Samantha Allen

Macroeconomic factors like advances in technology and global population growth, not to mention market volatility and investor fear, are accelerating the need for financial advice said Marty Flanagan, president and CEO of Invesco, at the Money Management Institute 2012 Fall Solutions Conference on Wednesday.

As exchange-traded funds become more popular with advisors and clients, allocations to ETFs in fee-based portfolios are quickly increasing, according to a Cerulli report.

Flexibility, the ability to customize one’s practice and the entrepreneurial nature of being an advisor make the financial planning profession a great career for women, according to participants of a roundtable discussion held by Guardian Life Insurance.

Risk Paradigm Group, an independent wealth and asset management firm, announced Monday that a three-person advisor team from Morgan Stanley Wealth Management will join the firm.

LearnVest Live is arguably LearnVest’s biggest success so far: getting people, particularly young women, excited about (and engaged with) their finances. “Apparently every good-looking, successful, young working woman in Manhattan is at [LearnVest Live] right now…In case guys were wondering,” attendee Alana Taylor, tweeted from the event.

Most households with between $100,000 and $500,000 in investable assets do not have a retirement income plan and have not worked with a financial advisor, presenting a “sweet spot” for asset managers, according to findings from a Cerulli Associates retirement report released on Wednesday.

Advisors report that annuities are requested by clients more than any other unsolicited product, according to a new study from Cerulli Associates.

Advisors report that clients request annuities more than any other unsolicited product, according to new research from Cerulli Associates.

The result of the upcoming Presidential election will have little impact on investors, according to Andrew Mehalko, President of AM Wealth Management.

The June 2012 issue of Financial Planning included a controversial column from industry expert, author and instigator, Bob Veres. It launched such a vigorous debate that an entire session was dedicated to continuing the conversation at the FPA annual conference in San Antonio, Texas on Monday.

Investor confidence dropped slightly in the third quarter of 2012, according to the John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index, released Wednesday by John Hancock Financial Services.

With more and more Baby Boomers living longer and the senior population increasing faster than younger generations, we are entering the age of longevity. It's crucial that advisors help clients plan for this new chapter, said Louise Schroeder, a financial advisor and owner of Personal Financial Solutions, Inc.

Clients with family members with a special need, be it developmental, physical, cognitive or a mental illness, make up a significant number of clients, but the majority of advisors are not serving them, said Mary Anne Ehlert, a financial advisor and founder of special needs advocacy firm, Protected Tomorrows.

Some people say social media for advisors is a waste of time. Not so for Cathy Curtis, of Curtis Financial Planning, now a division of ClearRock Capital, LLC. Curtis has social media use to thank for the merger.

Most advisors are accustomed to the idea that, for the sake of growth and development, it's important to think of their practice as a business. But, many forget that this makes them the CEO and requires a particular mindset.

In light of looming changes in industry regulations and advances in current technology, advisors need to act now when it comes to making data and document management electronic, Timothy Welsh of Nexus Strategy, said at FPA Experience in San Antonio on Sunday.

With the financial crisis as the backdrop and the fiscal cliff and regulatory changes on the horizon, "you know that how you manage your practice is not going to get easier," said Bill Winterberg, of FPPad.com.

If Congress does not act and the current estate tax law expires, 14.7 million U.S. households could have a tax liability according to a report released by LIMRA, a worldwide association of insurance and financial services companies, on Tuesday.

Known for its cutting edge use of technology, Putnam Investments released a new technology-focused blog specifically for financial advisors on Monday.

The mass affluent represent an ample opportunity for retail banks if they can figure out how to reach them, a new report from HNW, Inc. finds.