http://registeredrep.com/investing/ en-us http://registeredrep.com/investing/top_recent_insider_trades_521 Below are lists of the top 10 mainly open-market insider purchases and sales filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, May 18, 2012 as ranked by dollar value. investing Mon, 21 May 2012 13:30:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/live_from_fra_the_l_word_518 “Alternatives” have become the hot dot in the retail advisory industry. But FRA panelists caution that liquidity is key when evaluating the options. investing Fri, 18 May 2012 13:06:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/say_goodbye_to_traditional_517 In 1981, Rolf Banz published his finding that small stocks had outperformed large ones. The discovery caught the attention of Wall Street, which soon introduced a slew of small-cap funds. investing Thu, 17 May 2012 11:49:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/artnet_offers_new_index_to_demystify_art_investing_516 Artnet has just launched a new art pricing index that it claims will demystify art investing. It covers more ground than the benchmark Mei Moses, but is that a good thing? Art world advisers say successful art investing will continue to resist formulas and equations. investing Wed, 16 May 2012 10:28:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/you_cant_buy_taste_515 The art market has been go-go for years, but it’s a minefield for the uninitiated. investing Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_golden_future_dividends In the aftermath of the 2008-2009 market meltdown, investors piled into gold mining issues, Treasury bonds and high-dividend stocks. The dividend play has now become very crowded and the wheels on the mining stock bus are wobbling dangerously but a novel twist in corporate payouts could, in one fell swoop, generate new interest. Gold Resource Corp. (NYSE Amex: GORO), a low-cost bullion producer, recently investing Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/best_worst_style_etfs_mutual_funds_5912 This report identifies the “best” ETFs and mutual funds based on the quality of their holdings and their costs. As detailed in “A cheap fund is not always a good fund”, there are few funds that have both good holdings and low costs. While there are lots of cheap funds, there are very few with high-quality holdings. investing Sat, 12 May 2012 10:34:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/actives_a_zero_sum_game_511 Active ETFs have been making a big splash lately, especially with the recent launch of PIMCO’s Total Return ETF (ticker: TRXT). investing Fri, 11 May 2012 13:57:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/please_please_me_investor_satisfaction_511 Investors are not happier campers when it comes to their full service brokerage, according to the latest satisfaction study by J.D. Power and Associates. investing Fri, 11 May 2012 10:25:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_emerging_real_estate While most investors lack a deep understanding of emerging markets overall, most of them know enough to be excited about these countries and the investment opportunities they offer. That excitement is not unwarranted; however, some business sectors within these emerging markets offer greater opportunity than others. Real estate is one of those sectors, says Joel Wells, portfolio manager of Alpine investing Thu, 10 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/Dancing_with_the_dragon_59 In 2011 George R.R. Martin released “A Dance with Dragons,” book number five of the bestselling Game of Thrones novels. In the Year of the Rabbit, this novel outsold any fiction title on its day of release– topping out just shy of three hundred thousand copies. investing Wed, 09 May 2012 12:27:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/top_insider_trades_5_8_12 Below are lists of the top 10 mainly open-market insider purchases and sales filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday, May 8, 2012 as ranked by dollar value. investing Wed, 09 May 2012 12:17:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_saving_retirement_avatar Cathy Smith has spent months talking about aging how many wrinkles someone may have when he's 65 years old, the circles under his eyes, even hairlines. No, she's not an expert in plastic surgery. Nor is she a makeup artist. Smith is the co-director at Allianz Global Investor Center for Behavioral Science. And her work? To help Allianz craft a tool that will virtually age investors in moments, in hopes investing Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/the_little_discount_brokerage_that_could_58 It’s likely you haven’t heard of Scottrade’s advisor platform – but if current growth rates continue, you will. investing Tue, 08 May 2012 11:37:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/ranking_morningstars_mutual_fund_5712 With much fanfare, Morningstar introduced a new fund grading system in November, and so far the results have not been inspiring. During the first quarter of this year, top-rated large-cap blend and mid-cap value funds trailed category averages by half a percentage point. investing Mon, 07 May 2012 12:49:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/another_case_for_annuities_54 The battle to get annuities into 401(k) plans has been hard-fought, and it’s not over yet. investing Fri, 04 May 2012 07:43:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/treasury_considers_floaters_52 Floating Rate notes would be the first new U.S. government debt security since TIPs were introduced in 1997. But would they make sense for your clients? investing Wed, 02 May 2012 16:18:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/when_studying_together_leads_to_more_52 Great minds think