Brokerage Firms Shift Away from Centralized Portfolio Management as Advisor Autonomy Grows

Posted on December 11th, 2024 at 11:03 AM
Brokerage Firms Shift Away from Centralized Portfolio Management as Advisor Autonomy Grows

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

After years of promoting centralized portfolio management, brokerage firms are increasingly supporting advisors who prefer more control over investment decisions, according to AdvisorHub. Recent data from Cerulli Associates, a Boston-based consulting firm, indicates that firms are less focused on using home-office discretionary portfolios, with only 30 percent ranking them as a priority this year, down from 47 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, 70 percent of firms are emphasizing improved portfolio construction tools for advisors, up from 56 percent last year.

While in-house models have traditionally been viewed as less risky and often perform well, firms are now prioritizing flexibility. AdvisorHub reports that concerns about advisor attrition has led firms to offer more tools that support advisor-managed strategies instead of requiring reliance on home-office portfolios.

Regional and independent firms are leading this trend, offering greater autonomy through rep-as-portfolio-manager programs. RBC Wealth Management U.S. holds the highest percentage of assets in these programs at 55 percent of its $250 billion in advisory assets. Raymond James and Wells Fargo follow with 46.3 percent and 37.1 percent, respectively. In contrast, large wirehouses like Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch have seen a slight decline in rep-as-PM assets, as they shift toward Unified Managed Accounts (UMAs). Those UMAs allow some advisor control while including guardrails like tax optimization, appealing to those who want more say in portfolio construction.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I just received this letter from the CFP Board. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!

David Y

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

March 12, 2025
GPB Capital Investors May Receive Some Compensation Under Proposed Distribution Plan

GPB Capital Holdings investors have not received returns on their investments since 2018. According to InvestmentNews, after years of litigation, a court-appointed receiver has submitted a plan to return funds to the 17,000 investors who purchased $1.8 billion in GPB limited partnerships.

March 11, 2025
Former CNBC Analyst Pleads Guilty to $2.7 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

James Arthur McDonald Jr., a former financial advisor and frequent CNBC guest analyst, has agreed to plead guilty to securities fraud, admitting to defrauding investors out of at least $2.7 million, as reported by ThinkAdvisor. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

March 10, 2025
Wells Fargo and Merrill Lynch Settle SEC Charges Over Cash Sweep Program Policies

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced settlements with Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network LLC, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated over allegations that they failed to implement proper policies and procedures for their cash sweep programs.