Ruthie Ackerman

As investors become more worried about the U.S. economy, they seem to be pouring more money into bond funds and international equity funds and less money into domestic equity funds and ETFs, according to Strategic Insight, a business intelligence provider to the worldwide fund industry.

On Friday, at the Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago the CEO of BlackRock, Laurence Fink, said US economic growth could be slashed 1% a year for the next ten years if the deficit is cut by $4 trillion as proposed.

Merger and acquisition value jumped 39% in the first half of 2011 continuing the trend of strong M&A activity in 2010, according to PwC US.

Assets flowed out of ETFs in May, the first time flows have reversed direction since August 2010, according to State Street Global Advisors, which just released its latest Snapshot report tracking ETF funds.

Assets flowed out of ETFs in May, the first time flows have reversed direction since August 2010, according to State Street Global Advisors, which just released its latest Snapshot report tracking ETF funds.

As the Department of Labor is trying to expand the definition of fiduciary, which would have a substantial impact on defined contribution plan sponsors and providers, ING announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its fiduciary service offerings to help sponsors better navigate their responsibilities under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Forty-one percent of the more than 2,000 high-net worth individuals surveyed in the Barclays Wealth Insights report said they wish they had more control over their finances, which is critical since emotions can cost investors up to 20% in returns over a decade if they buy high and sell low.

On Friday, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund announced an expanded consultation service and series of seminars on strategic giving of C- and S-Corp stock, restricted stock, limited partnership interests, real estate and other privately held assets.

Not only have investors lost faith in the stock market, but a substantial number say they will never invest in the stock market again, according to a survey released on Friday by Prudential Financial.

For the first time in two years fixed annuity sales rose, according to the Beacon Research Fixed Annuity Premium Study released on Thursday.

Despite the fact that social media is critical for marketing and growth of financial advisory practices, a significant number of advisors are still concerned about using social media for compliance reasons, according to a Peak Advisor Alliance survey released on Wednesday.

Choosing a financial advisor isn’t only about knowledge and investment acumen: it’s also about gender.

Covestor realizes it didn’t do a good job recruiting female model managers in the past and it wants to make a change- starting now.

On Monday Bank of America Merrill Lynch announced that Cathy Bolz was hired to the Institutional Client Relationships leadership team as an Executive Client Relationship Manager, reporting to Kevin Crain.

TD Ameritrade Institutional is looking to correct the gender imbalance in the financial services industry by expanding resources and opportunities and, more generally, making the industry more attractive to women.

According to the 12th Annual survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies released on Tuesday, a substantial number of Americans are unprepared for retirement and many do not have a backup plan if they are forced into retirement earlier than planned.

To lead a successful financial advisory team an advisor needs four things: Communication, collaboration, structure and process, said William Stepanek of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in a workshop during IMCA’s annual conference.

How will the U.S. avoid another Great Depression? By dealing with our debt issues, said David P. Kelly of JP Morgan Funds in a panel discussion at the IMCA annual conference.

Although when investors are surveyed almost all say they are satisfied with their advisors, the reality is that loyalty to an advisor is different than satisfaction, said Matt Oechsli of The Oechsli Institute at the IMCA annual conference in Las Vegas on Monday.

The federal budget deficit is estimated to skyrocket to $1.6 trillion this year, but Andrew H. Friedman of The Washington Update told a standing-room only crowd at IMCA’s annual conference in Las Vegas that there are still opportunities for investors.