Ann Marsh

In the wake of a settlement of a patent infringement lawsuit involving two major financial planning software products, both sides are proclaiming victory.

Level Four Group, a Plano, Texas, based advisory firm with close to $1 billion in assets under management has moved from Lincoln Financial to LPL in a bid to grow by using the LPL platform and name to increase its stable of advisors.

PIEtech, Inc., maker of the popular planning software product MoneyGuidePro, has settled a patent infringement lawsuit brought against it and UBS Financial Services by its competitor, Wealthcare Capital Management.

Expect more financial regulatory changes, Schwab executives suggested Thursday -- and be wary of a new recession if Congress and the new administration don’t take steps to keep the country from going all the way over the so-called fiscal cliff

Approximately 300 advisors affiliated with independent broker-dealer Symetra Investment Services, based in Bellevue, Wash., now have access to a Envestnet's online tools, including aggregated reporting capabilities.

Ultimately, damages to the region could amount to $50 billion, according to Jim Kane, president of personal insurance at HUB International. Even at this early stage, he says, there are several pieces of advice that planners can (and should) offer to clients who are contending with damages.

Forget about fake scares: Advisor spends Halloween holed up at "secret" church to recharge laptop and reach out to clients.

Worried about possible flooding from Hurricane Sandy, Lancaster, Pa., planner Rick Rodgers spent Monday night at the fortified headquarters of his namesake firm -- a building that looks like a mansion on a Southern plantation.

Amid the driving wind and rain, advisors battled back with generators, data backups ... and chainsaws.

Demand for liquidity has advisors saying they're planning to boost ETF use, according to a Guggenheim survey.

An entrepreneur argues that the accelerating pace of technological change has implications for both investing and philanthropy.

Strict new reporting rules on global assets and earnings is prompting blowback from financial institutions.

The hybrid RIA firm says it chose LPL after a 'Bachelor'-style bakeoff.

In addition to serving the local community, such clinics offer new graduates real-world experience.

Also, 293 midsize advisors called out for delayed move to state oversight.

Could the 2012 holiday shopping season be the best one since the recession? Planners seeking clues to the performance of the U.S. retail sector should consider an industry group’s projection that sales for the November-December time period will increase 4.1% this year.

It’s a conflicted time for American investors who are both worried about their preparedness for retirement but also terrifically gun shy about taking on new risk to help pay for it, according to a new study of 702 U.S. residents who range in age from 18 to 67.

Planners concerned with the health of their clients’ pensions should take note that U.S. corporate pension plans managed a modest funding recovery in September, despite remaining in overall deficit status.

For planners seeking clues into U.S. consumer behavior this shopping season, a new survey detects optimism for both retailers and consumers, 62% of whom said they will spend as much or more as they did last holiday season.

Most people, not just those earning more than $200,000 a year, probably will be paying more in taxes next year, says Lancaster, Penn.-based planner and retirement specialist Rick Rodgers. The good news is clients still have time to take advantage of 2012 tax rates, which may turn out to be the lowest available for some time. Rodgers offers three strategies that can be implemented before the end of the year: