Advisor News

Displaying 26697 results
OPINION APR 17, 2009
Now may be the time to buy that vacation home

By Charles J. Farrell
RETIREMENT PLANNING APR 15, 2009
Require 401(k) plans to offer fixed-income products, key congressman says

Requiring annuities or other fixed-income products be included as an option in 401(k) plans is being considered by the House Education and Labor Committee, said Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J., chairman of the committee’s Health, Employment Labor and Pensions Subcommittee.

By Sara Hansard
RETIREMENT PLANNING APR 14, 2009
Beware incredible shrinking 401(k) match, consultant warns

Nearly 200 corporations have already stopped matching workers' contributions to their 401(k) plans and the number could very well accelerate — and possibly double — in the coming months.

By Mark Bruno
RETIREMENT PLANNING APR 14, 2009
Size of plan, pay-in rates help lower retirement plan fees, survey says

Lower fees for defined contribution retirement plans are related to factors such as the size of the plan, higher contribution rates by employers and employees, and greater use of automatic enrollment.

By Sara Hansard
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION APR 13, 2009
Ex-NFL star scores $950K arbitration against Morgan Keegan

Morgan Keegan has been stung in another arbitration case involving its bond funds, this time losing a $950,000 claim to an ex-NFL Pro Bowl star with the Kansas City Chiefs.

By Bruce Kelly
OPINION APR 12, 2009
For fiduciaries, loyalty is everything

Woodrow Wilson may have been right when he said, "Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice."

By Blaine F. Aikin
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION APR 12, 2009
The meaning of 'fiduciary' is suddenly up for grabs

Trust is a five-syllable word. That word is fiduciary. As investors discuss "gates" in hedge funds and losses in portfolios, the term "in a client's best interests" is open to debate.

By Charlotte B. Beyer
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION APR 12, 2009
Arbitrations cost Morgan Keegan big

Investors who are battling Morgan Keegan over the blowup of its bond funds are on a hot streak, with a former Major League Baseball all-star among the recent arbitration winners.

By Bruce Kelly
FINTECH APR 10, 2009
Managed-account communication standards gain approval

The Money Management Institute’s board of governors this week approved the release and publication of the Account Origination and Maintenance Standards release Version 1.0.

By Davis Janowski
FINTECH APR 09, 2009
Survey: Firms failed to use websites to reassure clients

The majority of financial services firms did not include information about the financial crisis on their websites’ home pages from when the crisis began in October through February, according to a study released today by Weber Shandwick.

By Sue Asci
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION APR 07, 2009
Goldman's Blankfein backs wide-ranging financial industry regs

The chief executive of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. today called for new standards on how Wall Street executives are compensated and new regulation of large hedge funds and private-equity funds.

By Bloomberg
WIREHOUSES APR 07, 2009
Discount-brokerage firms trump wirehouses in customer satisfaction, survey says

In a customer service satisfaction survey of 17 brokerage firms, discount-brokerage firms scored better in terms of navigating clients through the market downturn last year, compared with larger, full-service brokers, according to Consumer Reports.

By Sue Asci
FINTECH APR 07, 2009
Options Industry Council announces web education program for advisers

The Options Industry Council has announced a new effort to serve the educational needs of financial advisers by launching a dedicated adviser web portal and the addition of Eric S. Cott as director of financial adviser education.

By Bloomberg
RETIREMENT PLANNING APR 07, 2009
Providing independent advice could fortify 401(k) system, congressman says

Rep. Robert Andrews said that despite more than $2 trillion in losses over the last year, the 401(k) system is not broken — it just needs some minor, and rather immediate, adjustments to empower individual investors,

By Bloomberg
OPINION APR 06, 2009
Memo to SEC, DOL: Regulate target date funds — now

By Bloomberg
RETIREMENT PLANNING APR 06, 2009
Merrill settles 401(k) class action for $75M

Participants in the 401(k) plan at Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. have reached a $75 million preliminary settlement with the brokerage firm to cover losses sustained in their retirement plans over the last several years.

By Mark Bruno
OPINION APR 05, 2009
Crisis challenges long-held investing truths

Two important lessons of the current bear market are that stocks don't always outperform bonds over significant time periods and that investors can't assume a 10% annual return over the long run.

By MFXFeeder
INDEPENDENT BROKER DEALERS APR 05, 2009
Patience wears thin for AIG reps, advisers

After months of waiting for talks on the sale of the three broker-dealers that make up the AIG Advisor Group to be resolved, many of the more than 6,000 representatives and financial advisers in the network are growing anxious about their future.

By Bruce Kelly
OPINION APR 05, 2009
Some good news for Madoff victims

The release of Internal Revenue Service Ruling 2009-9 and Revenue Procedure 2009-20 be-fore the April 15 filing deadline has granted timely guidance to victims of Bernard Madoff.

By Robert N. Gordon
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION APR 05, 2009
Finra arbitration awards may mean gains for investors

Finra securities arbitration panels have handed investors two huge wins in recent months, but lawyers and industry observers are divided about whether such noticeable awards signal favorably for investors.

By Bruce Kelly