This week, Kevin Matras looks at sales growth and increasing profit margins—a powerful combination for big returns. Learn more, and get 3 new stock picks.
Read More
Thursday was no fun for G. Kennedy Thompson, as the board decided it was time for him to step down as chairman at Wachovia. However, he hasn't been voted off the island just yet. ...
Despite calls by numerous shareholders to break up Citigroup and spin off poorly performing businesses, it looks like CEO Vikram Pandit will be taking his cues from Al Green today: Let’s stay together. As reported by the New York Post, today's analyst and investor meeting will not involve Pandit announcing plans to dump Citigroup's integrated bank model....
The New York Postreported today that UBS is facing serious scrutiny by the SEC and the DOJ to determine whether or not the bank aided clients in committing tax evasion from 2000 to 2007. Maybe Wesley Snipes was a client?...
Charles Schwab, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade and Pershing will soon have a new and powerful rival to worry about, while the hybrid broker/independent RIA model should get a major boost. The largest independent b/d in the U.S., LPL Financial, announced today it’s going to launch an RIA custodian later this year, which will serve both hybrid and fee-only investment advisors who operate independent RIAs. LPL currently has about 12,000 Series-7 advisors under its massive b/d umbrella....
Bank of America Corp. just got about $10 million poorer. Its broker/dealer, Banc of America Investment Services Inc., settled charges today that it failed to disclose that it favored mutual funds affiliated with the firm. ...
Every rep loves American Funds: The fund family—the nation’s largest, with $1 trillion in assets—offers decent performance for relatively inexpensive fees. ...
While Smith Barney tries its darnedest to hold on to the money of wealthy clients that were invested in two of the firms’ failing hedge funds (subscription required), it’s also having a hard time keeping some of its best brokers. With all the uncertainties and troubles facing Citi, the firm’s prized retail brokerage operation has become a favored target of recruiters, say recruiters. ...
Many users of the popular tenant-in-common (TIC) investment vehicle in commercial real estate are hoping they have the stamina to withstand a double blow ...
Are closed-end fund preferred-auction securities safe? We consider CFPs to be the conservative's conservative security. Defaults are even rarer than failed...
Wall Streets Bull and How to Bear It
"There are two requirements for success in Wall Street. One, you have to think correctly; and secondly, you have to think independently." - Benjamin Graham. "Wall Street's Bull and How to Bear It" was written to encourage a strong commitment between investment advisors and their clients. The book identifies a unified set of core beliefs that advisors and their clients should share....
