Benchmarking Surveys are long. They ask a lot of questions. They make you gather all kinds of data about your firm. The questions are often unclear or just confusing. They feel like you are filing a second federal tax return. (Continue reading at InvestmentNews — requires free registration)

Is the financial advice industry looking at TurboTax … or Expedia? That’s the question many in the sector are asking about the future of online financial advice companies after the demise of Bloomberg LP’s planned direct-to-consumer RIA offering, BloombergBlack. (Continue reading at Financial Planning — requires free registration)

Benchmarking Surveys are long. They ask a lot of questions. They make you gather all kinds of data about your firm. The questions are often unclear or just confusing. They feel like you are filing a second federal tax return. (Continue reading at InvestmentNews)

Building an advisory business is much like running a marathon – it is a long and patient pursuit that requires dedication and is much easier to accomplish when you are surrounded by others committed to the same goal. (Continue reading at Junxure)

Ric Edelman has never been short on big plans, and right now he has two whoppers in the works that address the top and bottom ranges of investor dollars. (Continue reading at RIABiz)

For a big wealth management firm to grow big and solid, it needs to have a good CEO who makes big, difficult decisions that are often unpopular but need to made anyway. (Continue reading at RIABiz)

Advisors are happy to hand over the blueprint to wirehouses because they’re certain the firms are too fainthearted to execute it. (Continue reading at RIABiz)

Tussels over scale, branding and professional service played out vividly in Vegas. (continue reading at RIABiz)

In a wide ranging interview with AdvisorOne on Thursday in advance of his presentation at MarketCounsel’s Member Summit 2012, Philip Palaveev, the Moss Adams and most recently Fusion Advisor Network alum, expanded on his announcement last week that he will start a consulting firm for “ensemble” practices. He also offered his insight on developing trends within the RIA industry.

The way Philip Palaveev puts it is that he gained his academic grounding in the advisory business doing research for Moss Adams LP and learned about humans from his recent stint as the staff consultant to the advisors in the Fusion Advisor Network. (Continue reading RIABiz)