Displaying 28160 results
Adviser health insurance options exist
Most financial advisers wouldn’t expect to find health insurance in the same store where they buy lumber and fertilizer, but it turns out that the folks in orange aprons really can help with just about anything.
TIAA-CREF stages 529 comeback
TIAA-CREF wants to be a contender in the Section 529 college savings plan business — again.
The smallest 529 plan weighs consolidation
NEW YORK — The nation’s smallest Section 529 college savings plan — Tennessee’s BEST Savings Plan in Nashville, which has less than $40 million in assets and is managed by New York-based TIAA-CREF — soon may become the second state to transfer its 529 plan assets to a neighboring state.
Morgan Stanley wins reps over
A year after taking over retail at Morgan Stanley — amid much skepticism — James Gorman has made believers out of most of the firm’s troops.
United Securities sticks former brokers with tail E&O bill
Brokers who left United Securities Alliance Inc. before its March 1 acquisition by Royal Alliance Associates Inc. received a letter from United’s lawyers last month that contained a surprise: They owe United $5,000.
Annuity, fund sales flat at banks, notes study
Fee income from variable and fixed annuities, and mutual funds, sold by banks declined by 0.6% last year to $19.33 billion, from $19.46 billion in 2005, according to a recent study.
Fundamental differences over Schwab funds
Charles R. Schwab last week called the fundamental indexes underlying his company’s three newest mutual funds “a better mousetrap,” but The Vanguard Group Inc. and Barclays Global Investors smell a rat.
Raymond James & Associates lands bigger producers
NEW YORK — Raymond James & Associates Inc. recruited 36 registered representatives during the first quarter, compared with the 43 reps hired during the year-earlier period.
CPA touts 6.6% sustainable retirement withdrawal rate
NEW YORK — Financial advisers can safely increase their clients’ retirement income by 50% or more by structuring withdrawals differently, according to a certified public accountant who specializes in retirement income planning.
VA sales strong in 2006; expected to remain robust
NEW YORK — As long as the stock market keeps rising, and baby boomers keep getting older, variable annuity sales should continue to be robust, industry observers say.
Court rejects broker-dealer exemption rule
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday overturned the Securities and Exchange Commission’s broker-dealer exemption rule in a 2-1 decision.
NASD to emphasize regulation ‘principles’
NASD will put increasing emphasis on “principles based” regulation rather than “one size fits all” rulemaking, even as it concedes that such a move could confuse many in the brokerage industry.
IT spending on rise at financial services firms, survey shows
In an effort to connect better with customers, financial services companies of all stripes are spending more on information technology, according to one analyst.
Sun shines on RIAs, and product makers bask in the glow
SAN FRANCISCO — The days when registered investment advisers could remain as cloistered and mysterious to outsiders as a John Grisham-style law firm may be drawing to a close.
Decumulation is key, says professor
The financial planning world has been focusing too heavily on the act of accumulating assets, according to an academic speaking at the InvestmentNews Retirement Summit in New York this afternoon.
CFP Board proposal could meet resistance
Initial reactions to the proposed changes to the ethical standards for certified financial planners have been favorable, but the other shoe could drop this week.
Solo advisers scramble for health coverage
Advisers who start their own practices after leaving larger firms often find that their biggest obstacle is obtaining affordable health insurance for themselves and their families, observers say.
NFP to continue acquisition strategy
NEW YORK — National Financial Partners Corp. will continue to pour money into acquisitions this year. At a recent conference for analysts and investors, company officials disclosed that they have earmarked $20 million to spend on acquisitions this year, a $5 million increase over 2006’s allocation.
Brokers lower VA commissions
Worried about giving clients a fair deal and keeping regulators at bay, some brokerage firms are tamping down the commissions on variable annuities that registered representatives and financial advisers sell.
‘Probe and disturb’ viewed as key to one firm’s tactics
Nobody ever accused companies that push annuities on older Americans of being subtle.