alike; sometimes, they even end up in bed together. Why should the world of RIAs be any different? investing Wed, 02 May 2012 13:06:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/ubs_brokerage_breaks_profit_record_5212 UBS Wealth Management Americas (WMA) expanded its advisor force by 48 to 7,015 financial advisors in the last quarter as the brokerage unit of the Swiss banking giant posted both record pre-tax profit and invested assets. investing Wed, 02 May 2012 11:02:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/realestate/reit_regs_in_the_works_51 Non-traded REITs have been getting a lot of bad press lately, as valuations for some have dropped dramatically. realestate Tue, 01 May 2012 16:41:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/hobsons_choice_51 Sponsors of 401(k) retirement plans who worry when employees borrow from the savings vehicle have a solution, but it comes with a price, a new report by Vanguard says. investing Tue, 01 May 2012 15:28:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/best_and_worst_etfs_and_mutual_funds5112 New Constructs’ David Trainer’s guide to the best and worst mutual funds and ETFs across several sectors. Trainers’ analysis takes an x-ray approach to funds, ranking them based on the quality of their individual holdings. investing Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/top_recent_insider_trades_5112 Which stocks are getting attention from insiders? Below are lists of the top 10 mainly open-market insider purchases and sales filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday, April 30, 2012 as ranked by dollar value. investing Tue, 01 May 2012 13:23:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_seasoned_veterans General George S. Patton once said, You cannot be disciplined in great things and indisciplined in small things. That same philosophy could be applied to being a financial advisor. According to an Edward Jones survey of 1,006 Americans, 57 percent of people believe the skills gained in the military are transferable to a career as an FA. The survey, conducted by ORC International on behalf of Edward investing Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_blotter_84 Ponzi-preneur Ephren W. Taylor II just wanted to write books and hear his wife sing, in a manner of speaking. Problem is he needed other people's money to make that happen, nearly $11 million of other people's money. Recent SEC charges suggest he thought he could get away with just swiping it. Between 2008 and 2010 he raised money from hundreds of investors nationwide to fund what amounted to a Ponzi investing Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_annuities_growing_pains Back before the Great Recession kicked off in 2008, Mark Cortazzo, senior partner with Parsippany, N.J.-based Macro Consulting Group, was pouring income-seeking clients into variable annuities, allocating 75 percent or more of such clients' portfolios to them. After all, the deals were pretty rich. In those days, he could get a 6 percent guarantee on assets invested. In '06 and '07, the insurance investing Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/lpl_posts_lower_earnings_430 LPL Financial saw mixed results in the first quarter, with lower earnings and net new advisory assets and record net revenue and advisory and brokerage assets. investing Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:25:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/top_insider_trades_ozm_pri_pope_and_sem Below are lists of the top 10 mainly open-market insider purchases and sales filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, April 27, 2012 as ranked by dollar value. investing Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:11:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/social_media_tips_427 One of the topics at this morning’s Investment Adviser Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco was advisor use of social media. investing Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:38:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/new_billion_ria_426 Savant Capital Management and The Monitor Group say combining forces gives them a more holistic level of expertise and a retirement route for their advisors – more importantly, they aren’t giving up equity to aggregators. investing Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:34:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/long_awaited_sro_legislation_425 The long-awaited and much-debated SRO (self-regulatory organization) bill has finally hit the floor. On Wednesday, Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R., Ala.) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D., N.Y.) introduced the Investment Adviser Oversight Act of 2012, which would allow one or more SROs to oversee investment advisers. investing Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:18:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/imca_2012_423 investing Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/top_insider_trades_425 investing Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:50:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/best_and_worst_etfs_and_mutual_funds_425 The Financials sector ranks last out of the ten sectors as detailed in my sector roadmap. It is the only sector to earn my Very Dangerous rating, which is based on aggregation of ratings of 48 ETFs and 224 mutual funds in the Financials sector as of April 18, 2012. investing Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:40:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/think_tips_will_protect_423 Plenty of advisors have embraced Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). The principal value of TIPS rises with the consumer price