Temma Ehrenfeld

According to a Maritz study, only 21% of Gen Y and 32% of Gen X turn to professional investment advisors for financial news, compared to 38% of boomers and 37% of seniors. Only 10% trust investment advisors.

Vanguard analysis finds that oil price spikes don’t lead to lower stock returns; Federated and Barclays like Mexico; Morgan Stanley finds that ETFs are tracking their markets more accurately; and KBW report that demand for “life-cycle” type investment products should grow.

To hedge against Middle East unrest, Barclays says, advisors should choose options that benefit from higher energy prices or more stock volatility.

Middle class Americans who work with planners trust their own planner despite deep distrust of the financial services industry

Companies may need to provide more information to assess climate change risks and opportunities.

Jeff Saut is bullish, despite expectations for a 5% to 10% correction in domestic markets.

The bull market for bonds will end with a whimper, according to Glenmede; Barclays says emerging market countries still have spare capacity; Siegel + Gale reports that companies that offer consumers simplicity do well around the world; and Big Pharma needs to buy growth, especially in emerging markets, says Morningstar.

The stock market has been compensating small companies handsomely during the past three years, and may keep up the pace, but large caps have been lagging for the last decade.

Only 10% of Americans with $5 million to $25 million in investable assets described themselves as “very wealthy” in a recent survey by the Spectrem Group.

In a new survey, 57% called the industry was “greedy.”

BlackRock’s bullish chief equity strategist said the the raging rally is making many nervous. So, when will all the bad news make the market panic?

More than half say they’ll buy stocks in 2011

According to a survey by HSBC, wealthy investors would like to invest more abroad.

Companies should begin to hire, according Janney, Montgomery, Scott. Barclays expects rising core inflation. Valuations of large-caps are okay, but not reasonable, and small-caps are overvalued, according to T. Rowe Price.

As financial planners know well, one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is inability to understand financial concepts. Patients often quickly lose control of their daily finances.

A survey from the psychology journal Perspectives of Psychological Science concluded that Americans desire a more equal distribution of wealth, and dramatically underestimate the current gap.

A new T. Rowe Price study, which makes the case for a diversified portfolio divided between stocks and bonds, may help calm investors' nerves.

An executive said that employees continue to be “grossly under prepared for retirement,” with over 82% reporting that they are not on track to meet their retirement goals.

According to a poll of 41 individuals with more than $5 million of investable assets conducted by SEI, 68% admitted that emotions get in the way of making the best choices, while 17% said instinct guides them most.

Better weather should improve the job growth data, says Janney Montgomery, Scott; Barclays says state and local government cuts should not be a severe drag on the economy,; and big banks continue to grow more profitable, especially in the Southwest, says KBW.