Registered investment advisers have a pretty compelling pitch when it comes to graying clients. They aren't commission-based guys. They're thinking less about trades and more about your portfolio in its entirety. Of course, some of them take something like 200 basis points, which some would find even worse than cadging a few commissions here and there. In any case, there is demand for RIA service and several in the private equity industry are bent on creating nationwide firms by rolling up boutique advisory firms, notes Investment Dealers' Digest. While this is nothing new--recall the success of National Financial Partners--the trend seems to be gathering steam.  

For more:
- here's the Investment Dealers' Digest article [1]