Larry Barrett

For some stocks, the January Effect never took hold. Here's a look at the five Dow component stocks that lost the most ground in the first month of the year.

Whether it’s the by-product of those Wall Street guys reinvesting their legendary end-of-the-year bonuses or individual investors jumping back into the market after selling for year-end tax reasons, the Dow typically takes flight in January. Here's a closer look at the five best-performing Dow stocks last month.

Financial planning, when it’s done right, requires a lot of different skill sets. So what exactly are firms looking for when it’s time to bring someone new aboard? Here's what the people who actually make the personnel decisions had to say.

Securities America promoted Michael Belluomini to regional director of branch office development for the Northeastern region.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 30 component companies said they expect to pump up their annual dividend payouts by 12.3% in 2012 to almost $105 billion.

Financial planners know all too well how difficult it can be to get their clients motivated enough to make the sacrifices and investment decisions that are necessary to ensure a comfortable retirement. But what could possibly derail the retirement plans of those clients who are already doing everything right?

Gregory Fleming, president of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley Investment Management, was elected to replace former Bank of America Merrill Lynch wealth management head Sallie Krawcheck on the SRO’s Board of Governors.

Fidelity Investments is now offering a free version of its WealthCentral customer relationship and portfolio management platform for the iPad.

The field of behavioral finance has shown that human beings can’t be presumed to take the most logical, rational approach to investing. So if not logic, just what is affecting our decisions? Here’s an interactive slide show that explains 10 of the most common psychological pitfalls that regularly affect professional and amateur investors alike.

Wedbush Securities has launched a new social media initiative for financial advisors, investment bankers and equity traders that encourages them to use Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to boost their respective books of business.

The principle behind the annual gift tax exclusion is to shelter gifts commonly made on birthdays, holidays, weddings and other special occasions. However, many high-net-worth individuals may also utilize the annual gift tax exclusion as a strategy to mitigate the impact of future estate taxes.

Securities America, the nation’s seventh-largest independent broker-dealer, wrapped up 2011 with a handful of executive promotions.

Sometimes it just isn’t your year. And 2011 wasn't the greatest of years for some of the world's most iconic companies, particularly for tech firms such as Cisco Systems and HP that have delivered massive returns to shareholders for years.

Everybody loves a winner and if you or your clients held any of these top-performing Dow component stocks in their portfolios this year, there’s a pretty good chance they did quite well for themselves in 2011.

Here's an interactive slideshow detailing 12 frightening facts that Baby Boomers and their financial advisors need to appreciate and address in the coming year to ensure they're properly prepared for the retirement they've always envisioned.

Raymond James Financial has added a trio of financial advisors for its new office in Mississippi.

Before putting a bow on 2011, advisors and their clients should take the time to nail down these four key aspects of their finances to ensure financial planning success in 2012, according to M&I, a part of the BMO Financial Group.

Financial advisors looking to save costs, improve productivity and meet compliance standards recognize the importance of an effective document management application that goes above beyond Adobe Acrobat – but thus far the options remain fairly limited.

Many planners and their clients are ready to make adjustments to their portfolios for the new year. Here are the Top 12 Financial Planning Strategies for 2012, according to the FPA of San Francisco.

With the holidays fast approaching, Deutsche Bank Wealth Management has come up with a holiday wish list for its "true love," the financial markets. For the most part, the Deutsche Bank crew doesn’t believe they’re dreaming and predicts most of these wishes will come true 2012. Do you?