ARES vs LPLA Comparison

Ares Management Corp is an asset management company. It offers investors investment-related advice and strategies for capital growth. The company's operating segments include Credit Group, Private Equity Group, Real Assets, Secondaries Group, and Others. Its Credit Group generates maximum revenue and manages credit strategies across the liquid and illiquid spectrum. Private Equity Group manages investment strategies categorized as corporate private equity, infrastructure and power, and special opportunities, Real Estate Group manages comprehensive equity and debt strategies across real estate & infrastructure investments. The Secondaries Group invests in secondary markets across a range of alternative asset class strategies, including private equity, real estate, infrastructure, & credit.

LPL Financial is the largest US independent broker-dealer, with nearly 29,000 financial advisors affiliated with its platform and roughly 10 million associated customer accounts at the end of 2024. The firm earns the bulk of its profit from interest income earned on client cash balances and from advisory fees and commissions tied to the $1.7 trillion in assets under management or advisory on its platform at year-end 2024. LPL specializes in the provision of turnkey wealth management services for affiliated independent advisors, but maintains a diverse array of affiliation modalities, running the gamut from more traditional employee models to a pure RIA custody approach. It earns tuck-in revenue from recordkeeping fees and the provision of software tools and services to its advisor base.