Practice

Fidelity Investments expects sales of its 401(k)s to continue to increase through third-party financial advisers to small and midsized companies-and the company plans to reduce fees to gain additional share. In August, Fidelity plans to switch its Advisor 401(k) platform to a system where the adviser receives a flat fee from Fidelity instead of several different fees in the form of 12b-1 fees.

A little more than a year after the worst of the financial crisis, many Americans are slipping back into their old saving and spending habits, according to a new study commissioned by the online investing firm Scottrade.

Thanks to their robust disclosure policies, mutual fund companies are generally well-protected against investor lawsuits, but that won't stop lawyers from trying anyway.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is concerned that some mutual funds and actively managed and leveraged ETFs, in particular, may be investing too heavily in swaps and derivatives. If the staff determines that the investments are inconsistent with the leverage, concentration and diversification provisions of the Investment Company Act, it will cease granting exemptions going forward. Funds that already received exemptions would not be impacted, the SEC said.

A little more than a year after the worst of the financial crisis, many Americans are slipping back into their old saving and spending habits, according to a new study commissioned by the online investing firm Scottrade.

Even though Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd introduced his financial regulatory reform bill earlier this month without a key provision on the fiduciary standard, some industry observers who support a more stringent standard are cautiously optimistic that tighter reforms will be implemented.

Your questions answered about LinkedFA, the new FINRA compliant social media site that allows financial advisors to promote their practices.

Even though Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, introduced his financial regulatory reform bill earlier this month without a key provision on the fiduciary standard, some industry observers who support a more stringent standard are cautiously optimistic that tighter reforms will be implemented.

Because Apple hasn’t even launched the iPad tablet yet and most publishers and marketing firms still don’t have completed apps, which Apple must first approve, there are many unanswered questions about how it works for readers and advertisers alike.

The Obama administration plans to announce Friday that it is revamping its foreclosure prevention plan to encourage lenders to offer principal write downs to troubled borrowers.