Temma Ehrenfeld

The previous minimum was $3,000 for eleven of the twelve funds in the series.

BlackRock's chief equity strategist sees a number of “tailwinds” including an “impressive” increase in jobs in April that give investors a lot to be positive about.

Stock prices will continue to rise, says Janney, Montgomery, Scott; Barclays is bullish on Chinese stocks and emerging markets as a whole; Federated recommends Danish and Norwegian stocks; Shlomo Benartzi explains why stock prices change with the weather, plane crashes and soccer victories.

U.S. economy is doing better than headlines suggest, he says.

Product includes portfolios managed like institutional and endowment funds.

Barclays sees the U.S. economic growth picking up again; Schroders thinks U.S. bonds will keep their AAA rating; Janney, Montgomery, Scott predicts precious metals prices will keep rising; and T. Rowe Price is bullish on Internet stocks.

An uptick in mergers and acquisition among investment advisory firms at the end of last year suggests that the pace will increase, according to a study by Pershing Advisor Solutions, a unit of BNY Mellon. However, there were fewer deals, and they took longer to complete in last year, compared to the peak in 2007.

SEI finds that talking about money may still be taboo.

With earnings reports for 20% of the S&P in hand, Bob Doll, Chief Equity Strategist at Black Rock, predicts that U.S. companies will outperform the consensus expectations by 3-4% this past quarter.

T. Rowe notes that most emerging market countries are politically stable. Barclays predicts a global round of deficit-cutting and notes that demand for oil continues to soar. A Rogers Casey analysis finds that “best ideas” portfolios aren’t worth the extra risk. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods notes an increase in banks that exceeded estimates this quarter. Vanguard sees the U.S. recovery continuing.

Most prefer to make less in the short-term in exchange for more financial secuirty over longer periods of time.

Barclays has reduced its forecast for U.S. GDP, but remains optimistic about the second quarter.

BlackRock expects a rise in U.S. yields. Muhlenkamp anticipates more volatility in U.S. stocks. The No-Load Investor does not see emerging markets as an opportunity now. S&P likes Oppenheimer Main Street Select fund. Schwab recommends bond barbells. Barclays expects more bumps in emerging markets.

ETFs make up roughly 10% of the average Gen X or Y investment portfolio, according to data from TD Ameritrade, and people of all ages have higher ETF balances today than six months ago.

Investors under the age of 46 (“Gen X/Y”) have become more optimistic about investing, but those ages 46 to 64 (“Boomers”) are holding back, according to the latest MFS Investing Sentiment Survey.

T. Rowe Price suggests many boomers planning early retirement would be better off working through their 60s and saving less.

S&P, gold, crude, the Euro, and emerging markets trending up, according to QAS. Barclays notes the first time in history that Europe has raised rates before the Fed. Janney, Montgomery, Scott recommends bank bonds. McKinsey says mid-size cities under ten million will generate more than half of global growth.

Institutional investors and regulators are paying more attention to the sector.

According to a Russell survey, enthusiasm for non-U.S. equities has declined.

Doll and Fisher predict sideways pattern for stocks and more risk in bonds.