Robb Baldwin and Steve Quirk discussed what the Robinhood acquisition of TradePMR will mean for advisors.
Robinhood’s acquisition of TradePMR is all about delivering value. It’s a combination that we believe can redefine client service and efficiency while offering investors unparalleled access to modern financial advice.
That message was shared by Robinhood Chief Brokerage Officer Steve Quirk and TradePMR founder Robb Baldwin at Synergy25 as they discussed what the Robinhood acquisition of TradePMR will mean for advisors.
Robb and Steve both have deep roots in the industry. Robb founded TradePMR in 1998 and is now VP and General Manager of TradePMR at Robinhood Markets, following the February 2025 acquisition. Prior to joining Robinhood in 2022, Steve oversaw strategy for Trading at TD Ameritrade and spent time developing new tools for the thinkorswim platform.
In their discussion, Robb and Steve talked about what will change and what will stay the same at TradePMR under the Robinhood umbrella. They also discussed how Robinhood’s approach to serving its clients will benefit TradePMR advisors, as well as the impact demographic changes could have on the industry overall.
Service Is Still Key
Amid all the changes taking place, TradePMR’s commitment to service will remain as it always has: high-touch, personal, and easy to access. It’s what defines TradePMR and there are no plans to change, Robb said.
“We’re still going to have our concierge service, where we know our advisors. They can reach out to us if they have an issue,” Robb told the advisors in attendance. He reminded them that they have his phone number and that they can call it if they need to.
“We want to keep that model because it’s important that people know that they have a point of contact and can get things done,” he added. “As an advisor, if your client can’t get a wire out, can’t get an ACH done, it reflects on the advisor. We can’t have that in our world.”
TradePMR’s trademark client service will be paired with Robinhood’s breadth and depth. Scale doesn’t mean steamrolling service; but it can add value Steve told advisors.
“It’s our goal to make everything that you do on behalf of your client as efficient as possible,” he explained. “The scale lies in… [our] operational efficiencies through technology, which then permit…interactions to be more meaningful.”
‘They Clearly Wanted Advice Solutions’
Robinhood has more than 26 million funded investors on its platform1, with the number of large accounts rapidly accelerating in recent years. The number of accounts with $100,000 or more has quadrupled in the last two years, said Steve. The number of accounts with $1 million or more has tripled.
These accumulators are looking for financial advice, Steve said, especially as they’ve had to navigate the market turbulence of 2025.
“We have a deep understanding of [our] clients. That’s important, because if you don’t understand them, you’re not going to know how to cater to them,” he said. “They clearly wanted advice solutions.”
Advisors won’t be able to just continue with business as usual, however. Robinhood’s users are accustomed to certain business models and ways of interacting with their investments. They like being on the Robinhood platform for a reason, Steve said. Many advisors will have to evolve to meet those expectations.
To help advisors make these changes, Robinhood will be sharing what it knows about its clients with TradePMR advisors, said Steve. Robinhood wants to see advisors successfully starting and nurturing relationships over the long term.
Some of the things Robinhood will be doing might be invisible to the end-client, but those improvements are “making the process and experience much better,” Steve said. “The most important element is going to be the human interaction—when they want a human interaction.”
Focus on Accumulators
The wealth management industry is on the verge of a demographic reckoning. By 2034, the sector could face a shortage of roughly 100,000 advisors.1 Moreover, firms are contending with the wave of retiring Baby Boomers, who will be drawing down funds during their Golden Years.
To counteract these trends, advisors will need to increase their productivity and onboard new accumulators. With TradePMR’s service at the forefront and magnified by Robinhood’s scale, efficiencies, and technology, advisors will be well-positioned for the future, Steve said. Robinhood can move quickly to solve problems because it doesn’t have a lot of the legacy hangups that affect competitors.
“When there are pain points, we solve them,” he said. “We look at things through our customers’ eyes.”
But what really counts is the focus on clients. It’s what brought advisors, executives, and a host of vendors together at Synergy and it’s what makes the wealth management industry so unique.
“We’re all a team,” said Steve. “You are our customers. Your customers are our customers. Our job is to solve their problems and your problems. That’s it. Period.”
Want to learn more about TradePMR’s solutions combined with Robinhood’s scale? Schedule a demo today and see how we’re connecting the next generation of investors with growth-minded advisors.
About TradePMR
For more than two decades, TradePMR has worked with growth-minded independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), providing innovative technology tools and support designed to transform their businesses. The brokerage and custodian services provider (Member FINRA/SIPC), based in Gainesville, Fla., works to streamline investment advisors' operations through comprehensive custodial, operational, and trading support. For more information, visit www.TradePMR.com.
Steve Quirk is Chief Brokerage Officer at Robinhood Financial LLC. TradePMR and Robinhood Financial are both subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc.
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