RIA Edge Podcast: Building a $700B RIA with Peter Mallouk
In the March 12 2026 RIA Edge Podcast, Creative Planning CEO Peter Mallouk outlines how he scaled the firm from a boutique operation with 30 clients to a $40 billion AUM powerhouse and set the stage for a $700 billion independent‑advisor market. He credits repeatable processes, a client‑advocate culture, and a disciplined acquisition playbook that targets unmet fiduciary demand. Mallouk also warns that artificial intelligence will soon reshape operational workflows across RIAs. The interview previews his upcoming Wealth Management EDGE keynote where he will expand on these themes.
Equity Partnership Still Heavily Dominated by Men, SRA Data Shows
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s latest data shows women now comprise 55% of UK lawyers but only 35% of equity partners, with parity at salaried partner level (49%). Representation of disabled solicitors has risen to 8%, still well below the 17%...
Ayar Labs and Wiwynn Partner for Development of Co-Packaged Optical AI Infrastructure
Ayar Labs and server maker Wiwynn announced a partnership to build rack‑scale AI infrastructure that uses Ayar’s co‑packaged optics, specifically TeraPHY engines powered by a SuperNova remote light source. The design can connect up to 1,024 AI accelerators and deliver...
SAP Says FPS01 Puts S/4HANA One Step Short of Autonomy
SAP introduced the first major features update, FPS01, for its hosted private S/4HANA instances. The update adds AI‑driven agents that analyze tasks across systems and suggest concrete actions, stopping short of autonomous execution. SAP positions this as the penultimate step...
Middle East War Fallout: Sub-5% Philippine Growth May Persist This Year
Philippine planners warn that the Middle East conflict‑driven oil price surge could keep growth under 5% this year. DEPDev modeled two price scenarios—$100/barrel in March rising above $80 through May, and $140/barrel staying above $80 until September—each shaving 0.2‑0.3 percentage...
Novo Holdings’ Assets Fell 34% in 2025 As Its Namesake Drugmaker Struggled
Novo Holdings' assets under management plunged 34% in 2025, falling to €93 billion as its controlling stake in Novo Nordisk lost market value. Despite the valuation hit, the holdings generated €2.8 billion in income and delivered 8‑9% five‑ and ten‑year returns, outpacing...
Report: Hotel Labor Costs Rising Faster than Productivity Gains
HotelData’s 2025 Labor Costs & Trends report shows U.S. hotel wages rising sharply, with wage cost per occupied room (CPOR) climbing 12.8% year‑over‑year to $48.32. The acceleration intensified in Q4, where wage CPOR jumped 21.1% YoY, while hours per occupied...
How Archer Roose Is Flipping the Wine Industry on Its Head with CMO Conley Downing
Archer Roose Wines, led by CMO Conley Downing, is reshaping the wine category with canned formats and a humor‑first brand voice aimed at Gen Z. The company posted 41% year‑over‑year revenue growth by expanding occasions such as concerts, flights, and cruises,...
Fraud Battle Calls for Cross-Sector Effort
Financial institutions are urging federal rule changes and cross‑sector data sharing to combat AI‑enabled fraud. Panelists highlighted the need for banks, telecoms and social‑media platforms to exchange real‑time signals, creating a unified view of fraud networks. Current safe‑harbor protections under...
Turkish Central Bank Holds Rates and Shifts Away From Easing Bias
The Central Bank of Turkey kept its one‑week repo rate at 37% and left the interest‑rate corridor unchanged at 35.5%‑40%, signaling a pause amid heightened global risk and rising energy prices. In its statement the bank shifted away from an...
Number Crunch: Vive Le Private Equity
France’s private equity market continues to hold its ground in Europe despite a broader fundraising slowdown. Recent data shows French funds maintaining stable capital commitments while peers in the UK and Germany face declines. The resilience is attributed to a...
PR Firm News: Caster Communications Gets New Owners
Caster Communications was acquired by longtime agency leaders Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard, with founder Kimberly Lancaster staying on until August 2026 to ensure a smooth handover. DiGennaro Communications launched The Authority Studio, a standalone content‑strategy and production unit led...
