Data Security: How to Identify and Eliminate the Weakest Links
Earlier this summer, Hanson McClain Advisors got the call that no advisory firm wants to get. Someone had broken into its Sacramento, CA, headquarters and in scouring for money had stolen the firm’s safe filled with back-up data.

Luckily, the firm had several layers of protection on that data, making it nearly impossible for thieves to compromise client information. What’s more, the firm was able to recreate what had been lost...More

Tools of the Trade: Using LinkedIn to Prospect
For Mary Patch, LinkedIn is more than a website used for job hunting—it’s a tool she actively uses to build her firm’s qualified plan business.

Advisors often get busy and retirement plans aren’t their expertise, so they have a tendency to walk right past the opportunity, says Patch, director of business development for the qualified plan business at Steele Capital Management in Dubuque, Iowa. Using LinkedIn, Steele Capital has been able to match potential prospects with advisors who, in turn, have brought Steele Capital 401(k) business...More

ADVISOR Corner

Advisor Corner: Understanding the Differences between RIAs and Brokers, Suitability and Fiduciary
There are a lot of regulatory uncertainties hanging over the investment industry in the wake of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which President Obama signed into law in July. In this issue, we focus on the main differences between brokers and registered investment advisors (RIAs), what these differences might mean for investors, and how the legislation could affect brokers and RIAs. To provide insight, we spoke with Skip Schweiss, President, TD AMERITRADE Trust Company and Managing Director of Advisor Advocacy for TD AMERITRADE Institutional.

Q: What are the key differences between RIAs and brokers?

Schweiss: There are four main areas of difference. First, RIAs are registered with and regulated by either the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or their appropriate state securities regulator(s), depending on the amount of assets they manage. Brokers, on the other hand, are overseen by the SEC and are usually a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a self-regulatory organization (SRO) for broker/dealers doing business in the United States... More