Portfolio

HD Vest will marry its data mining capabilities and lineup of advisors to Blucora's free online tax preparation platform, but CEO Roger Ochs won’t call it a robo.

"The Barclays teams needed to make a decision quickly, but we're also talking to several more teams who are not with Barclays," says Tom Palecek, Summit Trail Advisors partner.

Executives say intuition, networking skills sets female advisors apart from their male counterparts.

The chief executive of the self-regulatory organization urges against duplicating regulatory efforts, and adds that big data will soon define how regulators operate.

Jeffrey Gundlach reached $50 billion in assets at his main mutual fund this week, the fastest an active stock or bond manager has achieved the milestone.

Treat their tax liabilities as expenses, and plan accordingly.

"There's a plethora of [private equity firms] sniffing around, and I think all the big firms are being pursued," says Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant Capital Management.

Clients are advised against trying to time the market or overreacting to speculation and media reports; Plus, millennials can't wait to pay off debt but many worry they don't earn enough.

Intelligent planning can help both parties save money.

The median state pension last year had 70% of the assets needed to meet promised benefits, up from 69.2% in 2013.