UK Raises $8.4 Billion in First Green Bond Offering to Include Nuclear Energy as Eligible Use of Proceeds
The UK Debt Management Office completed a £6.25 billion (US$8.4 billion) Green Gilt offering maturing in 2037, the first new green gilt since 2021. The issuance brings total green gilt proceeds to £55.8 billion since the program’s launch and introduces a dedicated green...
Doeren Mayhew Adds Berman Hopkins
Doeren Mayhew announced the acquisition of Berman Hopkins CPAs & Associates, adding nearly 100 employees and nine principals to its roster. The deal expands the Michigan‑based firm’s presence in central Florida, bolstering its service platform across construction, healthcare, manufacturing and...
Building a Martech Stack: Eliminating the Complexity Tax for Decision Velocity
Marketers are drowning in data yet lack actionable insights, prompting a call for smarter martech architectures. The piece argues that an AI‑enabled stack built around social intelligence can eliminate the “complexity tax” that slows decision making. It references research showing...
Executive Interview: Alan Mond, President and CEO of East Coast Microwave
Alan Mond, President and CEO of East Coast Microwave (ECM), reflects on a decade of leadership, detailing the company’s evolution from a home‑grown distributor to a Powell Electronics division serving over 30 countries. ECM has expanded its line‑card with major...
Narcity Media Launches Self-Serve Instagram Story Distribution Tool for Brands
Narcity Media introduced Boost, a self‑serve tool on its Locals.tv platform that lets brands pay local creators to share Instagram Stories. The service taps a network of over 2,000 creators across Canadian cities, allowing campaigns to be launched in minutes...
General Atlantic Enters Secondaries Market in Partnership with Clipway
General Atlantic announced a strategic entry into the secondaries market through a partnership with Clipway. The joint venture aims to raise a $1 billion fund dedicated to growth‑equity and late‑stage venture capital secondary transactions. By leveraging Clipway’s technology platform, the partnership...
Why CFOs Are Rethinking How Businesses Control Vendor and Subscription Spending in 2026: Expert Commentary
CFOs are shifting vendor and subscription spend management from a reactive back‑office task to a strategic priority in 2026. Rising inflation, post‑pandemic budget tightening, and an explosion of recurring SaaS contracts have exposed the limitations of manual expense processes. Finance...
Infrastructure Investment Is the Key to China’s Growth
China's government set a 2026 growth target of 4.5‑5% after meeting its 2025 goal of 5%. 2025 GDP reached CN¥140.19 trillion ($20.4 trillion), with consumption contributing 52%, investment 15.3%, and exports 32.7% of growth. The economy faces geopolitical tensions and a US‑led...
The Employee Ownership Operating System
The article outlines how employee ownership reshapes the operating system of wealth‑management firms, emphasizing sustainable, organic growth over aggressive AUM targets. It details the need to balance profit distribution between current owners, future stakeholders, and reinvestment for long‑term health. Talent...
EU Financial Markets Enter 2026 Amid High-Risk Environment
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) released its first risk‑monitoring report for 2026, warning that market and systemic stress remain high despite solid performance in late 2025. Geopolitical tensions, stretched equity valuations, rising price correlations and sophisticated cyber‑hybrid threats...
ESMA Sets Out Actions to Simplify the Retail Investor Journey and Make Investing More Accessible
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) released its takeaways from the 2025 Call for Evidence on the retail investor journey, outlining concrete actions to make investing easier for EU consumers. It will focus on streamlining disclosure requirements, simplifying suitability...
Bryan Construction Names New CFO
Bryan Construction announced that Kristi Rader will serve as its new chief financial officer, bringing more than 25 years of financial leadership after joining the firm in September 2023. Rader, formerly controller at Norwood Development Group, will oversee finance, accounting,...
