May 12, 2012
By David Trainer
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....
May 11, 2012
By Mark Miller
We've all seen the studies – one seems to land on my desk once or twice a week. “Americans are living longer.” “Fewer have defined benefit pensions.” “The value of Social Security is shrinking.” “Boomers don't have enough money to retire comfortably.” “A retirement crisis is looming.” ...
May 11, 2012
By Diana Britton
Active ETFs have been making a big splash lately, especially with the recent launch of PIMCO’s Total Return ETF (ticker: TRXT)....
May 11, 2012
By Jerry Gleeson
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. ...
May 10, 2012
By Kristen French
How do you know if your math is fuzzy or if it all adds up? Will any old math do? That is a question being posed by the Boston Consulting Group in a report released today. ...
May 10, 2012
By Stephen Boswell and Kevin Nichols
Welcome to the world of the elite. There’s a small cadre of elite new advisors, 2.4% to be exact, who are doing the right activities, the right way and seeing phenomenal results. ...
May 10, 2012
By Kristen French
The heated battle between Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and former brokers Tamara Smolchek and Meri Ramazio over unpaid deferred compensation continues to rage....
May 10, 2012
By Jennifer Duell Popovec
There are only a handful of real estate funds that invest exclusively in emerging markets, and emerging markets typically don't account for a large percentage of global real estate funds. ...
May 9, 2012
By Dawn Bennett
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. ...
May 9, 2012
By Jonathan Moreland
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....
May 9, 2012
By David Thayne Leibell
How to help smooth leadership transitions...
May 9, 2012
By Lauren Barack
New technology allows clients to see themselves, literally, as they will be when they're old enough to retire. Research shows it could help investors save more for their golden years....
May 8, 2012
By Jerry Gleeson
It’s likely you haven’t heard of Scottrade’s advisor platform – but if current growth rates continue, you will. ...
May 8, 2012
By Lauren Barack
Apple owners often claim superiority over PC users believing Macs virus-free. Those days are over. Here’s how to keep your data safe....
May 8, 2012
By Lauren Barack
Randy Beeman is hardly shy about making his voice heard. ...
May 7, 2012
By Jerry Gleeson
Registered Rep.'s 32nd annual Altruism Awards. ...
May 7, 2012
By Stan Luxenberg
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. ...
May 7, 2012
By Diana Britton
NFP Advisor Services Group (formerly NFP Securities) announced a new partnership today with institutional consulting firm DiMeo Schneider & Associates, giving its 1,700 advisors access to DiMeo’s investment research capabilities. ...
May 4, 2012
By David A. Geracioti, Editor-in-Chief
May 4, 2012
By Diana Britton
The battle to get annuities into 401(k) plans has been hard-fought, and it’s not over yet. ...
May 4, 2012
By Mindy Diamond
Peter Sargent, a 20-year veteran of Merrill Lynch, stunned many when he left to join Janney in March. He chose Janney for its focus on client relationships and the combination of scale and intimacy that it offers....
May 3, 2012
By Matt Oechsli
The bad news is that most CPAs don’t trust the financial services industry and therefore don’t trust financial advisors. ...
May 3, 2012
By Kristen French
May 3, 2012
By David A. Geracioti, Editor-in-Chief
Below is the mutual fund asset flows dating back to 2007 as complied by the Investment Company Institute. Basically, retail investors have been selling equity funds since then. It would be interesting to superimpose the S&P 500’s returns over this period....
May 3, 2012
By Diana Britton
