Practice

Retirement income is one of the most critical trends in the mutual fund industry right now-and yet, experts say few firms are getting it right.

The President's Working Group on Financial Markets will form two private-sector groups to develop best practices for the hedge fund industry, and while it comes far short of requiring hedge funds to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, this is welcome news, both for investors and the market.

Of the 14 regulations that came out of the mutual fund trading scandal, the two most important were the creation of a chief compliance officer and the requirement that three-quarters of a fund's board of directors, including its chairman, be independent.

Four years after securities regulators sued five former brokers at Prudential Securities for extensive improper mutual fund trading, Justin Ficken, never considered the most notorious trader in the scandal, is facing the largest monetary penalty out of everyone, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has revised its examination hotline system, at 202-551-EXAM, following a 38-page Government Accountability Office study analyzing its examination procedures.

Of the 14 regulations that came out of the mutual fund trading scandal, the two most important were the creation of a chief compliance officer and the requirement that three-quarters of a fund's board of directors, including its chairman, be independent.

Full-page newspaper ads or mailed invitations hyping financial seminars for seniors often are dubbed "educational" and "workshops."

Lifecycle funds are now taking another punch, and while this one may not be fully merited, it is one that fund companies might want to consider as a roadmap to improving such funds' performance and marketability.

Lifecycle funds are now taking another punch, and while this one may not be fully merited, it is one that fund companies might want to consider as a roadmap to improving such funds' performance and marketability.

Parents certainly are aware of the need to save for children's college education, but not all are stashing away money in appropriate investment vehicles, such as 529s that are tax-free.