Job Opening at Canadian Running: Web Writer
Canadian Running, Canada’s leading endurance‑sports publication, is hiring a full‑time web writer. The role demands creating race coverage, gear reviews, nutrition pieces, personal stories and humor for a runner‑focused audience. Candidates must be proficient with WordPress, multimedia handling, and social...
BC Employment Law Changes Aim to Add Early Dispute Resolution Opportunities
British Columbia announced amendments to the Employment Standards Act and the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act aimed at streamlining dispute resolution. The changes let the Employment Standards Branch use Unclaimed BC to recover unpaid wages faster and require employers to deposit...
TreSemmé Links with ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ for Affordable Luxury Push
TreSemmé unveiled the "Get Your Hair on the A‑List" campaign, linking its A‑List Collection to the upcoming *The Devil Wears Prada 2* sequel. The 30‑second spot starring podcaster Paige DeSorbo and designer Christian Siriano will run on social, digital, TV and during the...
7 Best Invoice Management Software for 2026: My Picks
Finance teams are increasingly burdened by manual invoice approvals, prompting a surge in specialized invoice management platforms. Darshayita Thakur evaluated over 20 solutions and identified seven top performers for 2026: Xero, Paylocity, SAP Concur, BILL AP/AR, Stampli, Payhawk, and SAP Cloud ERP. Each...
TasFoods Appoints Administrators
TasFoods announced on 12 March that it has entered voluntary administration after an unsuccessful attempt to sell its core Nichols Poultry unit. The board appointed KPMG partners Tim Mableson, David Hardy and Emily Seeckts to oversee the process and explore a...
NLRB Declines to Overrule Ex‑Cell‑O: What Employers Should Know
On February 26, 2026, the National Labor Relations Board denied a request to overturn the 1970 Ex‑Cell‑O decision, preserving the longstanding rule that limits remedies when an employer refuses to bargain during a test‑of‑certification. The Board, led by two Trump...
The Adecco Group to Scale Agentic AI with Salesforce
Adecco Group signed a multi‑year agreement with Salesforce for unlimited access to Agentforce 360 through 2027, enabling the company to scale agentic AI across its global operations. The partnership builds on a UK pilot that delivered 15 percent recruiter time savings and...
Will CynLr’s Bet On Object Intelligence Revolutionise Industrial Robotics?
CynLr is commercialising an "object intelligence" layer that lets industrial robots perceive, understand and manipulate previously unseen parts in real time. After early vision‑only prototypes and a shift to multi‑arm configurations, the startup has raised roughly $15 million and is targeting...
SEC and PCAOB Enforcement Grinds to a Near Halt Under New Leaders
The SEC launched only ten accounting and auditing enforcement actions in 2025, the fewest in nine years, and collected just $31 million in settlements, a sharp drop from $907 million the previous year. Most of the 2025 penalties were imposed during outgoing...
The Briefing Room
Donald Trump suggested the US‑Israel conflict with Iran could end soon, but analysts warn the war may linger, keeping oil markets on edge. Prolonged fighting threatens to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, which...
Watch: Your Oil Questions Answered
ING commodity strategist Warren Patterson discusses the ongoing oil price volatility, with Brent crude intermittently breaching $100 per barrel despite the International Energy Agency’s announcement of record supply releases. He examines how the conflict with Iran, particularly the strategic choke...
A 4-Part Process for Building an Executive Voice Framework
The article outlines a four‑step process for creating an executive voice framework: audit existing leader communications, define three to five messaging pillars aligned with company values, build a practical voice playbook with sample language, and map each executive to the...
Anglo American Iron Ore Cargoes Diverted by Iran War
Anglo American rerouted three iron‑ore vessels after the Strait of Hormuz became impassable following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The ships—Cape Shangrila, Cape Jasmine and Mineral Zimbabwe—were diverted to Singapore, Vietnam and China respectively. Vale experienced similar disruptions, sending...
Middle East Tensions, Rising Energy and Fertilizer Costs Push Grocery Prices Higher
Grocery prices in February rose 0.4% month‑over‑month, reaching a 2.4% year‑over‑year increase for food consumed at home. The uptick coincides with a 0.6% rise in energy costs and a more than 25% surge in urea fertilizer prices, driven by escalating...
