold for what constitutes a small advisory firm to $1bn in AUM, up from $25m. It’s a mo...
Goldman giveth, Mercer ups minimums, will Blackstone buy an RIA?
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Andrew and Alex are back for the first This Week in Wealth episode of 2026. And despite the year only being days old, there has been no shortage ...
The most important RIA stories of 2025
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have a quiz! Play along at home! It's a fun, if occasionally labored, way of covering the most consequential stories in US wealth management from t...
Cetera CEO talks RIAs, M&A and that Commonwealth letter
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For our penultimate episode of 2025, This Week in Wealth is joined by Cetera Financial Group CEO Mike Durbin, who discusses everything from the firm’...
The Robo Rapport
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When robo-advisors first arrived, they were supposed to be an existential threat to the traditional wealth management industry. But It didn't quite wo...
It’s 2025. Do you know where your data is?
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alec Rich, Ian Wenik and Alex Steger discuss Citywire’s recent scoop on Mobile Assistant, a transcription service for advisors, which floated (and u...
One of the messiest divorces in RIA M&A
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew, Ian and Alex discuss the end of a two-year legal saga between Mercer and ACG Wealth, a $1.3bn shop that the mega-RIA acquired in 2021. The dea...
A tale of two mega-RIAs
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Sam and Alex discuss the quiet rise of $580bn RIA Wealthspire, which this week unveiled its new C-suite following its re-acquisition by PE backer...
Schwab, the belle of its own ball
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and Sam join the pod from Denver, Colorado where they have been attending Schwab Impact, the custodian's annual advisor jamboree. A bellwether for...
Stifel slams the door on sale talks... or does it?
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex, Ian and Sam discuss Sam's reporting on investment bank and broker-dealer Stifel emphatically denying that it is selling itself to Raymond James ...
How the RIA industry's most prolific banker views the M&A market
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and Houlihan Lokey managing director Steven Levitt have an extended conversation about how RIA auction processes work, what Steven learned from se...
Schwab takes its ball back, Edelman sputters
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex, Ian and Andrew break down two of Citywire's biggest scoops of 2025: Schwab's decision to tighten the eligibility requirements for clients to be ...
Under the shadow of Ares
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex, Ian and Andrew have an in-depth discussion about the hidden role that alternative asset manager Ares Management has played in funding so much of...
Merrill went down to Georgia ... and got denied a TRO
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Citywire RIA’s roving reporter Alec Rich hopped on a plane to Georgia to cover the latest twist in an ongoing legal battle between $129bn breakaway ...
The biggest breakaway (ever?)
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Foerch, Alec Rich and Alex Steger discuss a $129bn team's decision to ditch Merrill Lynch and set up an RIA with help from Dynasty and Schwab. ...
Hightower's next act
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian Wenik, Andrew Foerch and Alex Steger discuss the latest evolution in Hightower's corporate strategy — to consolidate and centralize its affiliat...
Here’s what you need to know before selling your RIA
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Few people have overseen more RIA deals than Accelerated Wealth Partners CEO Eric Amar. During a decade at Focus Financial Partners, he worked on more...
LPL retention rundown
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and Sam Bojarski have an extended discussion about Sam's scoop on LPL Financial making a concerted push to convert hybrid advisors onto its corpor...
Inside a $60bn RIA mega-merger
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
M&A, beards, babies and baseball — this podcast has it all! Ian, Alex and Andrew go deep on MAI and Evoke's tie-up and Merchant’s minority investm...
Cresset's institutional play
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian and — in his podcast return — Andrew Foerch discuss what Cresset's move to merge with $124bn investment consultancy Monticello Associates says...
The Raymond James exodus
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex, Ian and Alec Rich discuss three major Citywire RIA exclusives: Alec’s scoop on a flood of exits from Raymond James’s custody unit, Ian’s d...
The Fastest-Growing RIAs in America
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Alec Rich do a deep dive into one of Citywire’s biggest projects: 50 Growers Across America. The trio discuss how they id...
Minority Report
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger and Ian Wenik do a deep dive into why so many new RIA-focused minority investors have popped up in recent years, what they're offering and...
Peter Mallouk talks crazy deals, declining multiples and life as a clubbie
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Creative Planning CEO Peter Mallouk joins This Week in Wealth to discuss the state of RIA M&A, how his own role has evolved, and what’s next for his...
