SAN FRANCISCO — With help from coaches who train accountants to behave more like financial advisers, H.D. Vest Financial Services is finding new success.
One year after the passage of the landmark Pension Protection Act, which made federal tax breaks for Section 529 college savings plans permanent, the programs are approaching “critical mass,” according to the head of the College Savings Plan Network.
Armed with a series of fee cuts and reimbursements to its advisers, LPL Financial Services thinks that it can take on the giants of the custody business that provide platforms for fee-only registered investment advisers.
NEW YORK — OptionsHouse Inc., a Chicago-based online retail broker, late last month became the most recent firm to add a virtual options-trading tool to its website. The motivation for the online upgrade is unsophisticated investors who are interested in trading options but wary because they do not understand them.
Amid market volatility that has shaken the confidence of even the most seasoned investors, one sector continues to shine unexpectedly: technology.
IRVINE, Calif. — The Wealth Advisor Institute is calling for reform of the broker-termination-reporting process.
NEW YORK — An investment company has hired an environmental engineer to run a mutual fund that invests in water infrastructure. The company calls it the only actively managed fund that makes such investments.
NEW YORK — FSC Securities Corp. last month was taken to task in an NASD arbitration panel decision.
Waddell & Reed will offer its advisers updated technology and a new outside platform for its top 300 reps.
For the second consecutive year, LPL Financial Services is giving a bump to its bigger-producing registered reps.
The Hartford generated second-quarter core earnings per share of $2.39, up 31% from the same period last year.
The SEC approved a new accounting standard that would lower costs on Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
A bill that would increase 401(k) disclosure should be put on hold, according to the American Benefits Council.
FSC Securities of Atlanta was taken to task in a recent NASD arbitration panel decision.
The first bipartisan House version of the National Insurance Act of 2007 was reintroduced today.
Bear Stearns Broker-Dealer Services has expanded its sales and account officer teams with four new hires.
Morgan Stanley’s retail brokerage unit ranked dead last in customer satisfaction for the second year in a row, according to a survey.
An NASD arbitration panel ordered Merrill Lynch to pay a former employee $1.6 million after he was fired because of his ethnicity.
The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors has named John J. Healy as its new chief executive.
