Portfolio

As the mutual fund universe becomes more crowded and the strategies offered to investors become more complex, fund managers are under pressure to further differentiate themselves and their brands from the competition. One way to stand out is to make investor and financial intermediary education a key element of any communications plan to drive brand awareness and asset growth.

Best known as the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and the first to head one of its member firms, Muriel F. "Mickie" Siebert died of complications from cancer on August 24 at the age of 80.

The Treasury Department and the IRS have issued proposed regulations to implement the information reporting requirements for insurers and certain employers under the Affordable Care Act.

Building a successful fund requires a distinguishable brand, an effective marketing strategy, and a commitment to distribution support.

Options have been used in asset management for several decades, but due to current market conditions asset managers' interest has been renewed in this strategy. With bonds in a bear market and an equity market meandering horizontally, these managers are embracing options as a way to generate income while protecting against the downside.

Growth from both retail and institutional investors has been steady in what is now called ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues.

The "do it yourself" investor crowd is not exactly new. But now it has a newfound source of power. A new tool on the market from Motif Investing makes it easier than ever for individual investors to create their own ETF-like investment funds.

The "do it yourself" investor crowd is not exactly new. But now it has a newfound source of power. A new tool on the market from Motif Investing makes it easier than ever for individual investors to create their own ETF-like investment funds. The timing is what makes this tool potentially troubling for established mutual fund and ETF companies. Combined with an overall mistrust of the financial industry and a general populist empowerment (social media, anyone?), it could become the next disruptive change.

Southern California-based Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors has another notch on its belt.

The 50 largest asset managers accounted for more than US$38 trillion in assets under management at the end of 2012. This is a full US$4 trillion more than the year before, even as the biggest firms in the industry continue to enlarge, according to The Cerulli Report: Global Markets 2013.