Danielle Reed

On April 6, the comment period on FINRA’s proposed changes to its BrokerCheck system will close, though there is still much debate and controversy about some of the proposed changes. Compliance consultant and securities attorney Jennifer Woods Burke shares her thoughts on the subject with Financial Planning.

PIMCO’S Douglas M. Hodge, managing director and COO of PIMCO, on the debate around how much investment managers should incorporate social responsibility into their investing decisions on behalf of clients.

Chicago-based brokerage and investment advisory firm David A. Noyes has hired an executive away from Fifth Third Bank to join the ranks of its wealth advisors as a vice president.

Data can be volatile on a month-to-month basis, but the signs are still pointing toward growth.

High-yield bonds may sound risky, but they have some advantages in the current market environment, according to a BlackRock report.

ETFs have seen rapid adoption by investors and advisors in recent years, but while the products themselves are known for their liquidity and transparency, what’s less understood is the tax bite some may deliver at the end of each year. With this in mind, Financial Planning spoke with Adam Patti, CEO of IndexIQ, to talk taxes and ETFs.

Symetra Investment Services has hired a new director of business development away from Lincoln Financial Network, the retail sales and financial planning affiliates of Lincoln Financial Group.

In the search for yield, mid-cap stocks are often overlooked as an option. But the companies often have more room to grow than large caps, and many are “appealing takeover candidates” to boot, says Esther Kwon, equity analyst with S&P Capital IQ.

The proposed rule change might lower litigation and forum expenses, but it could also result in more claims and awards against reps and (eventually) RIAs.

The new hire, Joseph Zidle, guided investing strategy for almost $2 trillion in individual investor assets in his prior role.

“Before allowing our reps to use social media, we needed a technology solution to handle our complex regulatory needs,” says Chad Oppedal, assistant director of compliance for the Principal Financial Group.

More and more often, RIAs are outsourcing certain functions so they can spend more time with clients and stay competitive, according to the firm.

The top concern was over the quality and selection of investment options in traditional plans, with over half of RIAs surveyed naming this as their chief issue.

There’s a lot of investor and advisor interest in alternative investments as a means to hedge against market volatility and to diversify a portfolio (all while boosting returns). Steve Hammers, chief investment officer and portfolio manager of the Compass EMP Alternative Strategies Fund, spoke to Financial Planning about how to design and evaluate an alternatives strategy:

Many investors put off making final IRA contributions until the last minute, and now Fidelity Investments has an app for that.

UHY Advisors, known as a tax and business consulting firm, is branching out into new territory with the hire of two estate planning specialists.

Independent broker-dealer Paulson Investment Company has agreed to transfer its retail operations to RIA and broker-dealer JHS Capital Advisors.

The group chose Securities America because “we want to expand our business … [and]… we feel this is a better opportunity and fit than any other firm we researched and reviewed,” according to Tom Gahler.

David Ford, a financial advisor in Spooner, Wis., has joined independent broker-dealer Securities America.

Genworth Financial Wealth Management has hired the former executive director of global asset management at UBS to the post of strategic accounts director with a focus on institutional clients.