Citywire RIA reported on 6 November 2026 that LPL Financial has appointed Sharon Mizel Murphy as head of M&A product, having moved from RIA technology firm Envestnet. According to Citywire RIA, Murphy joined the brokerage in the role during that week, and the report cited her LinkedIn profile as the source for the move.
The summary of the Citywire RIA report available for this article is truncated before it describes Murphy's remit, so this article does not go beyond the appointment itself. The coverage reviewed did not include an LPL announcement of the appointment, and LPL has not been quoted on it in those sources.
LPL Financial Holdings trades on Nasdaq under the ticker LPLA, according to its SEC filings. Its FY2025 10-K describes LPL as the nation's largest independent broker-dealer, and also refers to it as a leading investment advisory firm and a top custodian. Its Q3 2026 earnings release says LPL supports more than 32,000 financial advisors and services and custodies about $2.6 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets. That is a client-assets measure rather than assets under management.
LPL launched LPL Financial M&A Solutions in February 2021, according to its press release announcing the program. It was described as the sixth offering in the firm's Business Solutions suite and provides end-to-end deal support for advisors buying or selling practices. Wealth Management reported that the program, which had been piloted earlier, was opened to all 17,287 LPL advisors at a point the search result did not date, and that the service is designed to shorten deal timelines from roughly six to nine months to 60 to 90 days.
Envestnet, Murphy's former employer according to Citywire RIA and her LinkedIn profile, agreed in July 2024 to be taken private by Bain Capital, with Reverence Capital also participating. The announcement valued Envestnet at $4.5 billion, or $63.15 per share, and Private Banker International has reported that the deal closed. Envestnet has described managing more than $6 trillion in platform assets and serving more than 109,000 advisors, according to a Goodwin summary of the announcement.
The move links a wealth technology platform to a custodian and broker-dealer that has appointed a head of M&A product. Confirming the appointment directly with LPL and clarifying Murphy's responsibilities would be the next steps for any fuller account.