As discussed in earlier columns, there are two types of structured-note products — those without a principal guarantee and those that guarantee the return of principal as a worst-case scenario.
Some brokers at Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and Morgan Stanley have been hesitating to use new advisory options that their firms have deployed as replacements for fee-based brokerage accounts.
The Securities and Exchange Commission should resist calls for it to require, at this time, greater disclosure of the business risks to companies from climate change.
One of the most useful ways for the registered representative to envision the [arbitration] process is to realize that it is a marathon and not a sprint.
Registered investment adviser and independent-contractor-broker-dealer firms looking to attract high-producing wirehouse brokers are increasingly seeking to differentiate themselves in a crowded and competitive marketplace.
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 included a provision that would permit non-spouse plan beneficiaries to transfer assets directly from the plan to a properly titled inherited individual retirement account.
Regulators have asked local banks and foreign banks’ Chinese subsidiaries to ensure that loans at year’s end do not exceed the total outstanding by Oct. 31.
Health-care spending for people under 65 is growing faster than for those over the "magic" number.
The greatest risk facing the 401(k) system is that plan service providers will be declared legal fiduciaries as a result of litigation.
A "nightmare" is how Shami Kaur, an adviser and certified financial planner with SK Financial Alliance in Cedar Knolls, N.J., describes dealing with cost basis issues and their tax ramifications.
As stocks of the large financial services firms get hammered, more brokers could be tempted to leave.
A number of top independent-contractor broker-dealers have recently reached a variety of records and milestones, from best-ever revenue to increasing revenue from fees rather than commissions.
The subprime-mortgage fiasco has revealed several flaws in the financial system that must be corrected if similar disasters are to be avoided in the future.
The subprime-mortgage meltdown, which has triggered a larger meltdown throughout the credit markets, is the latest example of grand-scale faulty logic and short-term thinking.
The IRS could miss its early season filing peak if Congress waits until December to complete its tax bill.
Almost all adults enrolled in an automatic enrollment 401(k) plan are glad their companies offer the service.
Fund giant's Aa3 rating makes it a low credit risk, but Moody's still worries about transparency.
The firm has upped its subprime-mortgage losses to $27.2 billion, $6.3 billion more than earlier reported.
John Hancock's new program is designed to help 401(k) plan advisers capture and retain rollover assets.