index. investing Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:23:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/regulator_burdens_prompt_420 Expecting more cumbersome regulations and greater scrutiny of the industry, the head of a small Florida broker/dealer left its affiliation with a community bank in favor of starting an independent hybrid RIA – and took half his staff with him. investing Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:55:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/no_obvious_panic_from_insiders_418 We have stayed 100% invested over the past couple week’s turmoil despite debt fears in Europe again hitting investors’ sensibilities, concern of a hard landing in China, a disappointing March jobs number, and, well, whatever other reasonable angst causing metric is out there—and there are many. investing Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:54:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/could_non_traded_411 Non-traded real estate investment trusts have been getting a lot of bad press lately, as valuations for some have dropped dramatically. investing Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:38:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_lump_run You have a client who participates in a defined benefit pension plan at work. She's near retirement and needs to make a decision: take the money as a lump sum, or receive a monthly lifetime annuity-style payment? What advice should you give? Take the lump sum and run might be your first inclination. After all, much of the news we read about pension plans sounds pretty bad. Public sector plans are investing Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_private_equity_thats Ah, memories. Remember when endowment-style investment was all the rage? You know, before the market meltdown of 2008-2009? Those were the days when investors clamored for portfolios that looked like those managed for the benefit of Harvard and Yale universities. Yale's chief investment officer, David Swensen, in particular, was elevated to guru status by alums and envious investors for his two-decade investing Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/cfp_board_to_make_planner_4512 Bankruptcy among holders of the Certified Financial Planner designation has been rising at a startling rate in the past four years. The number of cases that the CFP Board of Standards reviews has risen from just one in 2008 to eight in 2009, 20 in 2010, 49 in 2011, and 37 in the first quarter of this year. investing Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_trailer_homes_not When someone mentions manufactured housing, you probably don't think of clean, well-kept communities owned and operated by REITs. Instead, you likely envision rundown, trashy trailer parks those widely disdained as aluminum ghettos. When folks are driving down the highway, there are plenty of terrible examples of manufactured homes to be seen, but it's important to note that there is a wide variation investing Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/raymond_james_reminds_new_4_million_4512 A $4 million revenue producing team from Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (FiNet) has jumped ship to Raymond James Financial Services, the firm’s independent contractor unit. investing Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:14:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/theintelligentinvestor/how_to_find_the_best_etf_4412 First, you need to determine the category or sector to which you want exposure. theintelligentinvestor Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:43:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_caution_contents_may Innovation is a constant in the world of investing. New spins on old ideas are forever being dreamt up by product departments most of them are meant to make lots of money for the people who sell them and the investors who buy them. Not all of them succeed at both. ETF managed portfolios separately managed accounts with over half of their assets in ETFs are among the latest hot products everyone is investing Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:50:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_bond_bubble_burst Here are a few defensive strategies to protect against an end to the runup in fixed income over the past few years. investing Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_new_face_diversification For advisors who were trying to diversify stock-heavy portfolios, 2011 was a year for the record books. While some assets proved to be unusually powerful diversifiers, other investments provided little diversification at all. The unusual pattern can be attributed to so-called risk on-risk off trading. During periods when investors gained confidence, they bought all kinds of stocks and risky assets investing Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/finance_human_behavior Behavioral finance suggests investors are often irrational when it comes to money. Some financial advisors are having great success incorporating the principles of behavioral finance with clients. investing Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:02:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/former_merrill_fa_accused_of_pilfering_328 Former Merrill Lynch/Bank of America advisor Eva Weinberg is accused of helping steal $2.2 million from NFL player Dwight Freeney, according to a federal complaint. investing Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:04:00 EDT http://registeredrep.com/investing/dont_let_these_etfs_fool_you_326 What’s in a name? These ETFs share one thing in common: snazzy sounding names that don’t reflect what the funds actually invest in. investing Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:05:00 EDT