Former LPL CEO Dan Arnold Lands at AI-Native Wealth Firm
Arnold will serve as executive chairman at the New York wealth management platform, which plans to launch its AI-native operating system next week.
Dan Arnold, who was terminated from his position as president and CEO of LPL Financial in 2024, has resurfaced at Stirlingshire Investments, a New York-based wealth management platform with its own proprietary technology.
Arnold has joined the firm as executive chairman of the board, and he’ll also work with the company’s executive leadership team on strategic oversight. He’ll use his experience to help with advisor recruitment, operations, strategic partnerships and scaling the firm.
“Dan's reputation, leadership experience and relationships are unparalleled in our industry,” founder and CEO Steven Woods said in a statement. “He has spent his career helping advisors build successful businesses, and his decision to join Stirlingshire is a powerful validation of both our platform and our vision.”
Stirlingshire plans to launch Stirling One, its artificial intelligence-native operating platform for wealth management, at the Future Proof Festival next week. The platform provides onboarding, portfolio management, trading, rebalancing, tax optimization, compliance, reporting, CRM, communications and AI-powered tools.
Stirlingshire claims to have a different model from that of traditional wealth management firms. Advisors who join get free access to the Stirling One platform and keep 100% of their payout. The firm has both registered investment advisor and broker/dealer entities, using Apex Fintech Solutions for custody.
Arnold joined LPL in 2007 after spending 12 years leading UVEST, a broker/dealer that was acquired by LPL. He initially served as a divisional president of LPL’s institution services business, and was named CEO of the company in 2016, when then-Chairman and CEO Mark Casady announced his retirement. Under his tenure, LPL’s total return to shareholders was 537%.
He led LPL through several changes, including the acquisitions of National Planning Holdings, Crown Capital Securities and Boenning & Scattergood, to name a few.
In October 2024, LPL revealed its board of directors had fired Arnold for violating the company’s respectful workplace policies. A board-approved investigation by an outside law firm found Arnold “made statements to employees that violated LPL’s Code of Conduct.” He resigned from the board, and Managing Director and Chief Growth Officer Rich Steinmeier became CEO.
In December of that year, LPL entered into a settlement with Arnold, under which he would retain about 48,000 stock options valued at $12 million.