At a glance
- The segment has grown at a 20% compound annual rate over five years, versus 12% for the RIA channel overall.
- Cerulli's staffing data gives RIA principals a yardstick: only 17% of RIAs employ compliance professionals, 14% have marketing staff and 19% have planning specialists or paraplanners.
- Of the large RIAs Cerulli examined, 60% offer trust and estate planning.
Enterprise RIAs hold 58% of RIA channel assets, up 18 percentage points since 2020, and size alone will not give them an edge, according to Cerulli Associates' latest RIA marketplace report, first reported by InvestmentNews.
The segment has grown at a 20% compound annual rate over five years, versus 12% for the RIA channel overall. RIA firms with at least $5 billion in assets rose to 357 in 2025 from 202 in 2020, and that group now employs 38% of RIA advisors.
Cerulli's staffing data gives RIA principals a yardstick: only 17% of RIAs employ compliance professionals, 14% have marketing staff and 19% have planning specialists or paraplanners. Advisors at those firms spend 53% of a typical week on client-facing work, according to the report.
Of the large RIAs Cerulli examined, 60% offer trust and estate planning. Cerulli says the pace of acquisitions has weakened the usual ways firms distinguish themselves, pushing large RIAs into tax planning, estate services, family office work and institutional consulting.
Fewer than one in five RIAs staff specialist roles
Share of RIA firms with dedicated staff in each role, %
Select a bar for its numbers.
19%
Planning specialists
17%
Compliance
14%
Marketing
Show as table
| Item | Share | Count | Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning specialists | 19% | ||
| Compliance | 17% | ||
| Marketing | 14% |
Reported by the RIA desk from InvestmentNews. Published . Corrections