Stifel Nicolaus has bolstered its presence in the Southeast with the addition of a 26-year industry veteran to its Melbourne, Fla. Office.

The firm added former Wells Fargo advisor Paula Savage as a senior vice president at the beginning of this month, according to registration records with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Savage is a legacy A.G. Edwards advisor who had been with that firm since 1987 and before moving to Wells Fargo through a series of acquisitions. She will be reuniting with a former colleague, Elaina Garvin, with whom she had partnered for 15 years at A.G. Edwards. Together, they form the Garvin Savage Wealth Management group and oversee more than $100 million in client assets.

More info : Stifel Nabs Wells Fargo Vet | On Wall Street.

The firm would not discuss how many of the firm’s 2,900 employees are at risk, but in a letter last month to the independent broker-dealer’s 13,000 registered representatives and investment advisers, chief executive Mark Casady alluded to the downsizing to come.

“Please also know that we value all of our employees and are taking great care to communicate in a proactive, transparent manner, and to treat anyone affected with the utmost respect,” he wrote. “We do not anticipate any jobs will be impacted until the third quarter this year.”

The move is part of a broader plan that includes some outsourcing, as well as allocating more dollars to technology.

More Info- LPL to reduce head count in 3Q – InvestmentNews.

Morgan Stanley (MS) said Monday that it recruited four advisors from rivals with $434 million in client assets, while the independent broker-dealer Commonwealth attracted nine reps from its largest competitor with some $255 million.

Calvin Mason recently joined the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management office in Pueblo, Colo., from Wells Fargo (WFC). Mason has had yearly fees and commissions of more than $1.4 million and total client assets of $144 million.

The Sheresky/Samsen Group—including Steven Sheresky, Jeffrey Sheresky and Jeffrey Samsen—moved to Morgan Stanley in Midtown Manhattan from JPMorgan Chase (JPM). The team had prior assets of about $290 million.

All three advisors joined Bear Stearns Private Client Services in the mid-1980s, before it became JPMorgan Securities. They now report to complex manager Ben Firestein.

More Info: Morgan Stanley Adds 4 Wells, JPMorgan Reps; Commonwealth Grabs 9 LPL Advisors.

Amy McIlwain is the premier expert in social media for the financial services industry. In this four part video series, Amy gives advisors tips on how they can use social media for marketing their financial services business. You’ll learn how to get started in social media, how to use social media to communicate with clients and find leads, and how compliance within financial services affects how advisors like you are using social media.

For More: 1-Social Media Basics for Financial Services – YouTube.

SAN DIEGO – Adapting to a changing client universe is critical for advisors, says TD Ameritrade Institutional president Tom Nally.

The wealth shift to the echo boomer generation presents big opportunities: The wealth accumulated by Generations X and Y will increase to $28 trillion by 2018 from $2 trillion in 2011, he said Thursday morning in a keynote at the company’s big annual advisor conference.

But planners will need to adapt for a new client base, he argued, citing a study that found 86% of younger investors said they’d fire their parents’ advisors. Advisors will need to upgrade their technology, embrace social media and bring in younger team members.

For more : Time to Hire Younger Advisors, Says TD Ameritrade s Nally | On Wall Street.

The article below appeared as Tom Giachetti’s Compliance Coach column for Investment Advisor’s February 2013 issue. But speaking at the TD Ameritrade annual conference Jan. 31 in San Diego, Mr. Giachetti provided some additional color on how advisors—specifically RIAs—can stay compliant. “Compliance is all about getting you through the exams” of SEC and state examiners, and to do so, Giachetti said, “you have to know what questions” those examiners will be asking.

Wm Geiger – for more:  The 2013 Compliance To-Do List.

Ameriprise Financial (AMP) said late Wednesday that its operating profits were $388 million, or $1.80 per share, in the final quarter of 2012 vs. $223 million, or $0.95 per share, a year ago. Operating sales were $2.6 billion vs. $2.5 billion last year, while net sales were $2.7 billion vs. $2.6 billion a year earlier.

$1.47 per share, but not of operating sales, which were $2.68 billion.

“We had a solid quarter led by strong results in our advice and wealth-management business,” said Chairman and CEO Jim Cracchiolo (left), in a press release. “We reported a record high for assets under management and administration driven by strong client net inflows into fee-based accounts and equity market appreciation.”

The number of Ameriprise Financial advisors stood at 9,767 as of Dec. 31, up 37 from last year but down 48 from the prior quarter.

The unit includes 2,318 employee reps, a gain of 88 from last year and a drop of 10 from the third quarter. It also includes 7,449 franchise FAs, which is a decrease of 51 from a year ago and a decline of 38 from the earlier period.

Still, the company says it recruited 68 experienced advisors in the quarter and 382 advisors for the full year.

To see entire AdvisorOne article : Ameriprise Boosts Profits on Strong Wealth Results.

ROB is a wirehouse adviser based in the Pacific North-west who has spent a professional lifetime with the same firm.

He was 25 when he joined the wirehouse almost 30 years ago, and he earns a living that has far exceeded his wildest expectations. Over the years, he has largely been content. He has felt a sense of loyalty to his firm because he believes it has brought him a level of credibility and respect that he might not have gained elsewhere.

Today he generates just over $3 million in annual revenue and manages approximately $400 million, mostly for high-net-worth clients. Seventy percent of his business is fee-based, with the balance in mutual funds, structured products and some individual equities.

For More : Should I stay or should I go? – InvestmentNews.