AdvizorPro recorded more than 14,000 advisor moves in the first half of 2026. The pattern shows why recruitment has become a strategic growth issue rather than a simple response to vacancies.
| H1 2026 ADVISOR MOVEMENT: AT A GLANCE | |
| 14,077 | advisor moves recorded between 1 January and 30 June 2026 |
| 7,482 | moves in Q2, 13.4% more than the 6,595 recorded in Q1 |
| 2,629 | moves in June, the busiest month of the first half |
| 1,831 | moves in February, the quietest month of the period |
| 21 advisors | largest highlighted cluster: Vivaldi Capital Management to Corient in June |
Recruitment in wealth management is often discussed as though it begins when a vacancy appears. The first-half data suggests a much broader reality: talent is moving continuously, established relationships are being tested and firms are competing for people long before a formal job description reaches the market.
AdvizorPro’s Advisor Moves reporting, which is based on CRD history and groups people by their most recent recorded move, identified 14,077 advisor moves between 1 January and 30 June 2026. That equates to an average of approximately 2,346 moves a month, or close to 78 for every calendar day of the period. The volume alone underlines the scale of the opportunity and the threat facing firms that wait until they have an urgent vacancy before thinking about talent.
Movement also strengthened as the half progressed. AdvizorPro recorded 6,595 moves during the first quarter and 7,482 in the second, making Q2 activity 13.4% higher than Q1. June was the busiest month, with 2,629 recorded moves, followed by April with 2,557 and January with 2,440. February was the quietest month at 1,831, although even that represented a substantial level of turnover across the market.
Movement is not always one person at a time
The data also highlights how recruitment activity can occur in concentrated groups rather than as a series of unrelated individual moves. The largest cluster identified within the first-half reporting involved 21 advisors moving from Vivaldi Capital Management to Corient between 16 and 29 June. AdvizorPro also identified a 20-advisor flow from LPL Financial to Modern Wealth Management between late March and mid-June, as well as 19 advisors moving from Grant Williams to Carillon Fund Distributors during May.
These examples should not automatically be interpreted as conventional team moves, because regulatory records can capture different roles and transitions within a common route. However, they do show why a firm-level view matters. When several people follow the same path within a relatively short period, it may indicate a planned team transition, a strategic hiring programme, a business transfer or a change that is influencing colleagues across a wider network.
“The most valuable candidates are rarely waiting for a vacancy to be advertised.”
The passive market is the real market
The central lesson is that the most valuable candidates are rarely waiting for a vacancy to be advertised. They may be successful, well compensated and outwardly settled, yet still open to a better platform, clearer progression, stronger leadership, improved technology, greater autonomy or a more credible route to equity and succession.
That makes recruitment a long-term relationship and communications exercise. Firms need a clear view of the people they may want to attract, but they also need a compelling answer when those people ask why they should move. A fee grid can be compared quickly; a credible culture, career path and growth story take longer to build and are much harder for a competitor to replicate.
What firms should take from the numbers
A market recording more than 14,000 moves in six months is not standing still. Firms that are serious about growth should therefore treat talent planning with the same discipline they apply to acquisitions, client development and capital allocation. That means identifying priority roles before they become urgent, understanding where suitable people currently sit, developing relationships over time and making the firm’s employer proposition visible to the wider market.
The data does not tell us that every advisor is actively looking, nor does it reveal the personal motivation behind each move. It does show that movement is frequent, broad and capable of accelerating through particular firms or routes. For employers, the practical question is no longer simply whether good people are moving; it is whether the firm has created a reason for those people to move towards it.
Monthly movement recorded by AdvizorPro
| Month | Recorded advisor moves |
| January | 2,440 |
| February | 1,831 |
| March | 2,324 |
| April | 2,557 |
| May | 2,296 |
| June | 2,629 |
Source and methodology: AdvizorPro Advisor Moves reporting, extracted 21 July 2026 for the period 1 January to 30 June 2026. The reporting is based on CRD history and groups people by their most recent recorded move. Counts should be interpreted as recorded moves in the AdvizorPro data universe, not as a complete census of every employment change in US wealth management. Cluster examples are system-identified common routes and should be checked individually before being described as formal team moves.
“Talent is moving continuously, established relationships are best tested and firms are competing for people.”
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From the changing economics of sport and NIL to advisor growth, AI, talent and the business of building a modern advisory firm, Issue 3 looks at the people, ideas and shifts shaping wealth management now.
Explore Issue 3: The New Money Game
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