This entertaining piece of economic history explores the early development of the financial adviser profession in the United States. A specialized profession emerged in the early part of the twentieth century when significant trends in the American economy, along with key technological and institutional changes, transformed investment markets in a way that encouraged the rise of the retail investor. Viewing the potential profits that could be made from an increasingly broad client base, insightful industry experts ventured into uncharted business territory to sell their services as financial advisers.