Innovation has provided many benefits to advisory firms, RIAs and other companies in the wealth management ecosystem. At the same time, innovation by its very nature keeps evolving, which requires us to keep up with the latest technologies – and not just new developments external to our firms. The technologies already built into our businesses and processes need regular review. This week, Liam Hanlon discusses how firms should evaluate vendors, tech stacks and tools.
Monthly RIA M&A Trends For July
Serial acquirers continued their trend in July’s RIA M&A market, with regional roll-ups, niche acquisitions and a number of larger platforms adding local firms.
Hesom Parhizkar of AdvizorPro breaks down the month’s deal activity, from Bluespring Wealth Management’s acquisitions in Ohio and Kentucky to the $48.4 billion BNP Paribas Asset Management USA deal.
How Advisors Can Optimize Their Tech Stacks And Keep Them Up To Date
To learn how advisors can best approach keeping their tech stacks up to date, we spoke with Liam Hanlon, Vice President, Strategy & Head of Insights at Jump, an AI platform provider for advisors.
WSR asked Hanlon about reassessing tech stacks quarterly, what a more effective tech evaluation cadence looks like, how often firms should re-evaluate their vendors, the right framework for determining whether tools are solving specific problems and how firms can stay ahead of AI evolution.
iCapital Survey: Advisor Alts Demand Continues To Grow
Advisor demand for alternative investments continues to grow as wealth management firms focus on the tools, processes and infrastructure needed to support wider adoption, according to iCapital’s 2026 Global Advisor Survey report, “The Next Phase of Alternatives Growth.”
The survey found that 89% of advisors plan to maintain or increase alternatives allocations over the next 12 months and 39% expect to increase allocations, up from only 14% last year.
Recruiting In The Summer Of 2026
With Louis Diamond of Diamond Consultants, Joseph Trifiletti of Vanderbilt Financial Group, Jeff Nash of Bridgemark Strategies and Tammy Robbins of Cambridge Investment Research, we examine how technology, heightened competition and year-round evaluation of career options are changing the traditional recruiting calendar, even as some firms experience a seasonal slowdown.
We discuss recent recruiting activity, the importance of maintaining prospecting and outreach, and how summer conversations can lay the groundwork for transitions later in the year.
Dear Ryan: Measuring The Immeasurable
In his latest installment of the Dear Ryan column, Ryan George of Docupace advises the chief technology officer of a mid-sized RIA whose board has asked for a presentation on the ROI of the AI investment, but who believes that the number is superficial and doesn’t measure reality or impact.
“Your board doesn’t need a ratio. They need confidence that the investment has direction,” said George.
Deals & Recruiting Roundup
This week’s roundup includes Carlyle investing in Prime Capital; acquisitions by Merit and Hightower; recruiting by IFP, Raymond James, Cetera, LPL and Prudential; SEIA launching and expanding services; and appointments by CogniCor and Fiduciary Trust.
The exodus continues this week as three stories – Merit, IFP and Cetera – feature firms leaving Commonwealth.
Investments Roundup
This month’s roundup covers Kelly Park Capital, NewEdge, Goldman Sachs, Raymond James, Fidelity, HFR, VanEck, Cerulli, State Street, LPL, WTW and iCapital.
U.S. financial advisors’ holdings of less-than-fully-liquid private capital products are expected to increase by $2 trillion over the next five years, Cerulli said.
Merit Expands Southern California Presence With Acquisition Of $900 Million Firm
Merit Financial Advisors announced the acquisition of The Bridgeway Group, a Southern California wealth management firm with offices in Pasadena and Covina that oversees about $900 million in client assets.
The transaction is Merit’s 61st acquisition to date and its ninth partnership in 2026.
Feathery Launches AI-Powered Proposal Generation Tool
Wealthtech firm Feathery announced the launch of its AI-powered Proposal Generation solution for wealth management firms.
The tool is intended to improve organic growth rates by enabling advisors to create personalized proposals for their clients and prospects.
Being A Fiduciary Is A Calling, Not A Slogan
Bill Sowell of Sowell Management makes the case that being a fiduciary is a minimum standard that all advisors should meet, not a marketing slogan. He argues that the real differentiator is earning client trust.
Successful advisors, he says, are “defined by the promises they keep, the relationships they build and the lives they help improve.”
Beacon Pointe Advisors Chairman Joins AI-Platform Provider CogniCor’s Advisory Board
Shannon Eusey, Chairman and Co-Founder of Beacon Pointe Advisors, joined the Advisory Board of AI and orchestration platform company CogniCor.
The move, according to CogniCor, is to position its Advisory Board to accelerate its next phase of growth, focused on RIAs.
Prudential Advisors Recruits Former Ameriprise Advisor
Prudential Advisors recruited Christopher Grella, a New Jersey-based advisor who oversaw more than $110 million in client assets at Ameriprise Financial.
He joins Prudential through NJ Wealth Partners in Holmdel, New Jersey.
IFP Adds $400 Million By Picking Up Two Advisor Teams From Commonwealth
Independent Financial Partners announced that it recruited two more former Commonwealth Financial Network firms – Van Horn Financial Services and Severn Financial Advisors – adding over $400 million in combined client assets to IFP.
To date, IFP has added four former Commonwealth advisor teams with 10 advisors combined and about $1.2 billion in total client assets.
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Larry Roth
CEO
Wealth Solutions Report
