Financial ADVSR research · quarterly
The State of Advisor Recruiting, Q3 2026
Every reported advisor move and firm deal of the quarter, added up, with the industry’s structure from our SEC datasets alongside.
In Q3 2026, the Financial ADVSR Moves tracker recorded 1 advisor move with $1.3B in reported client assets and 3 firm deals. Wells Fargo led recruiting with $1.3B in net reported assets. UBS had the largest net outflow, $1.3B.
For reporters: the press kit, with figures and lines you can quote, a chart and the data.
- Advisor moves
- 1
- Reported assets
- $1.3B
- Firm deals
- 3
- Moves disclosing assets
- 1
Month by month
| Month | Moves | Reported assets | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 0 | — | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 | — | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 | $1.3B | 3 |
Who won and lost recruiting: net reported assets
Gained the most
Lost the most
Where advisors went, by channel
| From → to | Moves | Reported assets |
|---|---|---|
| Wirehouses → Wirehouses | 1 | $1.3B |
The biggest moves
| Advisor / team | Assets | From | To | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cullman/Holt Group | $1.3B | UBS | Wells Fargo FiNet | WealthManagement.com, Sep 30 |
Most active acquirers
- Wealth Enhancement: 2 deals
- Merchant: 1 deal
The industry around the moves
- Custody: Charles Schwab is named by 67% of wealth-focused RIAs; Fidelity is named by 23% of wealth-focused RIAs (RIA Custody Tracker, Form ADV filings through 2026-09).
- Growth: the median $1 billion-plus independent wealth manager grew assets 17% in fiscal 2025; the fastest was Arax Advisory Partners, up 303% (The Fastest-Growing RIAs).
- Latest filings: 42 billion-dollar RIAs reported new assets between the SEC’s June 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 lists, led by Private Advisor Group, LLC (+$13B); 15 are new to the $1 billion list (RIA movers).
Questions
How many financial advisors changed firms in Q3 2026?
The Financial ADVSR Moves tracker recorded 1 advisor and team moves reported in the industry press in Q3 2026, with $1.3B in client assets where disclosed. Press-reported moves are a floor, not an industry total.
Which firm won the most recruiting in Q3 2026?
Wells Fargo added the most net reported assets, $1.3B (1 teams in, 0 out).
Who was the most active acquirer in Q3 2026?
Wealth Enhancement was the buyer in 2 tracked deals, followed by Merchant with 1.
Cite this
Financial ADVSR, “The State of Advisor Recruiting, Q3 2026,” updated September 30, 2026, https://www.financialadvsr.com/research/state-of-recruiting/2026-q3
How we built this
Moves and deals come from the Financial ADVSR Moves tracker, which records each advisor move and firm deal reported in the wealth management press, counting a move reported by several outlets once, with assets as reported. Most moves never make the press, so these are floors, not industry totals, and net figures count only disclosed assets. Custody, growth and filing figures come from our SEC Form ADV datasets, linked above. Month-by-month detail is in the monthly Advisor Moves Reports; raw data is in the moves CSV.