Investment advisers don't seem thrilled by the prospect of switching from SEC oversight to an SRO -- particularly if that SRO is Finra. Now comes word that advisory firms might pay twice as much in fees if Finra were to take the reins from the Commission. (photo: lobstar28)<br> <b>EXTRA</b> <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CI&Date=20111202&Category=FREE&ArtNo=120209999&Ref=PH>The secrets of less-successful advisers &raquo;</a>
The Securities and Exchange Commission has blundered badly in the past decade, missing several major scandals, including the Enron fraud and the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Most recently, its proposed settlement with Citigroup Inc. was rejected by a federal judge.
A small broker-dealer in Buffalo is shutting down next year because its five teams of financial advisers want to find a better fit for their individual businesses.
A bit of Southern hospitality mixed with big-city benefits has helped Atlanta remain an ideal place to build a wealth management business, even though it is still recovering from an economic downturn.
Raymond James Financial Inc. will see a number of upper-management changes in the new year, including the departure of Dick Averitt, longtime chief executive of Raymond James Financial Services Inc.
A hefty charge that ING Groep NV will take on its American variable annuity business appears to be a mixed blessing for investors hoping to snap up shares of the company's insurance unit once it makes its public debut.
As The Charles Schwab Corp. officially begins promoting its new Independent Branch Services franchise program, observers wonder how the firm will pull off the ambitious plan to expand its footprint with independent contractors.
Uncertainty about what Congress does in 2012 confounding clients, tax planners; 'lot of unhappy people'
MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, kept the top spot in variable annuity sales in the third quarter by cutting rates to attract customers looking for a consistent return amid equity market declines.
Volatile equity markets and record low interest rates have led major variable annuity issuers to rein in sales, but a few insurers are drumming up business with products that reflect the “new normal”
Even with reforms, advisers could sally forth with new schemes
Every time the debate over the fiduciary standard of client care hits the news, RIAs pick up a few more clients.
The Obama administration, Congress and the SEC need to continue to press forward with their efforts to ensure that brokers are required to act in their clients' undivided best interests at all times
The lack of empirical evidence showing that brokers lead investors into bad investments because they want the commissions from those products is making it a challenge for supporters of a uniform fiduciary duty to convince lawmakers that there is a problem
Investors, beware of the financial transactions tax proposed by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore
President Barack Obama today signed into law a bill that would kill a withholding tax on government contractors even before it was levied for the first time.
Republican lawmakers coming over to the idea that Uncle Sam must raise more revenue to make real impact on deficit; Grover Norquist not thrilled
MF Global's bankruptcy illustrates again that excessive financial leverage is dangerous, that regulators must remain on high alert for dangerous situations and that they must act expeditiously when they perceive that a firm's leverage appears too high
