Pamela J. Black

Ken Fisher of Fisher Investments chatted with us about the economy and actually found a silver lining in the market.

It sounds like the name of an honored Transatlantic ship, but this time the QE2 stands for the Federal Reserve Board’s second attempt at an economic stimulus with the name Quantitative Easing. Will this new round help keep the economy afloat and chugging toward an expansion?

As an advisor, strong communication skills can help build your business, especially if you tune into a client's communication style.

It isn’t every day that you get your opinion validated by the likes of Jeremy Siegel, the “Wharton wizard,” market commentator and senior investment strategy advisor for Wisdomtree ETFs. Siegel delivered a very bullish talk at Sourcemedia’s ETF 360 conference in New York.

The idea of a bond bubble keeps bubbling to the surface. The argument is sound. Interest rates are at all time lows. In the bizarro world of bonds this means that prices are at all-time highs. Meanwhile investors spooked by the stock markets are pouring into bonds the way they poured into, well, real estate before 2008 and technology before 2000.

Live from the FPA Conference in Denver, Dan Ariely, author of “Predictably Irrational,” kicked off the festivities with a keynote speech about how people frequently make mistakes because they rely on input from senses that offer biased information.

A new study published in Psychological Science finds that people who are primed to think about time spend more time socializing, while people who are primed to think about money spend more time working.

The Omaha, Neb., broker-dealer retools its independent platform for the bank channel.

A closer examination of why (and why not) annuities belong in a 401(k) plan.

There’s a lot of debate right now about whether putting annuities in 401(k) plans is a good idea or not.

Banks, losing fees elsewhere, are looking to investment services to make up the difference.

Pamela Black, Bank Investment Consultant’s editor-in-chief, continues her new blog with a look at how dollar-cost averaging can help investors and advisors find the best stock bargains.

Can dollar-cost averaging help investors and advisors find the best stock bargains?

What caused the May dilemma?

Couples can afford to self-insure if they have enough money to run two households.

Most prefer self-directed investing rather than "expensive" advisors, according to Spectrem Group.

The 2008 crisis accelerated changes in how bank customers want to interact.

A survey indicates that most favor a heavier tax on the wealthy.

Fewer of the wealthiest are giving more and small family foundations are giving more than required.

Sales of fixed annuities rose in recent months despite a negative spread with CDs.