Ruthie Ackerman

With unemployment rates remaining staggeringly high and debates about the debt ceiling on Capitol Hill, Americans are still worried about the economy, according to a report released on Thursday by First Command.

As unemployment numbers remain markedly high, the number of high-net worth individuals in the U.S. continued to increase in 2010, according to Capgemini’s 2011 U.S. Metro Wealth Index.

Employers are feeling confident about their financial futures and that means more new hires, fewer layoffs, and an increase in retirement benefits and reinstatements of certain benefits, according to the 12th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey released on Tuesday.

With all the talk about Americans not saving enough for retirement, New York Life Insurance Company announced on Monday a new type of deferred income annuity that allows individuals to create a “personal pension” to ensure retirement income.

After seeing assets flow out of ETFs in May -- the first time flows have reversed direction since August 2010 -- the ETF Industry saw a 1.4%, or $8 billion, decline in overall assets in June, according to State Street Global Advisors, which just released its latest Snapshot report tracking ETF funds.

Asset managers have seen higher profitability in 2010 than in 2009, but they still face a number of challenges: an increase in investor demands, changing products, tighter regulations, and diversity of markets, according to a study released on Monday by The Boston Consulting Group.

On Tuesday the American Bankruptcy Institute announced that U.S. consumer bankruptcy filings decreased 8% to 709,303 nationwide through June 30, down from 770,117 total consumer filings a year earlier.

Following an announcement from The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in January that it ordered Charles Schwab & Company, Inc., to pay $18 million to repay investors in its YieldPlus Fund after investment losses, a FINRA Arbitrator awarded damages, attorney’s fees and other costs to a couple invested in the fund.

Not enough Americans are saving for retirement -- and the ones who are, aren’t saving enough. Which is why ING’s Retirement division has launched a number of programs to help encourage individuals to save more in their defined contribution retirement plans.

When individuals are faced with too many options they become paralyzed and don’t make the best decisions– even when it comes to 401(k) options, according to a new study co-authored by Columbia Business School and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Successful retirement preparation is driven by three variables: consistent saving and investing, access to financial advice and access to workplace retirement plans, according to a survey by Putnam Investments released on Wednesday.

While couples are saving for retirement, they don’t seem to be discussing their retirement goals, according to a new survey by Fidelity Investments.

In a panel discussion at the Insured Retirement Institute’s (IRI) regulatory conference on Tuesday officials from the Departments of Labor and Treasury discussed increasing access to guaranteed lifetime income products and the proposed rule on the definition of a fiduciary that would regulate retirement savings programs and professionals.

Most consumers don’t read the prospectus they receive when they purchase a variable annuity and a new report released by the Insured Retirement Institute on Monday found that 94% of consumers would prefer to receive a shorter, printed summary prospectus online or upon request.

More 401(k) participants are invested in single target-date, balanced fund or managed account advisory services, according to Vanguard’s “How America Saves 2011” report.

Prior to the financial crisis, clients prioritized performance above all else when it came to their wealth managers. Now, according to PwC’s 2011 report “Anticipating a New Age in Wealth Management” released on Tuesday, client service and value is becoming more critical.

One area where women are being left behind is in corporate America, said Aditi Mohapatra, Senior Sustainability Analyst at Calvert Investment Management, at the Women Advisors Forum in Chicago on Monday.

Combination life insurance products, which combine a pool of benefit dollars for covered long-term care expenses, a death benefit for beneficiaries, or both, showed tremendous growth in 2010, with new premium sales soaring 62% to $1.2 billion, according to LIMRA research released on Friday.

Financial advisors and clients have very different ideas about what are critical conversations, according to Russell Investments’ latest Financial Professional Outlook (FPO), a quarterly survey of U.S. financial advisors, investors and advisors, which was released on Wednesday.

Grant Thornton LLP’s most recent Business Optimism Index, a quarterly survey of U.S. financial services leaders, reveals that U.S. financial services leaders are lowering their expectations of the US economy.