Temma Ehrenfeld

More people get more retirement money from employer plans today.

According to government figures, at least 70 percent of people over age 65 will eventually require some form of help with personal care such as dressing or using the bathroom and 40% will need a nursing home. Nursing homes now cost $80,000 a year on average.

Analysts say growth will stall or slow if upper income households see a tax increase.

Credit counselors have typically been young, about 30 on average, but according to David Jones, the president of the American Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, more older people are entering the field.

Signs indicate the stock market is on the way up, although bank failures now are up to 146 year to date, ahead of last year. Advisors will, as always, have to nudge investors towards taking a longer-term view, since the human tendency is to overvalue the immediate moment, resulting in what behavioral economists call “hyperbolic discounting.”

First investment banks developed tools to act like hedge funds. Now their risk strategies are spreading to traditional money management.

Surprisingly, most Americas (88%) showed understanding of diversification and asset allocation (79%) while flunking basic questions about other financial concepts in a survey for Northwestern Mutual.

Socially responsible investments topped $3 trillion, accounting for one of every eight professionally-managed dollars.

Few employers are likely to drop their health plans in 2014, when penalties click in under health reform, according to a survey by the consulting firm, Mercer, even if penalties may be cheaper than the plans.

The reasons are more sophisticated. RIAs want to add services or create a succession plan, according to a study.