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The Great Lakes State is all wet
There is something rotten in the state of Michigan. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and state lawmakers emerged from a recent late-night budget session with a new 6% sales-and-use tax that affects investment advice services, among about 20 other previously untaxed services.
What do we want? Social Security reform, now!
Social Security was once the third rail of politics. For years, the conventional wisdom held that if politicians mentioned the system's financial problems and so much as alluded to changing anything, they faced electrocution in the court of public opinion and a grisly end to their career
Help investors diversify intelligently
Financial planners and investment advisers apparently are doing their jobs well — their clients and other individual investors are diversifying their investments as never before.
Insurance regulators flubbing their jobs
State insurance regulators have only themselves to blame for a renewed push by parts of the insurance industry…
Congress is unwilling to give up AMT addiction
Seven months into the session, Congress has done nothing to fix the alternative minimum tax mess. It has…
Is time right for specialized bond products?
Financial planners, investment advisers and others who provide advice to wealthy individuals say they will continue to use…
Subprime bailout is not the answer
The federal government should step in to bail out homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes…
Morningstar rating systems questioned
The era of investors paying a “full load” to buy Class A shares of mutual funds is over.
These are the times that try advisers’ goals
These are the times that test the mettle of financial planners and investment advisers. They are also…
Share buybacks worth scrutinizing
Investors, beware. Although you may like the flow of cash you are receiving as companies increase their…
Bernanke unlikely to bail out lenders
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke is facing his greatest crisis since taking over from Alan Greenspan.
Fidelity’s succession issues puzzle pros
What’s with Fidelity? Is it too big to be managed by any one person? Or is Edward C.
Past bubbles offer lessons for advisers
The deflation of the housing and mortgage bubble should reinforce several lessons for investors and their advisers.
Choose in shareholders’ favor, Mr. Cox
To paraphrase Harry Truman: What this country needs is a good one-handed Securities and Exchange Commission chairman.
Solving the SEC net-worth ‘puzzlement’
“Is a puzzlement,” the king of Siam said to Anna in “The King and I.” He might…
SEC must tread carefully with 12(b)-1s
As the Securities and Exchange Commission considers what changes, if any, should be made to the rule allowing…
Reining in inflation fears is key
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, in a speech in Cambridge, Mass., last week, said that as…
It’s clearly time to tackle the AMT
Now that the Senate has disposed of the immigration reform bill, perhaps it and the House of Representatives can turn their attention to a matter at least as serious: reform or repeal of the alternative minimum tax — preferably repeal.
More fund companies to offer 130/30s
Tough to explain PHILADELPHIA — More mutual fund companies soon will offer individual investors access to…
Investment banks need better oversight
The Supreme Court, in effect, has challenged the Securities and Exchange Commission to do a better job of…