Debt Deal Deep Dive
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger and Ian Wenik walk through Osaic's $4.3bn debt capital raise, which allowed Citywire RIA readers and listeners to get a rare look inside t...
Peering over the edge of the cliff
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian Wenik and Alec Rich come back from the long weekend to discuss how a new survey from AdvisorPro sheds light on the looming demographic crisis RIAs...
Halftime report
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex and Ian look back at the most popular RIA news stories of H1 (there's a quiz and quiz music), check in on their own forecasts for 2025 (not a tot...
Carson's contentious court case
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex, Ian and Sam discuss the latest developments in an ongoing legal dispute between Carson Group and a former marketing executive. They also break d...
IPO intimations
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Using a poll of attendees at Citywire's San Diego CIO Summit as a jumping-off point, Alex, Ian and Sam discuss when — or if — an RIA will go publi...
A new era for RIAs
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Focus Financial Partners chief executive Michael Nathanson believes that RIAs are in a new era, that the 'age of the founder is coming to an end' and ...
There's no such thing as a free lunch
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Alec Rich discuss their latest scoops on Pershing instituting a new asset-based fee for custodial clients, an explosive law...
Orion plays board games
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik, Sam Bojarski and Alec Rich recap recent Citywire scoops on Orion founder Eric Clarke leaving the tech company's board, a wave ...
Mercer’s messy divorce
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik, Andrew Foerch and Sam Bojarski discuss Mercer Advisors’ latest salvo in a sprawling legal battle related to ACG Wealth, an a...
An unobstructed view
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Andrew Foerch look at what Hightower's first acquisition of 2025 means in the context of the company's history, discuss Cit...
None of your (outside) business
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Sam Bojarski break down Sam's feature on how a new proposal from Finra governing advisors' outside business has some up in ...
Secondary concerns
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Alec Rich discuss Ian's scoop on General Atlantic looking to move part of its investment in Creative Planning into a contin...
Feeding frenzy
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA deputy editor Andrew Foerch discuss Commonwealth Financial Network's push to get as many of its advisors to st...
A tradition unlike any other
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With Alex Steger out, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA deputy editor Andrew Foerch discuss the made-for-Hollywood story of an RIA's CEO getting to participa...
Retention rundown
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA senior reporter Sam Bojarski discuss LPL's bid to keep Commonwealth's advisors in the fold, Ian's scoop on Gol...
LPL captures Commonwealth
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger and Ian Wenik do a deep dive into LPL Financial's $2.7bn acquisition of Commonwealth Financial Network: How Ian broke the story, what the ...
Money market machinations
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a packed studio, Alex Steger and Ian Wenik are joined by Citywire RIA senior reporter Sam Bojarski and reporter Lilly Riddle to discuss Charles Sch...
What's the plan for Joe Duran?
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA deputy editor Andrew Foerch discuss the biggest takeaways from Ian and Andrew's trip to Miami for the Future P...
Blackstone enters the fray
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA reporter Alec Rich recap Ian's scoops on mega-private equity firm Blackstone pursuing a deal in the wealth man...
The $50,000 Question
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA deputy editor Andrew Foerch (in his podcast debut!) discuss Andrew's scoop on the SEC offering $50,000 to its ...
"Ellevest's robo retreat"
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger and Ian Wenik discuss Ellevest's decision to sell its robo-advisory unit to Betterment after raising more than $150m in venture capital mo...
Can you SEC what's coming?
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA senior reporter Sam Bojarski go over the key takeaways from Sam's exclusive interview with SEC commissioner He...
Client referrals aren't cheap
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA reporter Alec Rich (in his podcast debut!) discuss Charles Schwab's decision to raise fees in its lucrative Sc...
A Goldman Goodbye
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA reporter Lilly Riddle reflect on Goldman Sachs' efforts to enter the RIA business following the departure of t...
1099 Problems
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA senior reporter Sam Bojarski cover Steward Partners' decision to halt recruitment of Form 1099 contractor advi...
Will you accept this rose?
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA reporter Lilly Riddle discuss Envestnet's hire of a new permanent CEO, Focus Financial Partners' dividend reca...
What's in a name?
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Sam Bojarski weigh in on RIA financier Focus Financial Partners' decision to rebrand its biggest affiliate as 'Focus Partne...
Happy New Year!
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Citywire USA editor-in-chief Alex Steger, Citywire RIA editor Ian Wenik and Citywire RIA senior reporter Sam Bojarski discuss the rise of foreign inve...