Krystal Promotes COO From Parent Company
Restaurant operator Amanda Hyde has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Krystal, moving up from her role as Senior Vice President of Operations at parent company SPB Hospitality. Hyde brings more than two decades of multi‑unit restaurant leadership, previously...
Mimecast Adds AI Investigation and Adaptive Controls to Manage Human Risk
Mimecast unveiled a suite of AI‑driven platform enhancements aimed at curbing human‑related security risk. The rollout adds adaptive security policies that auto‑adjust based on individual risk scores, an AI‑powered Mihra Investigation Agent that accelerates incident analysis, and open‑gateway integrations for...
Norwegian Photoncycle Bags €15M Series A to Launch Seasonal Solar Storage in the Netherlands
Oslo‑based Photoncycle raised €15 million in a Series A round led by NordicNinja and Voima Ventures to commercialize its solid‑state hydrogen storage system. The technology stores excess summer solar power as hydrogen for winter use, targeting Dutch and Danish households as net‑metering...
Screwfix Reaches Trade Apprentice Milestone in Drive to Tackle Skills Shortage
Screwfix has funded over 50 trade apprentices through its partnership with flexi‑job agency TrAC, aiming to curb the UK skills shortage. Since the 2022 launch, apprentices have been placed in plumbing, electrical, landscaping and decorating roles, with funding drawn from...
Neurodiversity: Better Training Is Needed for Managers
A recent Acas survey of 1,000 UK employees finds 35% view their employer’s training for managers on neurodiversity as ineffective, with another 18% rating it “very ineffective.” Only a third of respondents believe their organisations train managers adequately, while 32%...
U.S. Trade Deficit Falls in January
The U.S. trade deficit shrank to $54.5 billion in January, a 25 percent drop from December. Exports rose 5.5 percent to $302.1 billion, driven by gold, computers and other precious metals, while imports slipped 0.7 percent to $356.6 billion. The narrowing gap appears amid a tariff...
As War Rages, Multimodal Demand Surges on Asia-Europe Landbridge
Major ocean carriers are rerouting Gulf‑bound cargo to land‑based corridors after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed by the ongoing war. Maersk now ships to Salalah, Khor Fakkan and Jeddah, then secures trucking capacity to move goods into the Persian...
Mead Lumber Completes Brand Unification With Final Renaming of Former Knecht Home Center
Mead Lumber will finalize its brand unification on March 13, 2026, by renaming its former Knecht Home Center in Cañon City, Colorado to Mead Lumber. This marks the completion of a rollout that began in October 2025 and now brings...
Man Jailed for Running Illegal Sale-and-Rent-Back Scheme Targeting Struggling Homeowners
Rajinder Gill was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for operating an unauthorised sale‑and‑rent‑back scheme that defrauded vulnerable homeowners of £925,233. The scheme, run through Secure Property Consultants Ltd, forced owners to sell below market value, pay...
Second Charge Mortgage Firms Told to Raise Standards for Consumers
The FCA has warned second‑charge mortgage lenders and brokers to raise standards after a review uncovered weak affordability checks, inappropriate debt‑consolidation advice, poor record‑keeping and opaque fees. The sector, which serves borrowers with high debt and low resilience, accounts for...
Why Dove Turned Reddit Product Feedback Into a Real-World Campaign
Dove turned the first 50 Reddit reviews of its Intensive Repair 10‑in‑1 Serum Mask into the "r/eal reviews" campaign, publishing the comments across digital and in‑person channels. The brand embraced both praise and criticism to highlight its confidence in the...
Dishwashing Home Robot Maker Sunday Hits $1.15 Billion Valuation
Sunday Inc., a developer of a multifunctional home robot, announced a $165 million Series B financing round that lifted its valuation to $1.15 billion. The round was led by Coatue Management with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, Tiger Global, Benchmark and Conviction Partners....