Donald Jay Korn

Foreign stocks generally pay higher dividends and offer great sector diversity for investors hunting yields, says Philip Camporeale of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. But beware the tax hit.

While the use of ETFs continues to surge, their low expense ratios appear to be most prized by multi-millionaires, according to a study by Spectrem Group.

Mike Boosel of Baird turned a part-time teaching gig, helping seniors learn about retirement planning, into a lucrative source of clients.

With minimal impact on current tax rates and the potential for tax-free withdrawals as they age, Roth 401(k) plans are catching on with the young and not-at-all-wealthy.

Specific rules govern how a 401(k) beneficiary designation is changed, and an advisor’s failure to help a client comply fully could send his or her hard-earned money to unintended recipients.

The current market bodes well for certain sectors of stocks that have historically outperformed in rising rate environments, says a new Lord Abbett study.

Detroit’s bankruptcy filing means it’s time for advisors to reassess their holdings, says Warren Pierson, lead manager of Baird’s intermediate-term municipal bond fund, but not to over-react to what is sure to be a panicked client base.

Smaller signing bonuses and shorter contract terms are on their way, says recruiter Mark Elzweig, and an aging advisor population is to blame.

A new study shows that the current yield environment could leave retirees badly underfunded.

A study by the Congressional Budget Office counteracts longstanding conventional wisdom that retirees should hold at least some of their portfolio in annuities

Investing in a fund holding mining stocks is not the same as investing in a bullion fund. Advisors should know which mining companies are included in precious metals funds, and where they operate.

In these low-yield times, dividend-paying stocks have obvious appeal. Payouts may be as high or higher than bond yields, investors have growth potential, and the tax treatment can be favorable. Given these advantages, why not go one step further and look for dividend-paying foreign stocks?

Is emerging market debt still an attractive asset class, or is a correction likely to squeeze investors?

Mass affluent investors are beginning to regain confidence following the economic downturn, according to the Spring 2013 Merrill Edge Report.

Most IRA owners limit withdrawals to required minimum distributions, according to a new report from the Employee Research Benefit Institute. Nevertheless, a substantial number of higher-income retirees take withdrawals before age 70-1/2 and those non-required distributions may be relatively large, in relation to their IRA balances.

Considering the recent success of several regional and single-country categories, is there a case for holding such high-potential funds in clients’ portfolios?

Immediate annuities, also known as income annuities and payout annuities, can replace disappearing corporate pensions, but sales have been tepid. Insurers have responded with some significant bells and whistles.

Among pre-retirees who worked with advisors, 73% said that did not expect to carry debt into retirement.

Fidelity reported a 53% increase in health savings accounts opened in 2012, raising the number of individual accounts administered by the company to 182,000.

Why do investors need foreign stocks or funds? Why not just buy U.S. companies that do a great deal or even most of their business overseas? A number of factors make international companies and funds attractive.